Wolf Children

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Wolf Children

PG

2013

1h 57m

Fantasy

Anime

Drama

Kids & Family

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Watchlist

Tomatometer

Popcornmeter

95%

Tomatometer

21 Reviews

92%

Popcornmeter

2,500+ Ratings

College student Hana falls in love with a "wolf man" and together they have two half-human, half-wolf children, Ame and Yuki. The young family's happy but humble life comes to an abrupt end when the father is tragically killed during a hunt. After struggling to raise her children in the busy city, Hana boldly decides to move to a dilapidated house in the countryside, in hopes that her children may one day decide their own path to happiness -- whether "human" or "wolf."

Critics Consensus

Wolf Children is a singularly lyrical anime that blends naturalistic details and nostalgic sentiment to craft a beautifully complex exploration of the joys and trials of parenthood.

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Phil Hoad

Guardian

Aug 12, 2025

5/5

Swept up in potent nostalgia for early parenthood, childhood and the cradle of nature itself, this is a modern classic.

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Charlotte O'Sullivan

London Evening Standard

Oct 25, 2013

4/5

The film works as the simplest of fairy tales, so scrumptious you'll want to devour it whole.

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Chris Michael

Guardian

Oct 24, 2013

4/5

It's a fairytale in a real-life setting, photorealistically drawn in shifting light that rivals Monet or GTA5.

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Thomas Caffrey

Film Ireland Magazine

Nov 14, 2025

It is a uniquely naturalistic anime film and ends on a satisfying compromise, rich with emotional complexity.

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Rachel Wagner

rachelsreviews.net

Jun 7, 2020

9/10

Wolf Children is a beautiful story about the power of a Mother's love to save her children.

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Ard Vijn

ScreenAnarchy

Sep 23, 2019

5/5

Judging from his last three films, I count Hosoda Mamoru as the true hope of quality anime in the future. Because he dared to make The Wolf Children a film which is, first and foremost, for the parents!

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RC

May 18, 2025

Inspires good parenting.

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D C W

May 14, 2025

A beautiful and emotional story about a single mother raising two children. It's so good. It'll wreck you a few times.

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Emilio s

May 14, 2025

A beautiful and emotional story about motherhood

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Zachary

May 13, 2025

Great for family and memorable!

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Hugo

May 13, 2025

solid movie. it made me cry

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Andrew

May 13, 2025

A really good and really sad story about a single parent who has the struggles of raising two kids who are also wolfs.

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Mamoru Hosoda

Director

Kumiko Asô

Mrs. Hotta

Megumi Hayashibara

Sohei's Mother

Aoi Miyazaki

Hana

Tadashi Nakamura

Hosokawa

Yukito Nishii

Ame

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Synopsis

College student Hana falls in love with a "wolf man" and together they have two half-human, half-wolf children, Ame and Yuki. The young family's happy but humble life comes to an abrupt end when the father is tragically killed during a hunt. After struggling to raise her children in the busy city, Hana boldly decides to move to a dilapidated house in the countryside, in hopes that her children may one day decide their own path to happiness -- whether "human" or "wolf."

Director: Mamoru Hosoda
Producer: Takuya Itô, Yuichiro Sato, Takafumi Watanabe
Screenwriter: Mamoru Hosoda, Satoko Okudera
Distributor: FUNimation Films
Production Co: Studio Chizu
Rating: PG (Some Violence|Language|Brief Sensuality)
Genre: Fantasy, Anime, Drama, Kids & Family
Original Language: Japanese
Release Date (Theaters): Sep 27, 2013, Limited
Rerelease Date (Theaters): May 11, 2025
Release Date (DVD): Nov 26, 2013
Runtime: 1h 57m

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