Children Who Chase Lost Voices (2011)
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Children Who Chase Lost Voices Movie Review
Children Who Chase Lost Voices is a 2011 anime fantasy film directed by Makoto Shinkai. It’s probably his greatest movie so far.
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“Now at this point the fear is almost unbearable,
but at the same time there’s an equally powerful happiness“
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When she hears a strange song from a crystal radio, a young girl named Asuna is transported to a world of mythical beasts and brave warriors. This film is filled with so many things going on that it can become overwhelming and even cluttered, but ultimately I loved all of it so much that I do deem it Shinkai’s finest feature so far. The fact that overrated, slight ‘Your Name’ is consistently being lauded while this one is so little talked about is infuriating to me.
While watching this film, I got the feeling that I was watching an epic, but much more violent Studio Ghibli film, and it even reminded me of ‘Spirited Away’ in its finest sequences, and that obviously is the biggest compliment I can give to this picture. The world building is so damn impressive that its high runtime of two hours becomes not too much, but too little as it’s such a busy, ambitious film that it needed additional time to tell its story.
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Overall, the story is very well crafted. It has so many details, but most are very well explained to the audience without excessive narration or exposition that would plague many others of its type. I loved how it started on a slower note as we got to know the main character, and eventually it turned into a full-on fantasy adventure of epic proportions. That smooth transition and a longer build-up led to a truly impressive tone where you feel that you entered a new realm, a new world and a fairy tale even. The film truly gets how to do a fantasy properly.
I loved the central theme of respecting and focusing on the living, and trying to move on and forget about the dead as they are never going to come back. That ending was so moving and heartbreaking, and I guess incredibly relatable to anyone who has ever suffered a loss themselves. The movie deals with this archetypal theme in a new, forceful, fantastical manner, and the end result is one highly emotional, beautiful anime.
I really liked Asuna, she is such a terrific, very well developed and admirable female protagonist. Her scene in the river near the end is truly remarkable, and how she dealt with loss perfectly accompanied Morisaki’s dealing with his lost love. He is a phenomenal, tragic character and it’s hard not to root for him and understand him, even when he becomes a crazy person later on. I also loved the emphasis on the protagonist’s alienation and a longing for a different world, I strongly empathized and related with that.
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I found Shun terrific, again very well realized and him dealing with his lost brother Shin was also an emotional catalyst for this entire story. Every one of these three dealt differently with their losses, and that made the film very sophisticated and ambitious. Shin himself was so memorable in the beginning, and he instantly made the film very intriguing in plot.
The anime is also filled with many memorable creatures and animals. Mimi the cat is absolutely adorable, and her death was incredibly emotional to me. The film truly went there, and was immensely bloody throughout, leading to one mature film intended only for the adults. The Quetzacoatl is unforgettable in design and magic, and the Izoku are truly magnificent creations as these very scary creatures who are scared of water and light. Every scene with them was the highlight for me.
Children Who Chase Lost Voices is one of the most beautiful animated films ever created, and it gets so little credit for that unfortunately. The perfect mix of hand-drawn and computer animation is seamless, the lighting is simply astonishing and the imagery throughout is unforgettable and dazzling. The character designs are excellent, and the attention to detail is out of this world. The direction from Shinkai is terrific, the dialogue is fantastic and the score and sound are both superb. It’s just a great movie through and through that only needed a bit more restraint and focus in its storytelling.
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With astonishing lighting, impressive world building, magnificently designed creatures and a flawless mix of hand-drawn and computer animation, Children Who Chase Lost Voices is undoubtedly one of the most beautiful animated films ever created. It is also richly detailed, immensely adventurous and so epic in its high fantasy elements. The theme of loss and the importance of its acceptance is so well explored, the ending is quite emotional and the characterization is pretty strong. Consequently, it is Makoto Shinkai’s greatest picture to date, and a film that is so frustratingly underappreciated and little seen when in reality it’s one of the best genre films of the decade.
