Mamoru Hosoda’s tender anime classic – just your ordinary story of a girl who falls in love with a wolfman and raises their children – is a celebration of difference and unconventional families.

Shy Tokyo college student Hana (voiced by Aoi Miyazaki) falls for Ōkami, a dreamy guy with a secret: he can transform into a wolf. The feelings are mutual and they start building a life together, but Ōkami is killed while on the hunt for food. This leaves the bereaved Hana to care for their two lycanthropic kids in the remote countryside, where she must contend with her fear of others’ xenophobia and her children’s growing independence.

The first solo-written feature by acclaimed anime director Hosoda (Mirai, MIFF 2018; Summer Wars, MIFF 2010) and the Japan Academy’s Animation of the Year for 2013, Wolf Children is a beautifully drawn fairytale that works as a story of an eccentric family, a metaphor for coming of age and a tender exploration of acceptance. His gorgeously animated imagery, gently massaged with CGI, evokes both Hayao Miyazaki and Claude Monet, while the film’s oddball mix of myth and heartstring-tugging is sure to appeal to audiences of all ages.

“Any shortlist of candidates to inherit the mantle of Miyazaki must surely now include Mamoru Hosoda, after his touching coming-of-age story.” – The Guardian