Welcome to the first entry of Anie-May. Throughout May, we will be taking a look at some of the many outings of one of Japan's most illustrious artistic mediums. Let's start things off with one of my personal favorites.
One of the many beautiful things that distinguish PIXAR, the animation studio behind Inside Out, Monsters Inc, and Toy Story, is their unique ability to tell stories from the perspective of parents. That incredible sense of empathy and unconditional love. While Wolf Children is not a PIXAR film, it shares the same level of dedication in its themes, story, and visual presentation you would expect from any PIXAR production. Fantastical elements in an otherwise natural setting, character beats ranging from depression to sheer joy, and all of it wrapped up in an overarching theme of a mother's will and love. Wolf Children is a film that anyone can relate to in some way.
Set in modern-day Japan, the story follows a young woman named Hana (Colleen Clinkenbeard) who falls in love with a decent guy who happens to change into a Wolf at will magically. The two of them start a life together and have two children. Both of whom constantly change between human and wolf on the fly. Though, as they get older, they will be able to control their transformation better and will eventually have to decide if they want to be mostly human or wolf. Things seem pretty smooth until their father accidentally dies while hunting, leaving his lover alone with their two children. From there, the film becomes a wild tale of single parenting, growing up, finding one's inner strength, and above all, unconditional love.
There have been many films about single mothers, but this one, in particular, stands out in my mind. Not only because of the gorgeous animation but mainly for the writing and the characters. Hana especially stands as one of the best fictional mothers I have ever seen. Every situation she faces with courage and determination. Even when being thrown into a position as unbelievable as this, she rarely lets it bring her down. Her love for her kids is what ultimately drives her—making her actions all the more sympathetic. Not to mention her voice performance by Colleen Clinkenbeard, a seasoned veteran in the voice acting world, is spot on and delivered with fantastic conviction.
The animation is remarkably gorgeous. The scenery and landscapes especially are so incredibly detailed and colorful that you could frame almost any of them. The whole presentation is a kind of watercolor style both in the settings and character designs. Being a fan of watercolor, I dig it. Even so, one aspect of the animation, which makes it so beautiful to me, is its feeling of movement. Even in static shots, every single frame feels alive. There is one shot in particular in which the Wolf Man reveals his transformation to his love interest. Even though the scene is static, the fluidity of his change and movement of his clothing through the light gust of wind makes the shot so much more visceral. While you could recreate this level of visual majesty in live-action, it would not likely have the same level of charm or mystique to it.
Wolf Children is, in my opinion, one of the best animes ever made, and probably one of the best films for introducing people to the medium. As far as I know at the moment, there is sadly no way to stream this film. It is not available on Netflix or Amazon Prime. iTunes claims to have it but cannot rent nor sell it due to rights issues not yet clarified. The good news is that this film is available for sale on DVD and BluRay on Amazon. Normally, I would advise renting a movie before buying, but this may very well be one of my few exceptions. This film is enjoyable for adults and kids alike. Therefore, I encourage you to consider adding this film to your collection. It is a beautiful story about love, childhood, and parenthood with gorgeous visuals to boot. It is indeed one of a kind.
Ladies & gentlemen, I am TheNorm, thank you all for reading.
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