Gekijô-ban Dôbutsu no Mori (2006) User Reviews

Animazing!

[Emperor_Torgo · 8/10 · 20 April 2008]

When my friends and I found this on Youtube, we thought it might be typical video game movie crap. A little in and we found ourselves very wrong.

Animal Crossing is a beautiful movie. It is full of lovable and unforgettable characters from the game (Wild World for the DS, to be exact) including Pascal, Gulliver, Brewster, and dozens of others. Their names may be different, but being a former longtime player of the game I knew them at heart.

This adorable piece of anime possesses a unique storyline, brilliant voice acting (and subtitles), and a genius job on animation. It is a classic story of the magic of love between friends, and maybe some real magic at the surprise ending.

I recommend this amazing bit of fluff that's fun for the whole family, especially for those who enjoyed the innocent action of movies such as Castle in the Sky, Howl's Moving Castle, and My Neighbor Totoro.

A Sweet & Uplifting Slice-of-Life Adventure.

[animationkid27 · 8/10 · 11 June 2014]

I loved this movie. Sure, it isn't exactly Spirited Away, it feels more like a TV movie, but if you're looking for a pleasant and adorable children's film, this is a lovely option. The backgrounds in the film are simple yet gorgeous, it's actually very refreshing to look at. The CG special effects blend nicely on top of the traditional animation. The animal characters are very simple & cute, and yet somehow they are quite unique and memorable. Actually that describes the whole movie. It has a feeling of childlike wonder, and it's funny too! At first, I thought I was going to be annoyed by the super-cute main girl, Ai. Judging her appearance I expected the typical squeaky airhead, but her self-reliant personality was pleasant and relatable! She is a good example for kids, or anyone.

This movie plays out more like a series of slice of life moments. I would say the plot is more about Ai's process of becoming part this new community. By working diligently, helping others, and making friends, over time she starts to feel more at home. The little fossil-finding adventures they have and the mystery of the message in the bottle might be misinterpreted as the main plot, but I'd call it the sub-plot. The real heart of this movie is the friendship that grows between Ai & Sally, it's touching and relatable.

If you like pleasant, slice of life movies, I definitely recommend watching this. It's only available in Japanese. I saw a fan-subbed version, but I hear there is a pretty decent fan-dub in the works.

Such a cute little anime movie that brings me back to childhood <3

[Irishchatter · 8/10 · 16 August 2019]

Honestly I remember watching this on YouTube, back in the days when copyright issues were not a big deal then! I was thoroughly excited that a Ninetendo DS game that I have played for so long, transformed into an anime movie that is so well hidden in which I am disappointed that it didn't get fully recognised.

I thought this video game inspired movie was so colourful, had great music, good storyline and best of all, it had a good main character. It's gonna be interesting to see what the 2020 movie will bring. It's a shame this anime was hidden in the corner and completely forgotten.

Honestly to the folks who have grown up with the Animal Crossing series, definitely give this anime a shot like it felt nostalgic to my eyes!!!!

Beautiful

[kirari567 · 10/10 · 1 August 2009]

I remember watching this movie during my Animal Crossing-mania phase, and I loved it right away! From the moment you see Ai in the taxi, it'll bring a smile to your face and remind you of the game. Regular players will recognize the characters made into the game, such as Margie (Sari), Rosie (Buke), Tom Nook (Tanuki), and Pelly (Periko) Even people who haven't had much exposure to Animal Crossing will love it. With it's numerous adventures and humor, the question is who WOULDN'T love it? Though I'm starting to lose hope, I still think this movie deserves an English release. If you can, watch the movie with the subtitles, and it will bring tears of joy to your eyes.

Emotional Roller Coaster of Delight

[ktiger127 · 10/10 · 10 May 2020]

I laughed, I cried, and I did everything in between. This movie was a sheer pleasure to watch. The musical score brought me back to simpler times of childhood and every character stayed true to form. Each with their own stories that I wish we could dig deeper into, but it is left up to the viewer. Was the plot all over the place? Yes. But thats what the game was all about and what I love about this Animal Crossing franchise. It is what you want it to be and this movie truly delivered just that. There was so much depth and I watched it at the perfect time, not only because of the New Horizons release, but as I too am searching for my "cherry pie".

non-existent plot, boring characters and unexpected comedic events

[firewarrior2112 · 5/10 · 15 February 2013]

I knew when i discovered this japan-only release movie for one of my favorite games, that the cards were stacked against it. it was based on an open world sandbox-like game that really didn't have a story worth making a movie about, and that really shows. for the first three quarters of the film, there is no clear plot or conflict. its just aimless and blind events and cameo plugs that add no value and just serve to irritate because of the extent of their uselessness to the story. but when the plot does get going, it has nothing to show for it, and it was not very rewarding anyway. also, it has a bunch of sub-plots that go nowhere or actually conclude then proceed to tell you nothing insightful or entertaining about anything, such as the Tortimer sub plot.

On that note, the characters are even more flat and boring than i might have expected, with really no one changing throughout the experiences of the story that seemed convincing. and don't give me that "it's for kids" crap, kid films can and should have great plots and characters. this film has neither.

One of the main problems, that I found quite novel and surprising, is that it follows the games TOO closely. its almost exclusively the game mechanics just put into animated film. its quite off putting at times.

But that being said, the movie is not terrible, its just not good. there are some very funny scenes, you'll know them when you see them, and overall i enjoyed watching it, simply because of how ridiculous it was and how forced and contrived it was. but, if you don't like movies for this quality, or you know nothing of the animal crossing series of games,I would not recommend this film to you.

Unbelievably cool!

[dawey77 · 10/10 · 26 November 2021]

Whoa! Cool! When COVID-19 has concluded, Mom, Dad, & I are going to get that DVD as a souvenir! I translated it into English! I felt like that movie was released in North America! Good! Awesome! Also I think that Aí learned some Reactions! How mysterious!

Plot is Jumbled all Around and Confusing

[lordfartamor · 2/10 · 24 November 2017]

While this movie is beautifully animated, coming from the games you can't give it a well plot that is exciting or at least interesting, the movie tries to go for emotional or happy moments in montages, but that doesn't really help, or have any development for the story or the characters. I would really want for the Nintendo world to have more "anime" style movies, that have a well developed plot. I feel that it will do really good for their brand, and a company as a whole, but I feel that Animal Crossing was a step in the wrong direction. They can do it, but it'll take some work.

help me pls

[gregorywolpert · 10/10 · 12 August 2021]

HOW DO YOU WATCH THE HONKING THING IVE BEEN TEYING FOR AN HOUR AND ITS FIVE IN THE MORNING SOMONE PLS HELP ME 😭😭😭

Better than Earwig and the Witch

[udongexmyon · 10/10 · 23 March 2021]

This is an awful movie by every metric, but I am obliged to rate it at ten stars for the sake of consistency. Consistency is the critic's greatest strength after all.

Compared to Earwig, Animal Crossing: The Movie has a better understanding of children, at least a rudimentary understanding of basic filmmaking techniques, a plot with more integrity and completeness, relatively more humor, more established stakes and goals, sports a better script, understands the appropriate use and strengths of 3D CG in animation as well as a somehow more believable world which is built from animal-people and a super deformed kid.

Of course, the film still has some solid innovations that bring it to comparable levels to Earwig, like having many "flashback" sequences with scenes that have never happened in the movie. At the end of the day though, if you have enough free time to watch Earwig and the Witch, do yourself a favor and watch Animal Crossing the Movie instead.

Animation... THATS IT!

[NintendoHour · 3/10 · 21 May 2021]

Not a good story... very empty to be a "movie" seems for more like a special episode of a show or a season finale not a movie... Also characters are boring as heck! And are even weird looking at some points. The only thing that's good is the animation.

No Context, Characters not suited, Waste of time

[superpuckman · 3/10 · 18 April 2021]

To be honest, this isn't even a movie, it's a waste of time. It doesn't have any context, all it is is just watching someone play animal crossing wild world over there shoulder, The main characters name is boring... Ai? What the heck? There is not actual storyline like an adventure or a misadventure. They added so many characters that no one even cared for even when wild world first came out, Cyrano... Many people liked Antonio or Anabelle, Rosie... Literally People liked Bob more... Also Hopper, nobody cared about the penguins back then... also I bet some people got bored after like 20 minutes in... I did at around 14 minutes. Better off just playing the games or watch An Animal Crossing Tale... This Movie was a waste of my life...