Feb 1, 2016
Wolf children made me weep like a child yesterday, and is on it's way of becoming one of my favorite movies. It was an incredible experience filled with themes like love, struggle, identity and family. Having said that, it's definately not perfect. And i'm trying to stay critical in this review. So let's get down to it shall we.
The story of wolf children starts with Hana (the main character) becoming interested in another student in her university, after some time they begin to date. Later the man reveals that he is a wolf man (they never mentions his name) and can turn in
...
to a wolf when he wants, Hana don't care and they end up getting two children together. Unfortunately the father dies and leaving hana to take care of the children.
The premise of the film is really simple. Which is not just a bad thing, it's much easier to pull off a simple premise with good characters then vice versa or both. It has that classic Disney feel that mamoru hosuda is so good at providing with scenes that are both heartfelt and funny but also those that will make your eyes water. Down to earth themes like growing up, going your own way, acceptence and family are explored beutifully. It truly is a film about emotions and life. Now on too the bad parts about the story. There isn't much bad to say about the story except maybe that the start feels kinda rushed and that it's maybe a little to simplistic. Now on to the characters.
The characters in this movie is really simple for better and for worse. Hana is the movies (kinda) main character. She is someone who never gives up and smiles in the face of struggle, she has giants amounts of love to give and you can really do nothing else but admire her through her struggle. Yuki is the daughter, and the oldest of the siblings. She is really energetic and has a thrill to explore, therefore she provides with most of the movies comedy. Ame is two year younger then Yuki he is a real mamas boy and shy for everything that is unfamiliar. What i like about the characters is that they develop kinda unexpected which i really appreciated.
This is where i think that most the movies problem lays. I compared this movie to disney movies and i think that most disney movies have the same problem. They are kinda limited because they are "family" movies. The characters have one personally trait and one flaw that they have to overcome and they don't have many layers to them. And even if i appreciated how they developed the characters it really dosen't help that they are kinda shallow and one dimensional. Some people may think that you should judge a movie based on what it's trying to accomplish, but i tend to disagree. On to the animation/directing.
The animation is good for the most part, at the start some shots feels kinda cheap because the textures are a little and the backro of but towards the middle of the backround animation is a little boring (more because of the environment). But that got more than fixed towards the middle of the movie.
Where the movie really shine is in it's great directing. It has some amazing POV shots and a special scene in the snow that is just breathtaking.
The music is overal amazing and really fitting even if it can be very manipulative.
Overall is this movie is an incredible emotional experience, that have landed in a special place in my heart, even if the the story is very simple and the characters is a bit lacking it really should not be missed by anyone. This movie deserves an 8 out of 10.
Reviewer’s Rating: 8
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