Chasing Lost Voices

“Come with me and we’ll go on a journey to discover the meaning of goodbye.” This quote from the anime movie “Children Who Chase Lost Voices” sums up the general feeling of this movie nicely.
I bought this DVD and a lark from amazon without watching it first because it look pretty. I don’t regret it! It’s awesome!!!
The plot follows a girl as she goes on a journey to Agartha, the afterlife, to bring her friend back to life. She joins up with man who is also looking to resurrect somebody and a boy from Agartha who is trying to stop her and together they learn about the true meaning of life and letting go. The story is incredibly engaging and wonderfully told. The creatures in this fantasy have a distinct look and are really amazing to look at.
I often find that movies that take me to an after life end up letting me down with their visuals, (as the afterlife needs to be amazing somehow) but I can honestly say I felt that Lost Voices had a fleshed out and beautiful idea of what the underworld might be. The visuals and plot take a lot of cues from Greek mythology and I think that that only makes the whole movie a stronger piece.
I simply can’t talk about this movie without also talking about the absolutely beautiful animation! Every scene is just stunning and the movie is worth watching just for that! The images are unique and create a mood all their own.
Every scene is pure eye candy and it has an amazing story!

The director Makoto Shinkai definitely deserves more attention! (Actually the back story of how his first movie Voices of a Distant Star was made is really fascinating, but I’ll focus on this one for now) This movie is comparable to any Miyazaki work in beautiful artwork and story, however Shinkai has his own flare that raises him to a level that would not put his work as a copycat, but rather as an equal. I feel he’s an animator and director to keep an eye on. His other works including 5 centimeters per second and Voices of A Distant star are now officially added to my watch list and I can’t wait to see more!!!

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