A fantasy family drama from Summer Wars director.
The Wolf Children Ame and Yuki is the story of a young woman giving birth to the children of her beloved wolf man. But when he dies, the woman takes the children far from the city, to raise them in a small rural town.
Hosoda seems to really focus on the relation & love between parents and children. After all, this was one of the main themes in The Girl Who Leapt Through Time/Summer Wars. However, it sounds like the director is back with something more intimate, without too many characters or high-concept. Depicting only a simple light-hearted story?
Another interesting point, and it may reflect the actual difficulties of the Animation Industry in Japan: this new film is produced by Mamoru Hosoda’s recently founded Studio Chizu. When all his previous long-feature projects were produced by Madhouse Studios – it seems Madhouse is currently trying to minimize any risks, producing Marvel anime series for example. Quick reminder, Madhouse had to stop the production of Satoshi Kon’s posthumous film, official reason is lack of money…
The Wolf Children Ame and Yuki will be released in Japan on July 21, 2012!
Sources: Official website, @catsuka, Youtube (video is geoblocked)
AKA Okami kodomo no ame to yuki, おおかみこどもの雨と雪
