PRESENTS WOLF CHILDREN A MAMORU HOSODA FILM Running time: 117 minutes Certificate: TBC Opens at UK cinemas on 25th October Press Contacts Elle McAtamney – [email protected] For hi-res images/production notes and more, go to – www.fetch.fm To the children, a movie like a delightful, fun fairy tale… To the youth, to make raising children, which they have yet to experience, seem full of surprises and wonder… And to the parents, to let them reminisce about their children’s growth… I am striving to make an invigorating movie that satisfies the principles of entertainment. Mamoru Hosoda Director, screenwriter, author of original story INTRODUCTION The long-awaited new film by Director Mamoru Hosoda! Yet another movie that enthralls people of all generations!! In “The Girl Who Leapt Through Time” (2006), he depicted the radiance of youth in flashing moments of life. In “SUMMER WARS” (2009), he told a story about a miracle, of how the bond between people saved Earth’s crisis, and the film swept awards domestic and abroad. Mamoru Hosoda has become the most noted animation director in the world. Why do his works appeal to people of all generations? His stories are not about the extraordinary, and they are not about superheroes. Set in towns that could really exist, the main characters are surrounded by ordinary people and are troubled by slightly unique circumstances, which they struggle to overcome. Based on well-thought-out scenarios, these real-to-life stories are made into dynamic animation. That’s why the main characters seem so familiar to us and draw our sympathy, and we get excited watching how they fare. Full of fantasy yet realistic. That indeed is the allure of Hosoda’s works, which is also very apparent in his latest, “Wolf Children.” In this film, Director Hosoda tells a story about “a woman’s growth through falling in love, marriage, childbirth, and child-raising” and “the children’s discovery of their own ways of life and their steps toward independence.” The 2-hour movie covers a period of 13 years, something achievable only in a work of animation. In the various scenes of life, what choices do parents and children make? In this fantastical tale, the “wolf children”—born between a “wolf man” and a human—are faced with this very real and universal theme that confronts us all. Doing what he does best, Director Hosoda has made “Wolf Children” into a piece of entertainment for people of all ages! The main character, Hana, who has a fairy-tale romance with a “wolf man” and bears his children, is voiced by Aoi Miyazaki. The “wolf man,” who accepts his extraordinary fate and lovingly watches over Hana and the children, is voiced by Takao Osawa. They are both big stars in the Japanese movie industry, but surprisingly, this is the first time they have worked together. It is also their first time in a Hosoda film, and after the first day in the recording studio, Director Hosoda couldn’t help but say, “I’ve worked on this project for about three years, and I finally got to meet Hana and the wolf man today.” Furthermore, Bunta Sugawara plays the role of Nirasaki, the old man who teaches farming to Hana when she moves to the countryside and its harsh natural environment, and the star-studded cast comprises actors from both the world of anime and live-action. The screenplay was written by Satoko Okudera whose “REBIRTH” won the Best Screenplay Award in the 35th Japan Academy Prize. The characters were designed by Yoshiyuki Sadamoto, the popular designer of “Evangelion 1.0”, “Evangelion 2.0” series. Following “The Girl Who Leapt Through Time” and “SUMMER WARS,” the regular members of Hosoda’s crew got back together again for “Wolf Children.” The soundtrack was an amazing collaboration between Masakatsu Takagi, a world-renowned musician and video artist, and Ann Sally—doctor, singer, songwriter, and mother of two children—who performed the theme song. Moreover, a new animation studio, STUDIO CHIZU, was built for the filming of “Wolf Children.” Hosoda films, which continue to pursue new possibilities in animation, venture into uncharted waters yet again!! STORY Meeting and parting with the “wolf man” College student Hana (Aoi Miyazaki) falls in love with “him” (Takao Osawa) as soon as they meet. She later finds out that he only looks like a human but is actually a “wolf man,” but it doesn’t change how she feels about him. They move in together and soon have children. They name their first child, a girl, Yuki for “snow” since she was born on a snowy day and their second child, a boy, Ame for “rain” since he was born on a rainy day. Yuki is active and curious. Ame is frail and timid. They are seemingly an ordinary family, but the children are both human and wolf—they are “wolf children.” Hiding this fact, they live inconspicuously in a quiet neighborhood of the city. Their life is modest but happy. Then one day, the happiness they thought would go on forever is suddenly taken away from them with the death of the father, the wolf man. Hana is devastated but is determined to raise their two children well. She decides to move out of the city and takes the children to the countryside surrounded by harsh yet rich nature to give them the choice of being “humans” or “wolves” in the future. Hana’s decision and her new life with the wolf children As their new home, Hana chooses a dilapidated house built 100 years ago deep in the mountains. Yuki, a tomboy, immediately takes to the house, but the shy Ame feels uncomfortable. Hana starts making repairs to the rundown house. While she works, Yuki and Ame run around, going back and forth between human form and wolf form at will. With Hana’s efforts, the house gradually regains its luster, and the family starts feeling at home in it. Meanwhile, Hana is worried their livelihood that depended on the meager savings the wolf man left behind. To cut back on expenses, she starts growing their own food. She borrows a book on home farming from a mobile library and plows the field, but the seedlings die before they yield any vegetables. Hana’s efforts keep ending in vain, and then one day, Nirasaki (Bunta Sugawara), an old man from the village, visits her and asks her why she doesn’t ask for help if she doesn’t know how to do something. After this visit by Nirasaki, other people of the village start visiting Hana’s house. Thanks to Nirasaki’s guidance, vegetables start growing in Hana’s field. Hana had come to the countryside to avoid people’s eyes but finds herself being cared for by the people of the village. She feels a sense of wonder and appreciation about the bond between people. Yuki and Ame start walking down their own paths, and Hana… When Yuki turns six, she starts begging Hana to let her go to school in the village, just like everyone else. Hana agrees after she makes Yuki make her a promise—no matter what happens, Yuki must not transform into a wolf in front of other people. The vivacious Yuki manages to keep her secret and enjoys going to school. When she enters fourth grade, a new boy, Sohei, joins her class. He makes an offhanded remark that makes her self-conscious about the secret she harbors, and she starts feeling uncomfortable about herself. Then one day, her emotions explode, and going against her word, she transforms into a wolf and injures Sohei. Thinking she may be expelled from school, Yuki bawls uncontrollably. Meanwhile, Ame, no longer a timid infant, has grown into a confident boy. He starts school a year after Yuki but can’t seem to get used to it. What captures his heart is not school but a new world he finds in nature. He has awakened to the “call of the wild.” He starts going into the mountains every day and studies under his master, who is not a human being. Ame questions himself. Why was he born as a wolf…? The time to make a choice is approaching Yuki and Ame, now young adults. “Live as a human being” or “live as a wolf”? And Hana too, she must make a decision soon. How will she watch over her two wolf children as they make their choices? CAST PROFILE Hana She was raised by her father but lived alone since high school when he died of an illness. One day, she meets the wolf man at college and her life changes drastically. She is a strong mother who loves and nurtures Yuki and Ame, her children with the wolf man. Voice Cast: Aoi Miyazaki Born on November 30, 1985 Filmography: EUREKA (directed by Shinji Aoyama, 2001) Harmful Insect (directed by Akihiko Shiota, 2002) *won the Best Actress in 23rd edition Festival des 3 Continents competition section. NANA (directed by Kentaro Otani, 2005) FIRST LOVE (directed by Yukinari Hanawa, 2006) THE SHONEN MERIKENSACK (directed by Kankuro Kudo, 2009) SOLANIN (directed by Takahiro Miki, 2010) MY SO HAS GOT DEPRESSION (directed by Kiyoshi Sasabe, 2011) Chronicle of My Mother (directed by Masato Harada, 2012) Insight Into the Universe (directed by Yojiro Takita, 2012) Kita no Kanaria Tachi (directed by Junji Sakamoto, 2012) Petal Dance (directed by Hiroshi Ishikawa, 2013) Voice Cast filmography: ORIGIN ~ Spirits of past ~ (directed by Keiichi Sugiyama, 2005) COLORFUL (directed by Keiichi Hara, 2010) Wolf man A young man, a driver for a transport company, who sneaks into lectures at Hana’s university.