Tokyo Godfathers (2003)

On Christmas Eve, three homeless people living on the streets of Tokyo discover a newborn baby among the trash and set out to find its parents.

Directors:

Satoshi Kon, Shôgo Furuya (co-director)

Writers:

Satoshi Kon (screenplay), Satoshi Kon (story)

Stars:

Tôru Emori, Yoshiaki Umegaki, Aya Okamoto

8 wins & 1 nomination.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Tôru Emori	...	Gin (voice)
Aya Okamoto	...	Miyuki (voice)
Yoshiaki Umegaki	...	Hana (voice)
Shôzô Îzuka	...	Oota (voice)
Seizô Katô	...	Mother (voice)
Hiroya Ishimaru	...	Yasuo (voice)
Ryûji Saikachi	...	Aged Man (voice)
Yûsaku Yara	...	Miyuki's Father (voice)
Kyôko Terase	...	Sachiko (voice)
Mamiko Noto	...	Kiyoko, Gin's Daughter (voice)
Akio Ôtsuka	...	Doctor (voice)
Rikiya Koyama	...	Bridegroom (voice)
Satomi Kôrogi	...	Kiyoko, the Gangster's Daughter (voice)
Mitsuru Ogata	...	Hidenari Ugaki (voice)
Chiyako Shibahara	...	Eriko Kawasaki (voice)

Storyline

Christmas in Tokyo, Japan. Three homeless friends: a young girl, a transvestite, and a middle-aged bum. While foraging through some trash, they find an abandoned newborn. Hana, the transvestite with delusions of being a mother, convinces the others to keep it overnight. The next day, using a key found with the baby, they start tracking down the parents, with many adventures along the way.

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Plot Keywords:

family relationships | homeless | baby | tokyo japan | christmas | 

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Taglines:

Meet the ultimate dysfunctional family.

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Genres:

Animation | Adventure | Comedy | Drama

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated PG-13 for thematic elements, violent images, language and some sexual material

Did You Know?

Trivia

Towards the beginning of the movie, they pass by a convenience store, in the background you can see the theatrical posters for Perfect Blue (1997), Millennium Actress (2001), and Tokyo Godfathers itself. All three films were directed by Satoshi Kon.

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Quotes

Bum #1: Hey, you're the girl who hangs out with Gin.
Bum #2: Get out of here, will you?
Bum #1: We don't want Gin after us.
Miyuki: Why not?
Bum #1: You're the light of his life, that's why not!
Miyuki: There's not much light in a cardboard box.

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Crazy Credits

End credits: The skyscrapers dance to Beethoven's 9th done with synthesizers and Japanese lyrics.

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Connections

References The Sound of Music (1965)

User Reviews

charming urban fairytale

This strikes me as a movie you will either accept whole-heartedly or trash whole-heartedly. It is shamelessly sentimental and is built on a series of absurd coincidences, but the amazing thing is it all works. The coincidences could feel like a shameless plot device but instead there is just a sense of wonderful magic, as though somehow the foundling the movie is built around lives an oddly charmed existence that transforms the lives of those around it.

The movie does a wonderful job of making its characters both broad but human. This is not one of those cheesy movies that make homeless people seem ultimately wiser and nobler than the rest of us, but while they are all deeply flawed they all have a redeeming warmth.

The movie is both very funny and very touching, and is really about the miracle of love in a world of harsh realities. If you're not willing to totally suspend your disbelief and give in to the movie's blatant flouting of all concepts of reality then you'll probably hate it, but if you want a charming fable this is a great choice.

Details

Official Sites:

Mad House Ltd. / Sony Pictures Online [Japan] Sony [Japan]

Country:

Japan

Language:

Japanese Spanish English

Release Date:

8 November 2003 (Japan)

Also Known As:

Tokyo Godfathers

Box Office

Opening Weekend USA:

$29,259, 18 January 2004

Gross USA:

$367,131

Cumulative Worldwide Gross:

$453,133

Company Credits

Production Co:

Madhouse

Technical Specs

Runtime:

90 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1