Final Fantasy: Advent Children is a CGI movie, based on the successful game Final Fantasy VII, to be released on DVD and on a UMD disc for the PSP handheld console. It is to be released in Japan in early 2005, with a US release following shortly after. There is still a lot of speculation by fans about the subject of the film, but it is believed the film is a continuation of the events chronicled in Final Fantasy VII. The release date was speculated by many to be March 14, to coincide with the US PSP launch, in order to create more publicity. Now that that date has passed, August 14 has become the speculated US release date

The following characters will be appearing in the film (Japanese names have also been provided):

Returning:

• Cloud Strife 　（クラウド・ストライフ）
• Barret Wallace 　（バレット・ウォーレス）
• Tifa Lockheart 　（ティファ・ロックハート）
• Aeris Gainsborough (flashback & dream sequences) 　（エアリス・ゲインズブール）
• Red XIII (Nanaki) 　（レッド・XIII）
• Vincent Valentine 　（ヴィンセント・ヴァレンタイン）
• Cid Highwind 　（シド・ハイウィンド）
• Yuffie Kisaragi 　（ユフィ・キサラギ）
• Reno 　（レノ）
• Rude 　（ルード）
• Rufus Shinra
• Zack
• Marlene　（マリン）
• Sephiroth 　（セフィロス）

New:

• Kadaj 　（カダジュ）
• Loz 　（ロッズ）
• Yazoo 　（ヤズー）
• Denzel 　（デンゼル）

Others (Unconfirmed):

• Cait Sith 　（ケット・シー）

Plot summary

The story begins two years after the events of the original Final Fantasy VII. The planet has been slowly healing itself from the wounds of the last battle. Cloud has been living alone outside Midgar, still contemplating about his past mistakes, especially about the death of Aeris. One day, Tifa received a phone call from the Turks' Reno, offering a job for Cloud's 'Strife Delivery Service'. The white cloaked man asked Cloud to stop the silver haired men: Kadaj, Loz and Yazoo from arranging a 'Reunion' and resurrecting Jenova, their 'Mother'. Meanwhile a disease called Geostigma has been spreading through, infecting a lot of people including Cloud and Denzel. According to Vincent, 'Geostigma happens when your body has overworked itself purging wicked substances from within itself'. Later in the story, Cloud has to stop Kadaj's madness from destroying the city of Midgar when he summoned Bahamut. This is where the rest of the original Final Fantasy VII's characters came in. First Barret, then Red XIII, then Yuffie and lastly Cid. Finally, when Cloud was leaping up towards the Bahamut, a figure that resembles Sephiroth came down towards Cloud while saying, 'I won't just be a memory'.

The above information was compiled from a 25-minutes preview of Advent Children shown in the Venice International Film Festival, the Tokyo Game Show 2004 and the Paris' Tokyo Zone 4. The complete version of the preview script can be found here.

Tagline: 2 years later...

External links

• Official English Site (English Site for Advent Children)
• Official site (information and trailers in Japanese)
• AdventChildren.net - Comprehensive Information and News about Advent Children.