Journey to Agartha (2011)
"Hoshi o ou kodomo" (original title)

A coming of age story involving young love and a mysterious music, coming from a crystal radio left as a memento by an absent father, that leads a young heroine deep into a hidden world.

Director:

Makoto Shinkai

Writer:

Makoto Shinkai (story)

Stars:

Hilary Haag, Corey Hartzog, Leraldo Anzaldua

2 nominations.

Cast

Credited cast:
Hilary Haag	...	Asuna Watase (voice)
Corey Hartzog	...	Shun (voice)
Leraldo Anzaldua	...	Shin (voice)
David Matranga	...	Ryuji Morisaki (voice)
Shelley Calene-Black	...	Asuna's Mother (voice)
Shannon Emerick	...	Lisa Morisaki (voice) (as Shannon Emmerick)
Sam Roman	...	Old Man of Amaurot (voice)
Emily Neves	...	Mana (voice)
Brittney Karbowski	...	Seri (voice)
George Manley	...	Commander of Arned Priest (voice)
Kalob Martinez	...	(voice)
Andrew Love	...	(voice)
Justin Doran	...	(voice)
Rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Kazuhiro Fujiwara	...	Villager (voice)
Kenji Hamada	...	Commander of Arned Priest (voice)

Storyline

A coming of age story involving young love and a mysterious music, coming from a crystal radio left as a memento by an absent father, that leads a young heroine deep into a hidden world.

---

Plot Keywords:

coming of age | crystal | radio | substitute teacher | secret society | 

---

Genres:

Animation | Adventure | Drama | Fantasy | Sci-Fi

---

Details

Official Sites:

Official site [jp]

Country:

Japan

Language:

Japanese

Release Date:

7 May 2011 (Japan)

Also Known As:

Children Who Chase Lost Voices from Deep Below

Company Credits

Production Co:

Media Factory, CoMix Wave

Technical Specs

Runtime:

116 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

User Reviews

Excellent Miyazaki ripoff

Shinkai is one of the most talented auteurs working in the medium of animation. This is his third feature length film and it is his longest and most complex film to date. Instead of the more current anime style of 5 centimeters per second this one features the classic japanimation style of Ghibli's films.

The best thing about this film are the visuals: indeed one of the most beautiful films I have ever watched, each second of this film is pure visual joy. However, the rest of the film is not up to the standards set by the visuals.

Indeed, this film is a homage to Miyazaki in every way possible. The main plot is derived from Castle in the Sky (which I think is Shinkai's favorite film), while there are several scenes taken directly from Spirited Away, Princess Mononoke and Nausicaa. The cat/creature mimi, for instance, is obviously derived from Teto while Asuna looks almost like Satsuki from My Neighbor Totoro.

However, despite being highly unoriginal the film works very well. It is not as powerful as 5 Centimeters per Second but it is richer visually and thematically.