This is a movie based on a story/fairy tale that I hadn't known nor heard of before. The only reason I became aware of this was because of a video recommendation I received on Youtube. I decided to check out this one and I'm very glad I did. On the copy that I watched, I saw that the opening credits are still in the non-Hepburn form of Japanese rather than English and there was no mention of whether this was the original Japanese or Russian dub with English subtitles, or not. Since I didn't see any English subtitles, I presumed this must be an English dub then (although I know it's possible for videos of original Japanese dubs of anime can still be uploaded without English subtitles). I was kind of hesitant not to keep it on mute at first, because I didn't know what dub to expect. But then I heard for myself it is a copy of the English dub. I know that not all English dubs of anime have been perfect, but fortunately this just so happens to be one of the better dubbed ones and it is so very well done. I wonder why can't more anime be dubbed into English more perfectly or if there are any that turn out imperfect, then why aren't there, at least, more alternate English dubs?
Anyway, without any further ado, to the points made about this. This is a wonderfully extraordinary tale about a Russian girl named Anja who is tasked by her stepmother and stepsister to go out searching for spring wildflowers called galanthus, despite them not being available in the midst of winter. This is so they can try to be the ones to bring them to a young queen at her demand and then receive a reward for it. But after getting caught in a snowstorm, Anja falls unconscious and later wakes up, becoming drawn to a light from a bonfire and discovers twelve spirits known as thew twelve months, whole represent the whole year and the four seasons: Spring, summer, autumn, winter, which they have the special ability to change at will and control the climate, and weather, associated with them. They agree to help Anja by switching from winter to spring for a moment so that she can obtain the galanthus. She is then given a ring as a present and it is requested that she must promise not to share how she managed to obtain them to anyone. But her stepmother and stepsister are determined to find out for themselves, as well as the queen. Will any of them succeed in their goal?
Anja is a great heroine and the best character in the whole movie. But the others are great too, like the stepmother and stepsister who scheme to find out the secret of how Anja achieved the galanthus. The voice work in the English version is well done. The character designs are normal, the art style is nice, as well as the layouts and backgrounds. The music is just right. The reviewer before me said that at first it may not be appealing enough to those outside the children's demographic. But I agree and believe it's appealing enough for all ages, as I consider it to be one of the most perfect, family films ever made. At barely over an hour, I thought the movie would've been longer than that, but to me, at least, it feels maybe slightly longer if I don't pay attention to the running time. But that's not because it's slow paced, the pacing is moderate. So I'm not saying it's boring, nor drudging, nor a chore to sit through at all. My exposure to the story was through this adaptation and I enjoyed it. Recommended, because it's still much better than the majority of what commonly airs nowadays.
