Andrew's Corner: Oscarless Animated Films: Wolf Children

Oscarless Animated Films: Wolf Children

For those unfamiliar, Oscarless Animated Films was something I talked about back in 2017, in which I covered quality animated movies that got snubbed for the Oscar for Best Animated Feature. Movies that I talked about included Finding Dory, Your Name, Tangled, Arthur Christmas, and The Peanuts Movie. I will put a complete list of movies I talked about at the end, so without further ado, let's talk about Mamoru Hosada's masterpiece Wolf Children!

Wolf Children tells the story of a woman named Hana, who falls in love with a man who's really a werewolf. They had two children named Ame and Yuki, who can also turn into wolves. When the father gets killed, Hana and her children travel to the country where it's less busy. As Ame and Yuki grow older, however, they start developing their own traits and preferences: Yuki feels more comfortable being a human, while Ame feels more comfortable being a wolf and wants to live in the woods.

Wolf Children is an underrated gem with Ghibli-quality animation, a timeless story, and compelling and relatable characters. I can relate to Yuki because, when she was younger and first attending kindergarten, she was into collecting rat bones and snakes, which creeped the other girls out. Because of this, Yuki had to change her image.

When I was in 6th grade, all the other students made fun of me for liking preschool shows. After insulting another student and making numerous hurtful remarks to other students, I had to stop liking preschool shows. However, I still personally respect and appreciate Mr. Roger's Neighborhood, Bear in the Big Blue House, Between the Lions, and old school Sesame Street (the 70s and the 80s). I appreciate these shows for their quality, artistry, puppetry, and overall messages.

Personal life aside, another thing to appreciate about Wolf Children is the amount of work the Japanese animators put into making the wolves look and behave like real wolves.

Ame (in his wolf form) catching a kingfisher.

I think it's baffling that a film as magnificent as Wolf Children didn't get the Oscar nomination for Best Animated Feature. I honestly would've picked this film over Brave any day! I'm not saying that Brave is bad, it's far from it, I'm just saying that it didn't deserve to win the Oscar for Best Animated Feature, and that it doesn't really feel like a Pixar film. Rachel even admitted that it was her least favorite Pixar film. However, I honestly wouldn't mind a sequel, but only if Brenda Chapman returns as the sole director.

In conclusion, Wolf Children is a wonderful film that not just anime fans will enjoy, but anyone who wants to see a story about family, respecting one's differences, and finding one's place in the world.

However, I do have a warning to those who want to watch this movie: There are some strong swear words, perilous sequences, a rather violent wolf fight, and some sensual themes.

As I promised, here are links to every Oscarless Animated Film I talked about.

Finding Dory

https://asateriale.blogspot.com/2017/04/oscarless-animated-films-part-1.html

Rise of the Guardians

https://asateriale.blogspot.com/2017/04/oscarless-animated-films-part-2.html

Tangled

https://asateriale.blogspot.com/2017/04/oscarless-animated-films-part-3.html

Teacher's Pet

https://asateriale.blogspot.com/2017/04/oscarless-animated-films-part-4.html

Your Name

https://asateriale.blogspot.com/2017/05/oscarless-animated-films-part-5.html

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