My husband and I found this movie expecting a cute children's fantasy and found ourselves totally blown away. The plot is simple and pretty standard, outcast kid becomes chosen one to lead the yokai in an epic fight against the powers of evil. You can read everyone else's breakdown of the plot. My biggest plug for this movie was the yokai themselves, the special effects wizards who put this movie together go it right. The yokai were quirky, with personality and were believable as characters and you quickly fall in love with them. The "bad guys" were weird and gave you that creepy feeling that was just right.
The nuances of the interactions of this film is what has me say that it is the perfect film for both adults and kids to watch. The kids will get the basic ideas, good vs evil and some of the simpler themes but the adults should realize that part of this film comments on the disposable nature of our society, how we so quickly cast things aside and how transient childhood is. How soon we forget them magic of childhood to grow up and don't see things that are right in front of us. Perhaps this film is a gentle reminder to us to treasure the children around us, listen to them as they see things we don't, and never forget what it was like to be a child even when you grow up.
The nuances of the interactions of this film is what has me say that it is the perfect film for both adults and kids to watch. The kids will get the basic ideas, good vs evil and some of the simpler themes but the adults should realize that part of this film comments on the disposable nature of our society, how we so quickly cast things aside and how transient childhood is. How soon we forget them magic of childhood to grow up and don't see things that are right in front of us. Perhaps this film is a gentle reminder to us to treasure the children around us, listen to them as they see things we don't, and never forget what it was like to be a child even when you grow up.