Totto-Chan: The Little Girl at the Window (film)
Totto-Chan: The Little Girl at the Window (Japanese: 窓ぎわのトットちゃん, Hepburn: Madogiwa no Totto-chan) is a 2023 Japanese animated biographical film written and directed by Shinnouske Yakuwa with Yōsuke Suzuki as a co-writer; the film is based on an autobiographical novel of the same title by Tetsuko Kuroyanagi. Produced by Shin-Ei Animation and distributed by Toho, it tells Kuroyanagi's story as a child (nicknamed Totto) of going to Tomoe Gakuen, and learning new things as Japan descends into war. The film stars Liliana Ohno as the voice of Totto, alongside Koji Yakusho, Shun Oguri, Anne Watanabe, and Karen Takizawa. It was released in Japan on December 8, 2023.[2]
| Totto-Chan: The Little Girl at the Window | |
|---|---|
Theatrical release poster | |
| Kanji | 窓ぎわのトットちゃん |
| Revised Hepburn | Madogiwa no Totto-chan |
| Directed by | Shinnosuke Yakuwa |
| Screenplay by |
|
| Based on | Totto-Chan: The Little Girl at the Window by Tetsuko Kuroyanagi |
| Produced by |
|
| Starring | |
| Cinematography | Kentaro Minegishi |
| Edited by | Toshihiko Kojima |
| Music by | Yuji Nomi |
Production company | |
| Distributed by | Toho Co., Ltd. |
Release date |
|
Running time | 114 minutes[1] |
| Country | Japan |
| Language | Japanese |
Synopsis edit
This section needs expansion. You can help by adding to it. (April 2024) |
Totto-chan attends Tomoe Gakuen at a young age, and learns new things as Japan descends into war.
Voice cast edit
| Character | Japanese voice cast[2][3] |
|---|---|
| Totto-chan | Liliana Ohno |
| Sōsaku Kobayashi | Koji Yakusho |
| Moritsuna Kuroyanagi | Shun Oguri |
| Cho Kuroyanagi | Anne Watanabe |
| Miss Oishi | Karen Takizawa |
Production edit
In March 2023, it was announced that an anime film adaptation of Tetsuko Kuroyanagi's autobiographical novel Totto-Chan: The Little Girl at the Window was in development, with Shinnouske Yakuwa writing and directing the film at Shin-Ei Animation, Yōsuke Suzuki co-writing the screenplay with Yakuwa, and Shizue Kaneko designing the characters.[4] In July of that year, it was announced that Liliana Ohno was to voice Totto-chan.[2][5] In September of that year, it was announced that Koji Yakusho, Shun Oguri, Anne Watanabe, and Karen Takizawa were cast for the film.[3] The theme song for the film is "You Know What" (あのね, Ano ne) by Aimyon.[6][7]
Release edit
The film was released in theaters in Japan on December 8, 2023.[2]
Reception edit
Box office edit
The film debuted at number 6 out of top 10 in the Japanese box office in its opening weekend,[8] and later dropped to number 8 in its second week.[9]
Critical reception edit
Richard Eisenbeis of Anime News Network gave the film "A" rating, and stated "It's got fantastic characters, a powerful message about childhood education, and a unique exploration of the consequences of war through a child's eyes".[10]
Accolades edit
The film was nominated for the 47th Japan Academy Film Prize for "Best Animation Film" category.[11][12]
References edit
- ^ 映画 窓ぎわのトットちゃん [Totto-Chan: The Little Girl at the Window]. eiga.com (in Japanese). December 8, 2023. Retrieved December 9, 2023.
- ^ a b c d Pineda, Rafael (July 10, 2023). "Totto-Chan: The Little Girl at the Window Anime Film's Trailer Reveals December 8 Premiere, Main Cast". Anime News Network. from the original on October 13, 2023. Retrieved October 8, 2023.
- ^ a b Mateo, Alex (September 26, 2023). "Totto-Chan: The Little Girl at the Window Anime Film Reveals 4 Cast Members". Anime News Network. from the original on October 13, 2023. Retrieved October 8, 2023.
- ^ Pineda, Rafael (March 19, 2023). "Tetsuko Kuroyanagi's Totto-Chan Wartime Memoir Gets Anime Film This Winter". Anime News Network. from the original on October 12, 2023. Retrieved October 8, 2023.
- ^ "劇場アニメ「窓ぎわのトットちゃん」トットちゃん役発表 特報＆ティザービジュアル公開". Comic Natalie (in Japanese). July 10, 2023. Retrieved July 10, 2023.
- ^ "劇場アニメ「窓ぎわのトットちゃん」主題歌はあいみょん 予告編＆本ポスター公開". Comic Natalie (in Japanese). October 13, 2023. Retrieved October 13, 2023.
- ^ Saabedra, Humberto (November 14, 2023). "Totto-chan: The Little Girl at the Window Anime Film Music Video Released". Crunchyroll. Retrieved November 14, 2023.
- ^ Pineda, Rafael (December 11, 2023). "Totto-Chan: The Little Girl at the Window Anime Film Opens at #6". Anime News Network. Retrieved December 11, 2023.
- ^ Pineda, Rafael (December 18, 2023). "The Imaginary Anime Film Opens at #9". Anime News Network. Retrieved December 18, 2023.
- ^ Eisenbeis, Richard (December 15, 2023). "'Totto-Chan: The Little Girl at the Window' Anime Film Review". Anime News Network. Retrieved December 15, 2023.
- ^ Mateo, Rafael (January 24, 2024). "The Boy and the Heron, Godzilla Minus One, Detective Conan: Kurogane no Submarine, Blue Giant Nominated for Japan Academy Film Prizes". Anime News Network. Retrieved January 24, 2024.
- ^ "第47回日本アカデミー賞：優秀アニメーション作品賞に「鬼太郎誕生 ゲゲゲの謎」「君たちはどう生きるか」「窓ぎわのトットちゃん」「名探偵コナン 黒鉄の魚影」「BLUE GIANT」". Mantan Web (in Japanese). January 25, 2024. Retrieved January 25, 2024.
External links edit
- Official movie site (in Japanese)
- Totto-Chan: The Little Girl at the Window (film) at Anime News Network's encyclopedia
- Totto-Chan: The Little Girl at the Window at IMDb