is a

2006 File:2006 Events Collage V1.png, From top left, clockwise: The 2006 Winter Olympics open in Turin; Twitter is founded and launched by Jack Dorsey; The Nintendo Wii is released; Montenegro 2006 Montenegrin independence referendum, votes to declare ...

Japan Japan ( ja, 日本, or , and formally , ''Nihonkoku'') is an island country in East Asia. It is situated in the northwest Pacific Ocean, and is bordered on the west by the Sea of Japan, while extending from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north ...

ese film. It was directed by director Keita Kono, and stars actors

Takao Osawa is a Japanese actor. Career Osawa starred in the 2002 film ''Filament'' and the 2007 film ''Midnight Eagle''. He has also appeared in films such as Masayuki Suo's ''A Terminal Trust'' and Takashi Miike's ''Shield of Straw''. The Newport Beach F ...

Yasuko Matsuyuki is a Japanese actress and singer signed to Stardust Promotion. Biography Yasuko Matsuyuki was born in 1972 in Tosu, Saga. In 1989, while she was in high school, Matsuyuki won a Non-no fashion magazine contest. After graduating from Tosu Comme ...

Arashi Fukasawa is a Japanese boy band consisting of five members formed under the Johnny & Associates talent agency. The members are Satoshi Ohno, Sho Sakurai, Masaki Aiba, Kazunari Ninomiya, and Jun Matsumoto. Arashi officially formed on September 15, 19 ...

and

Ryoko Kobayashi is a Japanese actress. Filmography Movies *''Hinokio'' (2005), Sumire *''Kamen Rider The First'' (2005), Miyoko Harada *''Zoo'' (2005) *'' Helen the Baby Fox'' (2006), Misuzu Yajima *''Wangan Midnight'' (2009) *'' Pink and Gray'' (2016) *''21 ...

in lead roles. It was released in Japanese cinemas on 18 March 2006. ''Helen the Baby Fox'' tells the story of Taichi and a fox cub, whom Taichi found by the side of the road. The cub is blind, deaf and mute and Taichi names it Helen, after Helen Keller who suffers from similar disabilities. They faced much skepticism and criticism from the people around them, and difficulties stemming from Helen's physical disabilities.

Plot

Leaving school for the day, seven-year-old Taichi finds a baby fox, abandoned by her mother alongside a road in rural Hokkaido. The two bond and Taichi decides to leave the cub with the police as a lost item. The policeman on duty takes a reluctant Taichi and the cub to the local Yajima Veterinary Clinic. It turns out that Taichi has begun to live with Ko, the vet, and his teenage daughter Misuzu after his free-spirited mother Ritsuko has gone to Micronesia to work as a photographer. Many people have abandoned animals with Ko, and paying customers are few with most of his income coming from frequently boarding a friendly dog that is almost part of the family. Taichi feels abandoned as well, and clashes with Ko when the vet sees the new arrival as a burden, especially after discovering that the cub is deaf and blind. However, Taichi names her Helen after Helen Keller and attempts to bring her back to full health while teaching her about the world as sort of a young Annie Sullivan. Even though Taichi gets her to eat, Helen suffers increasing fits stemming from her brain, which is the result of a tumor.

Cast

as *

Shunji Fujimura was a Japanese actor from Kamakura, Kanagawa, Japan. He appeared in the second series of ''Monkey (TV series), Monkey'' as the horse. He appeared in the ''Death Note'' live-action movie as Quillsh Wammy A.K.A. Watari. Filmography Film *''Seishu ...

as Professor Uehara * Chiaki Ozaki as * Kazuya Satō as *

Hideko Yoshida is a Japanese actress. She won the award for best supporting actress at the 14th Hochi Film Award for ''Shaso''. Filmography * '' Neo Tokyo'' (1989) * ''Shaso'' (1989) * ''The Pillow Book'' (1996) * ''Will to Live'' (1999) * ''By Player'' (2000) ...

as an old woman * Ryoko Tanami as *

Sadao Abe is a Japanese actor, stage actor and musician from Matsudo, Chiba Prefecture. He started his acting career after joining a theater company/talent agency, Otona Keikaku, in around 1992 and gained his popularity after the drama series '' Team Med ...

as a Police officer * Raiki Yonemoto

Release

It was first released in

ese cinemas on 18 March 2006. It was also released in Singapore cinemas on 27 July 2006 by local distributor Shaw Organization.

Reception

The ''

South China Morning Post The ''South China Morning Post'' (''SCMP''), with its Sunday edition, the ''Sunday Morning Post'', is a Hong Kong-based English-language newspaper owned by Alibaba Group. Founded in 1903 by Tse Tsan-tai and Alfred Cunningham, it has remained ...

'' described the film as "the film for animal lovers."

References

External links