Mirai is a Japanese animated drama centered around a little boy named Kun, whose struggles adapting to becoming a big brother lead him to accidentally create a rift in time and meet his baby sister in her teenage years.
When 4-year-old Kun (Jaden Waldman*) first comes face to face with his new baby sister, Mirai, he’s mesmerized by her. Promising to protect her and love her Kun is taken by the novelty of little “future” until the boring, needy, newborn becomes the center of everyone’s universe. On her days off, Kun’s businesswoman mom (Rebecca Hall) is glued to Mirai – feeding her, napping with her, and cuddling her. Kun’s stay-at-home dad (John Cho) is either swept up in a tornado of household chores, engrossed in his freelance work, or tending to the baby; and whenever Grandma and Grandpa visit they only have eyes for Mirai.
Brought to the screen by Studio Chizu animators Mirai is not merely a film for children but is a slice of childhood itself. Told from the unique perspective of the uncommonly young Kun, along with its ambitious storytelling, and the masterful direction of acclaimed director Mamoru Hosoda Mirai soars.
Visually, there’s no shortage of detail in Mirai. Kun’s house, where the film is largely based, is a dazzling architectural display of small staircases, angular rooms, and partial lofts that’s so artfully assembled together that it’s a wonder in and of itself. Complete with sweeping panoramic views of the very lived in home, strewn with toys, stylish furniture and bedecked with an assortment of small objects like books, potted plants, and other knick-knacks the exceptional animation and illustration envelopes us in the hand-drawn world of young Kun. Take when we first see Mirai. The artists and animators bring her to the screen as a warm, soft, rosy-cheeked infant. The deliberate and delicate stylization sets her apart from the appearance of the other characters around her so much so. that we instantly feel the same swell of love for this little person as Kun himself does.
From the outset, Mirai’s narrative doesn’t look like it’s going to be about a whole lot. After all, what could a contemporary movie about a little boy, salty about having a new baby sister have to tell us? As it turns out, a lot. So keep a box of tissues handy.
Unflinchingly authentic Mirai features some of the most heartbreaking family fights ever seen in a movie, let alone an animated movie typically tailored to children. The strife between Kun’s parents, and especially Kun and his mom – who, in one bittersweet scene, he imagines as an Oni mask wearing witch, red-faced, tusk-toothed and all – is so raw and intense it feels like a physical punch. As are Kun’s epic temper tantrums and explosions of emotion. Uninhibited and unable to fully process the anxiety and sadness flooding his body, these moments are what it means to be 4-years-old. They’re what it means to suddenly come to the startling realization that all first-time siblings experience– he’s not the center of his parents’ universe anymore.
Banished to the yard one afternoon after a particularly spectacular meltdown, Kun’s awestruck by an enchanted garden that suddenly materializes. It’s there that he meets a familiar friend in a not so familiar form– Yukko, not as a peppy golden spaniel but as a disgruntled man who has a bone to pick with Kun. After Kun was born, all the praise and attention Yukko (voiced by Crispin Freeman) basked in was redirected to baby Kun. Now, with the arrival of Mirai, it’s Kun’s turn to get kicked to the curb. But is it, really?
Kun barely has time to stew in despair and resentment when another trip to that on-the-edge-of-reality, in-between world brings him face to face with a teen (Victoria Grace) who drops the ultimate bombshell: she’s Mirai from the future and she needs Kun’s help. So begins Kun’s unusual quest leaping from future to present to past and beyond in some of the most touching and visually dazzling narratives to hit the screen in recent animation.
Hosoda dreamed up Mirai with the intention of not only honoring the point of view of the youngest of young children, but to connect with viewers of all ages. With its pitch-perfect animation, universal themes, complex characters and an emotionally stirring score by musician Masakatsu Takagi Mirai does just that.
Mirai boldly forges its own path taking a spectacular time travel plot and weaving it with human themes, and ordinary, every day acts – like Kun learning how to ride a bike without training wheels and playing fetch with the family pooch. It’s a gorgeous and authentic glimpse into the struggles of childhood, the complications of parenthood and the messiness of motherhood – especially in the modern day where it’s no longer forced into a one-size-fits-all role. Shimmering with wonder and charm Mirai is a marvelous adventure that celebrates a family with a love so boundless and powerful that it’s capable of cutting through time and space.