We continue our series of reviews chronicling all of the (non-Studio Ghibli) animated films distributed by GKIDS Films — some of the most original and breathtakingly beautiful animated films from around the world — and how they hold up for an American audience.

The entire retrospective is found here, and this time we’ve got…

Children of the Sea (2019):
Ayumu Watanabe, director

What’s it about?

In the director’s own words, it’s about “the mystery of life and the joy of having life.”

On its surface, the film follows middle schooler Ruka who feels like a bit of a loner. At the beginning of the film, she has a falling out with her school friends and is prepared to spend the summer alone. But she’s soon drawn to the town’s aquarium (where her dad works) and meets Umi – a boy her age but swimming in the aquarium’s tanks.

Turns out he and another boy – Sora – were discovered at sea and raised by dugongs (a close relative of the manatee). Both boys are socially awkward and have adapted to life in the water; for example, their skin dries out fairly quickly if they don’t stay wet.

The three teens quickly bond and discover a deep, shared connection that only grows stronger once a series of somewhat supernatural events occur, including some unexplained phenomena with the world’s ocean life.

You don’t have to dig much deeper than the surface, though, to find that Children of the Sea has a lot more to offer. Though it might look, feel, and sound like a Ghibli-esque slice-of-life story, the film takes a sudden, hard swerve during its second half that feels more in line with Darren Aronofsky’s films.

This isn’t Ponyo. This is a story that plays with heavy existential themes and a search for ultimate meaning. Even if there are no clear answers.

What are the cultures at play? And how about the languages?

The film is based on a manga of the same name from Daisuke Igarashi, which was originally published 2006-2011. From Japanese animation house Studio 4°C (MFKZ, The Animatrix, Genius Party, Mind Game), Children of the Sea is set in coastal Japan. Though the film depicts some aspects of middle school life that might be unfamiliar to a Western audience, the biggest barrier here is philosophical, not cultural.

There is an English dub, but like always (well, like 90% of the time), the original language is your best bet here.

Will my kids like it? Is there anything objectionable for young kids?

It’s gorgeously animated and simply stunning to watch. Kids will very likely be fascinated by the characters and visuals in the first half of the film. Once the story takes its hard left turn, they’ll likely end up with questions… but that’s not necessarily a bad thing.

There’s nothing objectionable or inappropriate for very young kids.

Will I like it?

Children of the Sea is one of the few GKIDS films I’ve seen that’s genuinely difficult to describe. Any synopsis will invariably fail to do the film justice. The film was animated with a mixture of CG and hand-drawn elements, and several sequences (notably the underwater scenes and a few scenes of Ruka running through town) will leave you audibly gasping in awe.

With this film, Ayumu Watanabe and his team have pushed the boundaries of animated storytelling, and it absolutely deserves repeated viewing.

The music is also composed by the legendary Joe Hisaishi – his first score for an animated feature since 2013’s phenomenal The Tale of the Princess Kaguya… and his first for a non-Studio Ghibli animated film in decades! It’s a stunning minimalist score that’s an absolutely perfect fit for the film.

How can I see it?

The film’s planned theatrical release for earlier this year was canceled because of the pandemic, so this has been one of the more “difficult to see” GKIDS films… until now.

GKIDS and Shout! Factory are releasing a Blu-ray edition of the film on September 1 with a surprising spread of special features: an interview with director Ayumu Watanabe (13 minutes), an interview with composer Joe Hisaishi (4 minutes), animatic sequences, a short behind-the-scenes featurette, a making-of featurette about the poster, interviews with the cast, storyboards, and trailers. Digital editions available at Amazon and iTunes will also come with most (but not all) of these special features.

A bonus that’s exclusive to the Blu-ray release (yay physical media!) is the feature-length documentary Turep: Looking for Children of the Sea (81 minutes). Don’t expect Turep to be an in-depth look at the making of the film, though. It’s a tangentially related but nonetheless fascinating doc about marine biology, philosophy, theoretical physics, and Marshall Islands culture. Yes, really.

Final word?

Children of the Sea is a modern masterpiece. Don’t miss it.