Wolf Children

PG

Released Sep 27, 2013

1h 57m

Fantasy

Animation

Drama

Kids & Family

List

95%

Tomatometer

19 Reviews

92%

Audience Score

2,500+ Ratings

Wolf Children is a staggeringly beautiful animated feature film from director Mamoru Hosoda (Summer Wars). This epic cinematic achievement follows Hana, a woman who falls in love with a Wolf Man and gives birth to two half human, half wolf children. After the tragic death of her beloved, Hana seeks refuge in rural town where she attempts to build a life for herself -- and her children.

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Charlotte O'Sullivan

London Evening Standard

The film works as the simplest of fairy tales, so scrumptious you'll want to devour it whole.

Rated: 4/5

Oct 25, 2013

Full Review

Chris Michael

Guardian

It's a fairytale in a real-life setting, photorealistically drawn in shifting light that rivals Monet or GTA5.

Rated: 4/5

Oct 24, 2013

Full Review

Tim Robey

Daily Telegraph (UK)

Love between two species has rarely seemed more intense, more natural, or more ineffably sad.

Rated: 5/5

Oct 24, 2013

Full Review

Rachel Wagner

rachelsreviews.net

Wolf Children is a beautiful story about the power of a Mother's love to save her children.

Rated: 9/10

Jun 7, 2020

Full Review

Ard Vijn

ScreenAnarchy

Judging from his last three films, I count Hosoda Mamoru as the true hope of quality anime in the future. Because he dared to make The Wolf Children a film which is, first and foremost, for the parents!

Rated: 5/5

Sep 23, 2019

Full Review

Sarah Ward

Trespass

With a bittersweet atmosphere and beautiful imagery - both of the detailed and delicate variety - Wolf Children proves a finessed, fantastical offering grounded in human emotion and experience.

Dec 4, 2018

Full Review

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Ed

This mother has lost TOO MUCH. She's lost her husband, son, and daughter all before they turn 12. For that reason, it's an incredibly sad movie. However, that bittersweetness of her children growing up and the beauty of the animation is what makes this movie worth it. I was kind of upset that the trailer spoiled the first 15 minutes of the movie, but thankfully, the movie is primarily about the children. I also enjoyed that there wasn't a primary antagonist. This movie could have easily focused on werewolf hunters or something goofy, but instead it chose to focus on the emotional growth of the main characters.

Rated 4 out of 5 stars

07/31/23

Full Review

Audience Member

Beautiful Anime, emotion heavy

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

02/24/23

Full Review

Audience Member

This film was so good. Yes its long, but worth it. The plot was fantastic and the film holds your interest despite long running time. You never know exactly where the film is headed plot wise, but it always seems to wrap up very nicely. The illustrations were beautiful and loved the characters. Only some parts were a bit too fantastical or felt a little unnecessary, but overall amazing and highly recommend. It hits you in all the feels as a parent, like a good anime film should. If you like studio ghibli you will for sure like this one, that is a bit more mature in some sense.

Rated 4.5 out of 5 stars

01/15/23

Full Review

Audience Member

The movie is beautiful.

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

01/16/23

Full Review

freeson w

Wolf Children is a gorgeous film to watch, and there are some brilliant moments of filmmaking and cinematography. For me personally, I found Wolf Children to be too sentimental for my tastes, with the main character, Hana, the mother to Yuki and Ame, impeccably perfect and (as the film describes her) "always smiling". I would have liked some deeper themes to be explored in the story.

Rated 3 out of 5 stars

03/31/23

Full Review

Matthew B

It got great reviews but I don't necessarily agree with that. Was it good, yes, but I don't think it was anything special.

Rated 3 out of 5 stars

12/09/21

Full Review

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Mamoru Hosoda

Director

Kumiko Asô

Mrs. Hotta

Megumi Hayashibara

Sohei's Mother

Aoi Miyazaki

Hana

Tadashi Nakamura

Hosokawa

Yukito Nishii

Ame

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Synopsis

Wolf Children is a staggeringly beautiful animated feature film from director Mamoru Hosoda (Summer Wars). This epic cinematic achievement follows Hana, a woman who falls in love with a Wolf Man and gives birth to two half human, half wolf children. After the tragic death of her beloved, Hana seeks refuge in rural town where she attempts to build a life for herself -- and her children.

Director: Mamoru Hosoda
Producer: Seiji Okuda, Nozomu Takahashi
Screenwriter: Mamoru Hosoda, Satoko Okudera
Distributor: FUNimation Films
Production Co: Studio Chizu
Rating: PG (Some Violence|Language|Brief Sensuality)
Genre: Fantasy, Animation, Drama, Kids & Family
Original Language: Japanese
Release Date (Theaters): Sep 27, 2013, Limited
Release Date (DVD): Nov 26, 2013
Runtime: 1h 57m