Movie Review: Mirai no Mirai

This was okay but not great. In the mold of Wolf Children and Your Name, this is a fantasy anime film meant to appeal to children and adults alike. In that regard the film succeeds. The story focuses on a young child and the conflict with his parents and baby sister. It’s a nice slice of life story with enough whimsy and humor to keep kids engrossed. The ending is quite wholesome. Mirai most especially does a good job of capturing the self-indulgent world of small children. Even to their own parents children sometimes are just really unlikable.

I loved how it showed the connections across generations — the chance encounters that led to the family coming together. It is a bit schmaltzy and contrived though. It’s quite touching at least in the moment when watching it but it doesn’t leave as much of a lasting impression as it should. The pacing is off and the themes aren’t particularly challenging or memorable. Also the voice acting for the protagonist was surprisingly bad. I’m not talking about the dub either — I watched it in Japanese. It does not sound at all like a preschool age boy. It sounds like an adult woman doing a bad impression. As consolation you at least get Studio Chizu’s great artwork. It’s a beautiful movie to look at most certainly. If you’re in the mood for a sweet, emotional family-focused anime maybe give this watch. Skippable otherwise.

Grade: C+