Angel's Egg

"Under a sky where clouds make sound as they move."

1985 1h 11m JA

🙌

7.7

BANGER

⭐

7.7

IMDB

★7.7TMDB · 621★7.7IMDB · 7,817

AnimationFantasyMysteryScience Fiction

Synopsis

Spoiler shield

In the ruins of a strange city, a young girl takes care of a large egg she holds carefully in her arms. She bonds with a boy who is searching for a bird he saw in a dream.

“Under a sky where clouds make sound as they move.”

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Where to watch · US

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Cast

Keiichi Noda
Narrator (Voice)
Mako Hyodo
Girl (Voice)
Jinpachi Nezu
Man (Voice)

Credits

Behind the camera

Director: Mamoru Oshii
Writers: Mamoru Oshii, Mamoru Oshii, Yoshitaka Amano
Languages: Japanese
Countries: Japan

Want more? Switch to Cinephile mode in the header for DP, composer, budget, box office, production companies, keywords, and release history.

Did you know?

Fun facts 🍿

1 / 8

RUNTIME

Did you know

Tight 71-minute runtime — shorter than most television pilots.

MoodPlayr · trivia#01

2 / 8

ERA

Did you know

41 years old — old enough to be someone's favourite childhood film.

MoodPlayr · trivia#02

3 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Directed by Mamoru Oshii, shot by Juro Sugimura. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.

MoodPlayr · trivia#03

4 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Original score by Yoshihiro Kanno. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.

MoodPlayr · trivia#04

5 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Editor Seiji Morita shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.

MoodPlayr · trivia#05

6 / 8

CAST

Did you know

Keiichi Noda and Mako Hyodo and Jinpachi Nezu carry the top of the cast.

MoodPlayr · trivia#06

7 / 8

FACT

Did you know

Marketing tagline: "Under a sky where clouds make sound as they move.".

MoodPlayr · trivia#07

8 / 8

WILD

Did you know

IMDB entry: tt0208502 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.

MoodPlayr · trivia#08

Cinephile deep dive

The take

Mamoru Oshii directs. Juro Sugimura behind the camera. Yoshihiro Kanno scores. Seiji Morita cuts. Runs lean at under 100 minutes. Produced in Japan. Dialogue in Japanese.

Trivia

Things worth knowing

1Tight 71-minute runtime — shorter than most television pilots.
241 years old — old enough to be someone's favourite childhood film.
3Directed by Mamoru Oshii, shot by Juro Sugimura. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.
4Original score by Yoshihiro Kanno. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.
5Editor Seiji Morita shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.
6Keiichi Noda and Mako Hyodo and Jinpachi Nezu carry the top of the cast.
7Marketing tagline: "Under a sky where clouds make sound as they move.".
8IMDB entry: tt0208502 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.
9Classified under 10 themes, including "philosophy", "dystopia", "gothic", "adult animation".
10Released under 24 different titles around the world.

The technical file

Cinematography: Juro Sugimura
Original score: Yoshihiro Kanno
Editing: Seiji Morita
Runtime: 71 min · 1h 11m
Aspect ratio (typical): 1.37:1 (Academy)
Status: Released
Original language: JA
Certification (US): NR
IMDB: Angel's Egg (1985)
IMDB rating: 7.7/10 · 7,817 votes

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Mamoru Oshii

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Community reviews

What people are saying

CinemaSerf2026-06-20
★ 7/10
Talk about a triumph for less is more. This is a simply gorgeous to watch story of an enigmatic, somewhat melancholic, young woman who wanders the streets carrying an egg as if she were incubating it under her dress. She reminds me of the girl from the "Les Miserables" posters - lost looking, bereft and alone as she pads the cobbles until, unexpectedly, she encounters an older lad who steps from an enormous ironclad weapon that is patroling the streets. Initially wary of him, the two start to bond and to trust each other. Their conversations are short and sweet at the start, with most of the soundtrack coming from a stunningly powerful score, but as their relationship develops they begin to muse on matters more profound and substantial but still, she protects her egg as if it were a priceless jewel or her own child. What might it be? Might they never find out? Might we? Indeed, is there anything to actually discover or is their search for some form of truth, illumination or wisdom an end in itself? The design of this animation has something wonderfully Gothic to it. Bleak at times, most times, but occasionally peppered with dashes of colour as if to epitomise hope or optimism or maybe even enlightenment and what gradual revelations there are are riddled with an intriguing rather than frustrating degree of ambiguity that other films might use to suggest a sequel, but that this uses to suggest that maybe there just are no answers. This glides along effortlessly for an hour and is animated artistry at the top of it's game.

Production companies