is an

animated Animation is a method by which still figures are manipulated to appear as moving images. In traditional animation, images are drawn or painted by hand on transparent celluloid sheets to be photographed and exhibited on film. Today, most anim ...

film based on the novel by

C. W. Nicol Clive William Nicol, MBE (; 17 July 1940 – 3 April 2020) was a British-born Japanese writer. He was a long-time resident and citizen of Japan. Early life Nicol was born in Neath, Wales. He graduated from Tokyo University of Science. ...

. Directed by

Kazuki Ōmori was a Japanese film director and screenwriter. Career Born in Osaka, Ōmori studied at Kyoto Prefectural University of Medicine and held a license to practice medicine. While in school, he began making films independently, with ''Kuraku naru ...

, it was released theatrically in Japan on July 22, 2000. It was also broadcast in Latin America by

HBO Home Box Office (HBO) is an American premium television network, which is the flagship property of namesake parent subsidiary Home Box Office, Inc., itself a unit owned by Warner Bros. Discovery. The overall Home Box Office business unit is ba ...

, France by

AK Video AK and A.K. (but not Ak) may refer to: Arts and entertainment * ''A.K.'' (film), a 1985 film directed by Chris Marker * AK (radio program), a weekly program produced by Alaska Public Radio Network from 2003 to 2008, later a segment on ''Alaska N ...

, in Spain by

and in Russia by

MC Entertainment MC Entertainment is a Russian distributor of anime and films from Japan, United States, Germany, Great Britain, China, Thailand and South Korea. The company, headed by Dmitry Fedotkin, was founded in 2000. As of 2007, it is the largest anime compan ...

. The film was adapted into a play by Japan's Atom Theater Company.

Plot

The young boy Amon has the mysterious power of the ancient "wind people". His father, a brilliant military scientist of the Golden Snake Empire, does not want to use his son's powers for weapons of mass destruction. He burns his papers and lab and tries to escape from the country with his family, but is killed in the attempt. Amon is taken prisoner by the Golden Snake Empire's despotic ruler, Branik, who intends for Amon's powers to produce a new super-weapon. Amon escapes to Heart Island when an eagle explains to him how to see the wind and fly. On Heart Island, Amon learns a bit about the history of the wind people from a bear. He then flies off and settles in a small fishing village. There, he befriends a young girl his own age, Maria. When Branik and the Golden Snake Empire launch an attack on the village, Maria's family are killed and Maria flees with Amon. Eventually Amon and Maria are recaptured, Maria thrown in prison and Amon forced to work on weapons. Amon joins a small revolution against Branik.

Characters

;Amon :A young boy with powers of the ancient wind people. He can create small balls of light, called "light play", and converse with animals. Eventually he discovers the ability to see the wind and fly, as well as other ancient powers. ;Branik :The despotic ruler of the Golden Snake Empire. ;Maria :A young girl from a fishing village, she befriends Amon. ;Lucia :A scientist, assistant to Amon's father, who becomes the Golden Snake Empire's head weapons scientist.

Reception

A reviewer at Mania.com commends the film for its "beautifully drawn and animated" graphics and "top-notch" cinematography. However, they criticised the film's imitation of

Hayao Miyazaki is a Japanese animator, director, producer, screenwriter, author, and manga artist. A co-founder of Studio Ghibli, he has attained international acclaim as a masterful storyteller and creator of Japanese animated feature films, and is widel ...

's films.

References

External links

* * 2000 anime films Anime films based on novels Brain's Base Films based on Japanese novels Japanese animated films {{anime-film-stub