Studio Ghibli may be gone but good thing Japan still has Hosoda Mamoru, the director or The Girl Who Leapt Through Time and Summer Wars. I still haven't watched Wolf Children yet. A Boy and his Beast is a very familiar tale and we've seen parts of it in so many movies.
A boy is raised by a rough and tumble beast, Kumatetsu and they both find that they have things to teach each other such as finding your own path in life, what it means to be a parent, it takes a village to raise a kid and all those warm and fuzzy things. Boy meets girl and is torn between the real world and the Beast Kingdom and has to deal with the darkness in his heart.
The thing that makes A Boy and his Beast special is that it has heart. The stuff that makes Ghibli movies special and being a family movie, its an allegory for growing up.
Even when characters explain their emotions a bit too obviously, I'm ok with it because its a kids film and there are no long drawn out teen angst dialogues. The animation is exquisite and I love how detailed the fighting scenes are.
The best compliment I can give A Boy and his Beast is that I have the same reaction to it as Ghibli classics like Kiki's Delivery Service: I wish I had watched it as a kid. The magic of anime is still alive and well. Must watch.
No comments:
Post a Comment