Ginga Tetsudō 999
Hoshizora wa Time Machine
Taiyōkei · Kyōryū Zetsumetsu-hen

“Ginga Tetsudō 999 Hoshizora wa Time Machine Taiyōkei · Kyōryū Zetsumetsu-hen” (Galaxy Express 999: the Starry Sky is a Time Machine - Solar System · Dinosaur Extinction Chapter) was produced as a commemorative work for the 30th anniversary of the “Galaxy Express 999” manga series and was created specially for IMAX theaters. It was first released at the Koriyama City Space Park on July 14, 2007, and subsequently screened at various large-format theaters (IMAX theaters) in Japan. The entire film is made using 3D computer graphics.

This movie, produced by Toei Animation, was developed in response to strong demand after being voted “the most demanded work for large-format film” (according to the Japan Large Format Film Association). It is an original story. Toei Animation produced a high-definition 3D animation to be displayed on giant screens (screens of 20×28m and dome theaters with 28m diameters). While not strictly a planetarium production, it was the first film distributed by Toei specifically for planetarium screenings.

The project was planned as a trilogy, but only the first part “Taiyōkei · Kyōryū Zetsumetsu-hen” (Solar System · Dinosaur Extinction Chapter), which featured an original story about the extinction of dinosaurs, was released. The second part “Gaiuchū · Mezu Seiun-hen” (Outer Space · Horsehead Nebula Chapter) and third part “Chōjikū · Hoshizora wa Time Machine-hen” (Hyper-Dimensional - The Sky is a Time Machine Chapter) were never produced.

The film is directed by Hidehiko Kadota with a screenplay by Junki Takegami. Yukihide Takekawa serves as music director, with the Japan Philharmonic Orchestra conducted by Kaoru Wada providing a lavish soundtrack. It features familiar theme songs such as “Galaxy Express 999” and “Taking Off!,” which Takekawa had performed as a member of the band Godiego for the theatrical films “Ginga Tetsudō 999” (Galaxy Express 999) and “Sayonara Ginga Tetsudō 999 - Andromeda Shûchakueki -” (Adieu Galaxy Express 999 - Terminus Andromeda -). These pop classics, along with a newly written theme song “Yume no Tabibito,” were arranged in perfect harmony with the orchestra.

In the year 2xxx, a girl suddenly appears in a museum in Megalopolis on Earth. Her name is Jura Marina. The girl, crying in front of a dinosaur fossil, predicts that humanity will become extinct just as the dinosaurs did.

Tetsurō and Maetel, in the Galaxy Express 999, chase the girl who disappeared into space in a small spaceship. Tetsurō rescues her from the spaceship, which has been caught up in Jupiter's Great Red Spot. They eventually reach Jupiter's moon Europa, where she originates from.

The girl is a descendant of dinosaurs that survived the extinction 65 million years ago. Some of the dinosaurs were rescued by someone and evolved into a race of dinosaur-men in the ocean under the ice-covered soil of Europa. However, the cities there are also on the verge of collapse due to global warming caused by CO₂. The clan of Jura is looking for a new colony and making plans to emigrate.

What can we do to prevent the Earth from suffering a similar fate? What is the legend of the savior passed down among the Jura clan? With the survival of humanity at stake, Tetsurō and Maetel once again set off into outer space in the 999.