The Wolf Children- Review

"But this is certainly my mother's story."

It is something most of us already know, but the task of raising children has never been an easy one. Much time and personal self sacrifice go into helping develop a small child into a fully functioning adult. It's thankless work, but one that most parents do happily. In my younger days I assisted my parents in bringing up my two younger brothers, and to say the least, it taught me a lot about things. Sure it was hard (and sometimes frustrating) as an experience, but upon reflection I wouldn't trade that time for anything else in the world. Not only did it help me to understand the amount of responsibility that already goes into such a tremendous job, but also the amount of bravery one must possess in order to actually do it. Sometimes the problems and complexities of everyday life distract us from those simple facts. With Mother's Day upon us (as of the writing of this review) I feel it is necessary to review what I consider to possibly be one of the best animated films about motherhood I've ever seen.

While I may be a huge nerdy fanboy of many a crazy awesome thing, it doesn't mean that I don't enjoy a more quiet and emotional experience from time to time. Putting it simply, The Wolf Children is an incredibly gratifying movie to watch, and one that I know I will watch again. I don't want to sound like a softy here, but this movie actually manages to bring a quite a few legitimate tears to my eyes throughout its duration. This is the sort of tale that pulls at the heartstrings in all the right ways. Experiencing the beginnings of this family, going through their hardships, and eventually witnessing how life pulls all of them in different directions, really rings true with me.

Say it with me now: D'awww!

At the age of nineteen, during her college years, Hana meets a mysterious young man who had been sneaking into her classes to study. Almost immediately love struck, Hana makes it a point to get to know him, and the two begin a dating relationship that quickly turns romantic. On one of their dates the man reveals to Hana that he is in fact a wolfman, and the last of his kind. They consummate their relationship, with Hana getting pregnant as a result. Fearing that their child could potentially be born as a wolf, Hana opts to remain in her apartment, with only the wolfman to aid her in birthing a daughter. A year goes by, and Hana is pregnant again. On a rainy night after she gives birth to a son, the wolfman doesn't come home. Sadly, tragedy strikes with the wolfman being killed that very night, leaving Hana alone to raise the infants. Thus not only do the struggles that Hana must face as a single mother begin, but also the arduous duties of having to keep the truth about her wolf children secret.

In this day and age we don't really get too many good full length cinema quality features out of the anime genre; which is downright tragic to me. Thankfully, we do have individuals like director Mamoru Hosoda working hard to keep anime in films alive and relevant. As a director he has quickly earned a reputation for himself among the anime community for his work on such notable films as The Girl Who Leapt Through Time and Summer Wars. Having garnered both critical praise and commercial success, Hosoda has been compared by some to that of legendary animated film director Hayao Miyazaki of Studio Ghibli fame. With The Wolf Children being his third stand alone feature (and the first of of his fledgling Studio Chizu) I can only hope that Hosoda can continue bringing movies of this caliber to the silver screen.

Finding the extraordinary in the ordinary as it were, The Wolf Children is the kind of film that champions life's tiny miracles. While I don't see this as a negative, I can see how this film could be considered by some to be rather mundane by many standards. For instance, The Wolf Children really is nothing more than a film that chronicles the struggles of a single mother and her growing kids. There is no villain, and no struggle of epic proportions, just a mother trying to raise her children the best that she can. But as much as some could argue that this is a boring film, I would argue that those individuals just don't have the pallet for Hosoda's artistry with the simplistic. This really is the sort of film that is more so meant as a reminder of those small moments that some could say are what make life worth living. A particular sequence sticks out in my mind, where the family runs through the morning snow outside of their house. It is perhaps one of the best scenes in its presentation, its pacing, and emotional impact that I've witnessed in a long time.

All of the emotions that The Wolf Children wanted its audience to feel was earned and came off as truly genuine. Having a strong emotional core was paramount to this film's success, and thankfully none of its sensations were born as a result of cheaply overt manipulation of the viewer's emotions. Through the experience of seeing the characters grow and develop as people, I appreciated every feeling I came to have. There was a certain legitimacy to everything this movie did. Sad scenes felt appropriately sad, while fun scenes felt appropriately fun, and it all had to do with the rapport Hosoda built with me as the viewer. Many great moments happened throughout where not a single word was ever spoken, yet I knew exactly what was going on, and I believed in every second of it. This was not only a great tale of the strength it can take to be a mother, but it also served as an excellent example of the power visual storytelling can have.

One of the many heartwarming sequences offered.

Animation for Hosoda's films has always been gorgeous, and The Wolf Children was no exception. Everything  the characters did was rendered with the utmost of care to subtlety and detail. Actions like someone walking down a hallway or reading a book were brought to life with such fervor, I'd be inclined to say it was worth watching this film just for the animation alone. While more traditional 2-D animation was used throughout, there was some brief bits of CGI. Thankfully it wasn't distracting, and was mostly relegated to the background where it blended well. Most likely it will only be noticeable to those who actually look for it. Characters were instantly identifiable, with easy to read iconic designs that (regardless of their fantastical nature) still felt well grounded. Clearly a lot of time was put into referencing locations and architecture, as backgrounds were immaculate in their depiction. I can tell Hosoda believed little things can sometimes make all the difference in a scene.

As of this review I have only seen The Wolf Children with subtitles, so sadly I cannot make comment on english dub performances, but I can say that the Japanese voice cast was phenomenal with their roles. While I may not speak the language, it was not a necessity to understand what was going on in the story. What really mattered with this film was the emotions that the actors had to convey. From the brief narrations, to characters breaking down into tears, every vocal tick resounded with heartfelt passion. Aoi Miyazaki played the main character of Hana and sat as the story's emotional core. Had her performance as Hana not been as stellar as it was, I can't help but think that this movie would have had a much more hollow feeling to it. The same goes for the roles of the wolf children themselves, Ame and Yuki. All the actors, regardless of how minor their roles were, brought forth great work to make the relatively simple script shine.

Takagi Masakatsu's musical score was also note worthy. Due to the many sequences where there was no dialogue present, it fell to Masakatsu to make sure those scenes resonated with the audience, and he didn't disappoint. The earlier scene I mentioned of the family running through the snow only succeeded with me as much as it did due to the amazing music that accompanied it. For a film like this, the music could have been so easily abused, but thankfully wasn't. Orchestral swells were handled with restraint and only happened when the movie needed to hit an emotional climax. The main theme also doubled as the song for the credits, and was profoundly endearing in its execution. Sounding something akin to that of a lullaby, I couldn't help but imagine a mother cradling her baby singing this song to them.

Objectively speaking, I couldn't really find much fault with The Wolf Children. The movie did exactly what it set out to do, didn't compromise that intent in the slightest, and came out all the better for it. About the best observation that I've got was that the story did wrap up in a fairly quick fashion. Even then though, the ending still felt gratifying, and provided a good deal of closure, so I can't really hit it as a negative. I guess the only other thing I can say was that it wasn't an action packed thrill ride filled with the spectacle that most anime has come to be known for by this point. At about two hours in length, the story may seem too slow and uneventful for viewers in search of more action. I can understand how not everyone will be on board with the idea of watching a more quiet film featuring a single mother raising her mutant wolf babies. I also couldn't see this being a movie to watch casually, as to really get the most out of it one must be attentive.

I do consider this as being a movie that one could sit down and watch with their whole family if they want to. In fact, I feel that I could sit with my own mother (who isn't all that much into anime) watch this film, and she would appreciate it. The Wolf Children has a lot of mainstream appeal, and is a very populist story that doesn't come off as pandering in the slightest. So this Mother's Day (if you're curious) seek out The Wolf Children and give it a view. Who knows, you may find yourself feeling like I did after seeing this film. Nostalgic for the days when all we were was just those wacky little critters that drove our mothers crazy.

Positive Factors

• Heartwarming story that is simple, but hits all the right notes.
• Gorgeous, top-of-the-line animation.
• Stellar voice work from the Japanese cast.
• Amazing composition accompanies great sequences throughout.
• Highly accessible to anime fans and non-anime fans alike.

Negative Factors

• Simplistic story and long run time may not appeal to all tastes.
• Not suited for casual viewing.

Final Rating: !!!AWESOMESAUCE!!!