Rudorufu to Ippaiattena

A sweet and visually stunning animated picture, Rudolf the Black Cat depicts the story of Rudolf, a stray black cat that longs to find a loving home. The film, which was co-directed by Kunihiko Yuyama and Motonori Sakakibara, follows Rudolf as he goes on a charming adventure with Gottalot, a stray dog, to overcome the difficulties of life on the streets. A notable element is the animation, which features rich and intricate graphics that breathe life into the colorful metropolis and characters. In addition to examining themes of friendship and tenacity, the movie exhorts viewers to value their individuality.

I have seen the movie in Japan last week-end and loved it! The movie can be summarized as "simple is best" as far as the story goes and "humble" when it comes to the technical aspects, none of which is meant in a negative way, quite the contrary actually.

It's a simple but endearing story. (Heck, the trope of a cute kid/pet/hero lost and wanting to go home is one of the oldest in the book! Even E.T. the Extraterrestrial can be summarized in that way!). Still, as the story goes along, some nice and unexpected, if not sometime heartbreaking twists are added. If courage, determination in face of adversity, friendship are (as usual) emphasized, so are education and knowledge.

The production is "humble", if only as having cost only 6 (yes, that's S I X) million dollars, which is quite a stretch from the usual 100 - 175 Mio dollar range expected in the movie business, but well, this is a Japan CG movie for you! Still, the animation is clear, warm and detailed enough to make you feel like you "are" in Japan together with its characters. In this case, buying a movie ticket is a much cheaper alternative to a plane ticket to experience Japan.

The character-designs do perfectly reflect their owners: cute, but vulnerable (Rudolph), ruff and tuff with a story (Ippai attena), hyper-active (Butch), etc. The designs also allow for the change of perception on certain characters as the story goes on.

Based on a series of books which are well-known in Japan, it's a movie with its heart in right place, which knows its limitations and avoid all the noisy razzmatazz and show-off which are so common in today's movies to tell a good story the way it should be told.

Full of feline humanity, a movie for cat lovers (a given!), movie-goers perhaps with more simple tastes in search of a good story, for parents and kids (especially those with a dislike for school and studying).

Well recommended.

I got the opportunity to watch Rudolph and Ippaiattena thanks to Japan Film Festival Australia, without them I'd be completely clueless as to when I'd ever get to see this movie again, by which I mean I hope this film gets released in my country one day. It was also the Japanese version, I have no clue if an English dub is in production or will ever be made, so sorry to those who dislike subtitles.

Rudolph and Ippaiattena I found was about making tough decisions in life and sticking to them, and that sometimes things change for better or worse, and you kinda gotta roll with it. It also encourages learning and seeking knowledge to help keep yourself stable and safe.

Despite being CGI animated the film likes to keep some classic anime motifs like dramatic shots and action cuts. The film can get sad or heavy but never too sour, as actually the film is rather quite refreshingly light in tone. The characters all have distinct personalities, and I found the mains quite charming in that old fashioned story-telling kind of way, their friendships are also endearing too (though there is a lack of female characters, it's an old novel). Forgot to say the animation looks mighty impressive for a studio that mostly handled animation for television, and interestingly styled character design that I'm personally fond of.

I really hope the film gets officially released further into the world, possibly too late for a theatrical release but hopefully a Blu Ray release will be possible. I'm personally quite a large fan of this film but that may be because of my affinity to cats and the fact that this film unlike many other family films doesn't demonize any other species for humor, which is refreshing. Hope to see it again soon!