The ghost of The Karate Kid‘s superior sensei, Mr. Miyagi, loomed large in the newest Cobra Kai season, which is igniting all sorts of feelings for the beloved character and the man who portrayed him, Pat Morita. The legend himself is now getting the deep-dive treatment in a new documentary, More Than Miyagi, and the above trailer is … a lot. From his early childhood battle with debilitating spinal tuberculosis to his struggles with substance abuse, this movie promises to keep the emotions running high with interviews and anecdotes not only from Ralph Macchio, William Zabka, and Martin Kove but also Happy Days co-star Henry Winkler and others who supply memories from Morita’s stand-up comedy days, including another legend you may have heard of, Tommy Chong.
In other words, prepare to laugh, but also: get the tissues ready. Morita’s journey will soon be available for both younger and older generations to take in with this doc, which runs a cool 89 minutes. From the synopsis:
The Oscar-nominated actor best known for his role of “Mr. Miyagi,” left behind a painfully revealing autobiographical record of his much-too-brief time here on Earth, tracing his journey from being bed-bound as a boy to the bright lights and discrimination in Hollywood. Deep inside that sweet, generous, multi-talented performer seethed an army of demons, that even alcohol and drugs couldn’t mask.
Directed by The Karate Kid enthusiast Kevin Derek, More Than Miyagi will be available on iTunes, Amazon, Google Play, and the like on February 5.
