Story: A college student named Hana has certain feelings for one student in her class, who usually comes in with no textbooks, and always disappears before roll call. Being fascinated, she follows him around to learn more about him. What she does learn about him is that he works for a moving company and only goes to her university to learn. But that's not all we learn about him.....we also learn that he is in fact......a wolfman. Accepting this fact, Hana's life combines with his and the two eventually gain two wolf children Yuki and Ame. But her life takes a more complicated and tragic turn when the wolfman dies while hunting for their young, so it's up to her to raise Yuki and Ame despite them being part wolf.
What makes this film different from Hosoda's previous works, is that it's more simplistic and character driven. Where something like Summer Wars was really complex and plot driven. Though one thing it has in common with that film is the themes of family, while told in a more different light. People can easily relate with Hana and her journey in life trying to raise her kids until eventually, learning to let them go. It's a path that most of us will eventually have to take someday. What makes it more interesting is that without her husband around, raising Ame and Yuki is a lot tougher since they're part wolf, and you see all the trouble it gives her, and the circumstances that come from them. They mostly treat it seriously while giving light hearted humor out of it. Plus, we also get invested with Yuki and Ame and how they view their other halfs and what they want to do with them. This makes the characters the strongest aspect of that film, but we will get to that later. Also, forgive me if this is a strange comparison, but two aspects of it's storytelling reminded me of my two favorite Pixar films. Up and Finding Nemo. For the former, there's this little montage at the beginning where it goes through Hana and the Wolf Man's married life that ends once the latter dies, which is VERY similar to the montage with Carl and Ellie. Abeilt structured differently. As for Finding Nemo, I feel that Hana goes through the same journey Marlin takes learning to let her kids go, just like him. So as a whole, Mamoru Hosoda really succeeded by taking a familiar story and giving it's own identity to it.
Art: Beautiful. Plain and simple. This film does a great job with it's art and animation. Giving very detailed and colors that could rival Studio Ghibli. Speaking of which, this could easily be compared or confused for a Studio Ghibli production, but they were able to give it it's own style and identity. From the busy and booming parts of a small part of Tokyo, to the peaceful, wild-like country side that Hana and her children move too. Every shot looks like something out of a painting. Plus, it also succeeds by having emotions and scenery tell certain parts of the story, but only when the scenes feel stronger without much dialogue. This is easily some of the best Japanese animation not done by Miyazaki or Studio Ghibli.
Characters: Now here's what makes this film stand out from the director's previous works. Now don't get me wrong. While Summer Wars and The Girl Who Leapted Through Time are great films in their own right, the characters were kind of the weakest aspect to them. This is not the case here. The characters really get top billing making them the heart and sole for this film. Hana makes for a great character reflecting the lives of widowed parents. She really acts like a real mother and you reallly root for her to succeed in raising her kids. As for Ame and Yuki, they succeed on the same levels. They do think and act like children if they just happened to be part wolf. Ame being a timid and shy kid who feels ashamed of who he is due to the wolf always being antagonized by human society, while Yuki is a hyperactive smart girl who's on the other hand, proud of who she is. But as the film progresses, you see these three characters change and develop from the people they were from the beginning of the film, which makes for great character development. As for the other characters, while they're not as complex as our three stars, they still work. The Wolf Man, while never knowing his name, is very interesting and you do buy why he is who he is as well as him and Hana falling for each other. Souhei's a boy that becomes suspicious of Yuki's true identity, but the direction they take with this is REALLY sweet. And there's Niraski. A man who teaches Hana the basics of farming, but doesn't seem to like doing so. At first he seems like a mean stick in the mud, but we do later see a more softer side to him. While this film may not be as complex as Summer Wars, it does manage to have more three dimensional characters, all while sharing the heart that made that film so great.
Enjoyment/Overall: Wolf Children is a modern day classic, and in my opinion director Mamoru Hosoda's strongest work thus far. It takes a familiar concept and does it's own thing with it, the animation is some of the best anime has to offer, and it has some of the most lovable character casts in film, with character development to boot. Hayao Miyazaki may have left the anime realm forever, but I feel that Mamoru Hosoda will make for a great spiritual heir to him.
