Rating summary

Movie		4.0
Video		4.0
Audio		4.5
Extras		2.5
Overall		4.0

Wolf Children Blu-ray Movie Review

Hana and her children.

Reviewed by Jeffrey Kauffman November 20, 2013

There’s a certain aspect to fairy tales where the remarkable isn’t questioned at all, it simply is. That’s part of the incontestable wonder of stories from the dim mists of time—and no doubt one of the reasons they so easily ingratiate themselves into the minds of children. Wolf Children treads a very fine line between reality and fantasy as it details the lives of two kids who just happen to be human-wolf hybrids. Playing out much like the slightly surreal entries by the iconic Hayao Miyazaki and Studio Ghibli, this Studio Chizu film, helmed by Mamoru Hosoda, is quiet, unassuming and resolutely determined not to fall into the typical Western animated trap of traditional three act structures replete with an easily defined good guy and bad guy. Instead, Wolf Children often resembles the anime genre of “slice of life”, with the salient difference that in this case the “lives” in question are able to morph between human and animal form. The film is ostensibly told from the point of view of Yuki, who narrates, but it actually focuses on Yuki’s mother Hana. As the film opens, Hana is a student in college who is instantly attracted to strange, slightly scruffy looking guy who shows up one day in one of her classes. The guy doesn’t even have a textbook in what is already a demanding class, and Hana is intrigued. She follows him out of class and, obviously love struck, begins making conversation with him. The two end up establishing a halting romantic connection, at which point the man reveals a secret he’s harbored his whole life—he’s actually a wolfman, the last known descendant of an extinct breed of Japanese lupine. And here Wolf Children reveals its own special brand of magic. When the man divulges his true form to Hana, it is not a scary, shocking transformation. It’s actually rather soft and cuddly, as odd as that may sound. Hana is of course awestruck, but she isn’t frightened. The two engage in a little interspecies nookie, and the result is first Yuki (the Japanese word for snow), and, a year later, Yuki’s little brother Ame (the Japanese word for rain). This slightly bizarre but seemingly happy family then experiences tragedy when the wolfman’s animal instincts lead to his tragic death. That leaves Hana—spectacularly unprepared for such a trial—to fend for herself with two children who have a bloodline about which Hana knows very little.

The fanciful conceit that is at the heart of Wolf Children barely masks a rather more melancholy subtext, namely the fear of not fitting in, of being different, whether a child or an adult. Hana feels isolated from virtually the moment she has the kids—she’s even afraid to give birth in a hospital for fear that the children will pop out as cubs rather than humans. That fear isn’t founded, but once her husband is gone, she has to confront several issues that, while unusual, will certainly resonate with many new parents trying to ferret out what the proper response to any number of travails might be. In one particularly amusing moment, when Yuki in her wolf form chews up some of those silica packs that keep pills dry, Hana panics, wanting the get medical advice. When she arrives downtown, she’s torn as to whether to take Yuki to a doctor or a veterinarian. (She ends up phoning for help instead).

When some of Hana’s neighbors complain about the sounds of Ame crying, and then later, Hana’s own landlord insists she must be keeping illegal pets due to the howling noises emanating from her apartment, Hana begins to realize the writing is on the wall in terms of living in a crowded urban environment. When some child welfare workers show up one night trying to barge their way in to check on the kids’ well being, Hana makes a quick decision to move to the country. She finds a dilapidated house sadly in need of repair but which requires very little rent. Yuki instantly takes to the sylvan surroundings but Ame seems confused and afraid.

The rest of Wolf Children details all three of these characters coming to terms with their own identities. Yuki seems to be happier in the human world, though she has an unfortunate tendency to morph into a wolf when she’s excited or angry (which is quite a bit of the time). Ame on the other hand slowly begins to realize his animal side is dominant, even though he has to overcome some self imposed obstacles to completely accept that fact. Hana is left, like all parents, to marvel at how different her children are and how on some level any parent is really powerless to shape their fate.

Wolf Children, like at least some Studio Ghibli releases, may strike some Western sensibilities as being awfully slow. And aside from the brief appearance of some school bullies, there’s little external conflict here—everything instead hinges upon the internal dynamics of Hana and her children. The film is nonetheless an extremely sweet, and ultimately quite poignant, piece. Most of us who are parents have at least once or twice accused our children of acting like animals. In the case of Wolf Children, it’s an entirely appropriate description, but one that invites some rather meaningful inquiries into what it means to accept one’s destiny.

Wolf Children Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Wolf Children is presented on Blu-ray courtesy of Funimation Entertainment with an AVC encoded 1080p transfer in 1.78:1. While this film may not quite attain the depth and complexity of the best Ghibli outings, it's still often breathtakingly beautiful. That starts right off the bat with some nice renderings of flowers in a field which are incredibly dimensional. The early scenes which take place in the city burst with bright, vivid color, especially one sequence around Christmastime, where a panoply of deeply saturated reds, purples and greens really make things pop in a festive fashion. The transformation scene where Hana first sees her lover change from human to wolf is also very evocative, including a beautifully done shot of a star filled sky arcing over some trees. Once Hana and the kids move to the country, there's some very inviting animation of fields and farms which seem to go on forever. The character animation is not quite as inviting as some of the backgrounds, however. The kids' morphing into wolves actually may provoke some giggles in younger viewers, but that perhaps only adds to the film's charms. Line detail remains strong throughout this offering, and contrast is generally strong, though whites have a tendency to bloom ever so slightly at times.

Wolf Children Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

Wolf Children features Dolby TrueHD 5.1 mixes in both English and Japanese and both are really surprisingly immersive from virtually the first moment. The opening half hour or so of the film, which is largely set in an urban environment, has some particularly well done surround activity which is highlighted by some abrupt changes in dynamics. One moment Hana might be walking through a relatively quiet college campus setting, and the next she's in a bustling cityscape with great panning sounds as car whiz by and crowds go about their busy shopping activities. Ambient environmental sounds are also very well done, especially once Hana and the kids move to the country. Dialogue in both tracks is cleanly and clearly presented. The film has an unusual score, which is comprised almost entirely of piano and string cues, and those sound excellent as well.

Wolf Children Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

• U.S. Cast and Staff Commentary features ADR Director Mike McFarland, along with a wide variety of cast and crew members. This is an above average commentary, at least by Funimation standards (which often tend to devolve into raucous giggling and joke telling). The actors discuss their characters and some of the staff get into things like the adaptive process. McFarland keeps things on track and performs his duties as host very well.


• Stage Greetings include:

  June 18, 2012 Japan Premiere (1080i; 16:03)

  June 25, 2012 World Premiere in Paris (1080i; 7:04)

  July 16, 2012 Theme Song Premiere & Stage Greetings (1080i; 9:55)

  July 21, 2012 Opening Day Stage Greetings (1080i; 17:19)

  August 7, 2012 "Hana's Day" Appreciation Day Stage Greetings (1080i; 6:40)

• PR Video Director's Version 1 (1080i; 3:01)


• PR Video Director's Version 2 (1080i; 3:02)


• Promotional Video (1080i; 16:10)


• Original Trailer (1080i; 1:32)


• Original Teaser (1080i; 00:34)


• U.S. Trailer (1080p; 2:27)

Wolf Children Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

If you're a fan of Miyazaki's fairy tale-esque Studio Ghibli offerings, you're probably going to love Wolf Children. The animation style is very redolent of Miyazaki, if not quite at the master's level of detail, and its story is similarly quiet, unobtrusive and gentle. The film slowly but surely makes its points about accepting one's identity, no matter what that may entail, and it has both sweet, unaffected humor and unforced pathos in about equal measure. This Blu-ray features nice video and audio and has some good supplements as well. Highly recommended.