Children of the Sea

2019 1h 51m JA

👍

7.1

SOLID

★7.1TMDB · 357

AnimationFantasyAdventureMystery

Synopsis

Spoiler shield

Ruka is a young girl whose parents are separated and whose father works in an aquarium. When two boys, Umi and Sora, who were raised in the sea by dugongs, are brought to the aquarium, Ruka feels drawn to them and begins to realize that she has the same sort of supernatural connection to the ocean that they do. Umi and Sora's special power seems to be connected to strange events that have been occurring more and more frequently, such as the appearance of sea creatures far from their home territory and the disappearance of aquarium animals around the world. However, the exact nature of the boys' power and of the abnormal events is unknown, and Ruka gets drawn into investigating the mystery that surrounds her new friends.

“Some stories are better left unspoiled.”

WhatsApp X Facebook Telegram

Where to watch · US

Apple TV StoreRent

Google Play MoviesRent

YouTubeRent

Apple TV StoreBuy

Google Play MoviesBuy

YouTubeBuy

Cast

Mana Ashida
Ruka Azumi (voice)
Hiiro Ishibashi
Umi (voice)
Seishu Uragami
Sora (voice)
Win Morisaki
Anglade (voice)
Goro Inagaki
Masaaki Azumi (voice)
Yu Aoi
Kanako Azumi (voice)
Tohru Watanabe
Teacher (voice)
Min Tanaka
Jimu (voice)

Credits

Behind the camera

Director: Ayumu Watanabe
Writers: Saku Konohana
Languages: Japanese
Countries: China, Hong Kong, 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 / 6

ERA

Did you know

Released 7 years ago.

MoodPlayr · trivia#01

2 / 6

WORLD

Did you know

International production across 3 countries: China, Hong Kong, Japan.

MoodPlayr · trivia#02

3 / 6

DIRECTOR

Did you know

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

MoodPlayr · trivia#03

4 / 6

DIRECTOR

Did you know

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

MoodPlayr · trivia#04

5 / 6

CAST

Did you know

Mana Ashida and Hiiro Ishibashi and Seishu Uragami carry the top of the cast.

MoodPlayr · trivia#05

6 / 6

WILD

Did you know

IMDB entry: tt9850064 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.

MoodPlayr · trivia#06

Cinephile deep dive

The take

Ayumu Watanabe directs. Joe Hisaishi scores. Kiyoshi Hirose cuts. Produced in China, Hong Kong, Japan. Dialogue in Japanese.

Trivia

Things worth knowing

1Released 7 years ago.
2International production across 3 countries: China, Hong Kong, Japan.
3Original score by Joe Hisaishi. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.
4Editor Kiyoshi Hirose shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.
5Mana Ashida and Hiiro Ishibashi and Seishu Uragami carry the top of the cast.
6IMDB entry: tt9850064 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.
7Released under 12 different titles around the world.

The technical file

Original score: Joe Hisaishi
Editing: Kiyoshi Hirose
Runtime: 111 min · 1h 51m
Aspect ratio (typical): 1.37:1 (Academy)
Status: Released
Original language: JA
Certification (US): NR
IMDB: Children of the Sea (2019)

Awards

Mainichi Film Award for Best Animation Film

Individual records documented via Wikidata; the summary above may count more.

Also by

Ayumu Watanabe

Stills · wallpapers

Selected frames

Full-resolution frames — open one to save it as a wallpaper.

Wallpaper

Trailers & featurettes

Watch the pieces

Community reviews

What people are saying

SWITCH.2019-06-21
★ 3/10
This film epitomises the risk that filmmakers (both live-action and animated) take with adapting a long-running or ongoing manga - a vast amount of material has to be peeled back to the core essentials to make a film with a feature-length running time. Sometimes you can shorten the plot of the manga considerably, add in scenes and motifs and end up with a timeless piece of art like Katsuhiro Otomo’s ‘Akira’. Chop out too much or pick the wrong elements to keep, and you can sink even a film as visually rich as ‘Children of the Sea’ beneath waves of turgid storytelling. - Jake Watt Read Jake's full article... https://www.maketheswitch.com.au/article/review-children-of-the-sea-sunk-by-a-soggy-script Head to https://www.maketheswitch.com.au/sff for more Sydney Film Festival reviews.

Production companies