Yes, seriously. Not since the classic Wizard of Oz movie have I been so impressed (and moved) by a fairy tale movie. At first I wasn't expecting much; after all I've seen many movies attempt to capture that kind of magic (including many Oz adaptations) and fail; but here, everything works. The story is mostly predictable, but its so well done, it doesn't really matter. There were a few things I wasn't expecting though, like Cotton the living doll or the land of the underground thieves. The characters are intensely honest with their emotions- I admit I almost cried at the scenes where Haruka remembered her late mother. And the film itself is VERY good with its CGI. It cheats a little by using painted backgrounds in a few scenes, but even those are so pretty it's forgivable. Overall, this is a great film to watch, especially now that it's available dubbed, and I strongly recommend it; hopefully it will become a classic.
A Japanese Wizard of Oz
Yes, seriously. Not since the classic Wizard of Oz movie have I been so impressed (and moved) by a fairy tale movie. At first I wasn't expecting much; after all I've seen many movies attempt to capture that kind of magic (including many Oz adaptations) and fail; but here, everything works. The story is mostly predictable, but its so well done, it doesn't really matter. There were a few things I wasn't expecting though, like Cotton the living doll or the land of the underground thieves. The characters are intensely honest with their emotions- I admit I almost cried at the scenes where Haruka remembered her late mother. And the film itself is VERY good with its CGI. It cheats a little by using painted backgrounds in a few scenes, but even those are so pretty it's forgivable. Overall, this is a great film to watch, especially now that it's available dubbed, and I strongly recommend it; hopefully it will become a classic.