Wolf Children Review: An Examination of the Value of Empathetic Multiculturalism
Wolf Children uses fantasy elements to brilliantly compose a story centered on Hana as she tries to ensure that her children are as informed about their cultural identity as possible. Despite its contemporary fantasy premise, Wolf Children tells a remarkably grounded story that stands as a fantastic dialogue for multicultural families. // Image: Toho, Studio Chizu, GKIDS
Fantasy is more than just an escapist setting and backdrop to larger-than-life stories - it is an opportunity to recontextualize concepts that we face in reality and provide a fresh perspective on those concepts. Using fantasy elements is oftentimes more meaningful than just giving artists the blessing to pursue visual ideas that aren’t limited by conforming to realism. Using fantasy elements is often a fantastic means of making a narrative concept more punctuated and meaningful. Princess Mononoke is famously more than just a movie that uses fantasy elements to tell a story involving otherworldly spirits - it uses its fantasy setting to illustrate the dire effects that industrialism and capitalism can have on the environment and the natural state of the world. The use of talking spirits that influence the ways of the land not only gives the film a visual and stylistic identity distinct from its contemporaries, but it also offers a new, whimsical vision of the typical “man versus nature” conflict that’s explored in so much media. Princess Mononoke is a better, more meaningful film because it leans on its fantasy setting to hit its ever-relevant themes home.
While animation is often perceived in the West as a genre of filmmaking catered towards younger audiences, the added benefit of this is that animated films are often smart ways to introduce broader, more nuanced topics to younger minds. Making these types of films in a fantasy setting or even just having fantasy elements can not only grab the attention of younger audiences, but it makes these deeper topics more accessible to them when they otherwise may not be. To use another Studio Ghibli example, My Neighbor Totoro is a shockingly smart exploration of grief - particularly in how child-like imagination can be used as a means of confronting fear and uncertainty. The film’s fantasy elements of imaginative monsters and spirits make for an adventure film that is a charming watch, and yet it introduces subtly somber topics that younger audiences may not necessarily be equipped to critically think about. Yet, the film inserts this complex topic into their minds nonetheless. My Neighbor Totoro can and often does give younger audiences some meaty topics to think about, broadening their worldview if even a little bit. More crucially, some of these concepts introduced to audiences through fantasy can make certain lived experiences and emotions they have feel seen and therefore feel more valid.
It’s for this reason that I think the use of fantasy to illustrate concepts is a vital aspect for any artist to consider. How can otherworldly or fantastical elements bolster themes I want to explore in the story I want to tell? Leaning on allegory a la fantasy elements is something that can easily come off as too on-the-nose or groan-inducing if handled ineloquently. Because of that, it’s important to highlight stories that reach as much narrative and thematic cohesion because of their fantasy elements. One such story is Wolf Children.
Released in 2012, Wolf Children is director and writer Mamoru Hosoda’s fifth feature film, and the first film made by Studio Chizu, Hosoda’s own studio founded in 2011. The title explains the narrative hook in its entirety - this film navigates the idea of wolf children, kids born as partially human and partially wolf. While an intriguing if somewhat common concept to explore in a story, Wolf Children stands apart from other films and stories with similar narrative hooks by having a unique focus: raising a multicultural family. How can a parent effectively inform their children about all aspects of their kids’ cultural identity when the parent themselves doesn’t know about the other parent’s culture? What is the value of passing down such knowledge on to one’s kids? How does becoming aware of the different parts of your cultural identity inform who you become and how you live your life? These are the questions that Wolf Children is primarily interested in asking, and it smartly uses a fantasy-infused setting to explore potential answers.
Having seen the film for the first time in an ongoing theatrical rerelease of many of Hosoda’s films throughout the United States, I found myself floored by just how succinctly Wolf Children discusses multiculturalism, parenting, and the complex relationship of culture and identity throughout its runtime. The idea of half-human, half-wolf people creates the perfect fantasy metaphor for someone inheriting the cultural identity of two or more races - something that many of the film’s viewers will relate to. Because multiculturalism is a concept that touches so many peoples’ lives yet isn’t explored in many stories, Wolf Children becomes a vital teaching tool for the power of utilizing fantasy elements. Wolf Children harnesses its fantasy tinge on its narrative to tell a deeply moving and meaningful story about a concept that the world deserves to see discussed in more stories. Let’s look at what makes Wolf Children’s depiction of multiculturalism so fantastic.
Much of Wolf Children’s first act focuses on the relationship between Hana and a character simply credited as “Father”. Upon learning about her lover’s identity as someone that can transform into a wolf, Hana accepts her husband for who he is without a second thought. This empathetic understanding is a value that Hana eventually practices towards her children, who also share their father’s powers. // Image: Toho, Studio Chizu, GKIDS
Wolf Children spends much of its initial act setting up a believable, wholesome romance taking place between our protagonist Hana and a man she meets while in college. He sticks out from the crowd, looking as if he doesn’t belong in one of her classes, but that only encourages her to approach him after class one day. As Hana learns more about this man, they both learn about each other’s quirks and flaws - the way any healthy relationship gradually reveals. One such piece of information comes from a conversation about the origin of Hana’s namesake - including the idea that she always smiles even through hardship. Even when at her own father’s funeral, Hana continues smiling - this communicates just how accepting Hana is of other people’s conditions. Moreover, Hana’s characteristic of accommodating others is a crucial narrative aspect that much of the film will go on to examine.
Hana and her lover’s unveiling of information comes to a head when the unnamed man confesses a secret to Hana - the fact that he is the last descendant of an ancient clan that holds the ability to transform between human and wolf forms. In line with how Hana has treated the man thus far, she accepts him for who he is and promises to try to understand this aspect of him as much as possible. Despite being confronted with an otherworldly aspect of someone she has grown close to, Hana puts the happiness that comes from her relationship first and foremost. She doesn’t seem to be bothered by her partner’s abilities. It’s that very trait of acceptance that makes Hana a compelling character - one that becomes a more visible aspect of her personality when she becomes a mother.
Indeed, not long after Hana learns the truth of the man she has fallen in love with, they bear a child together. Because Hana doesn’t want to jeopardize the identity of her partner as well as that of her offspring, Hana chooses to deliver her child on her own. This is but one of many ways that Hana goes on to protect her family’s fantastical abilities from the rest of the world - a world that she knows will otherize, exploit, and possibly even harm people that appear as differently as the human-wolf hybrids in her new family. Despite the challenges that will inevitably come about by raising children that will inherit their father’s unique nature, Hana and her lover go forth in making a fruitful future for their children.
That is, until tragedy strikes. In one of the quieter moments of the film, Hana runs out to find her missing partner after he leaves groceries at her doorstep. Her pursuit ends when she arrives at nearby train tracks, where she finds the father of her children deceased while in his wolf form. We never learn exactly how this character dies nor do we learn of the situation that led him to his demise. All we know is that he met his end while as a wolf. Although this information is never revealed to the audience, the lack of this knowledge greatly works to the film’s benefit. Hana never learning of why her lover died the way that he did beautifully illustrates the disconnect that she experiences when trying to understand the wolf form and its tendencies. As a human, she will never have a first-hand understanding of the wolf form’s nature, desires, and instincts. Not knowing what led to her lover’s death is proof of that.
But what Hana can do is try to understand as much as she can. Now a single mother, Hana puts in the effort to learn as much about wolves, their social behavior when growing, and how she can apply such lessons towards raising her daughter and son. The path towards attaining this understanding is one that leads to sleepless nights, exhaustion, and constant worries that she’s going to fail her children as a mother that can’t fully understand what their lived experiences are going to be like. Despite that, Hana pushes forward - continuing to protect her children from the outside world as much as possible.
The second act of Wolf Children is primarily interested in developing the relationship that Hana creates with her children. Hana buys a run-down house in the Japanese countryside where she learns alongside her kids on how to cultivate their land and grow food. This goes on to establish an intimate connection between Hana and her children, Yuki and Ame - a connection that will shift as the two wolf-human hybrids age. // Image: Toho, Studio Chizu, GKIDS
After struggling to hide Yuki and Ame’s - her children’s - identities in a populated urban area, Hana decides to move her family to the countryside where she doesn’t have to hide her kids from what feels like the entire world. Now in a more rural setting to grow up in, Yuki and Ami are now more empowered to turn into their wolf forms and embrace more about who they are. While Hana still demands that they must maintain their human forms as much as possible - especially when around others - she becomes noticeably more confident in the direction she’s taking her family in.
Hana’s education doesn’t stop at instructing herself about wolves, though. Now in a brand-new setting far away from the likes of grocery stores and markets, Hana begins growing food on her land - a process that sees her immediately struggling. She tries to tackle nearly every responsibility herself. Even though Yuki and Ame help their mother with their garden, Hana still clearly has no idea of what she’s doing. This begins to change, however, as she gets help from her local community. Neighbors help Hana attain the knowledge and experience she needs to be an effective gardener. This unveils another theme of Wolf Children: the educational and vocational value of bonds. Through attaining a relationship with those around her, Hana is empowered to help support and feed her family to a far greater degree. Moreover, because of her increased presence in her local community, Hana gets an opportunity to become a conservationist for the local area. Once an isolated, unemployed single mother that was blowing through her savings and struggling to give her kids a quality life, Hana now finds herself in a place where she belongs in a position where she can leave a positive impact.
Most crucially, though, Hana retains a resolve through all of this - a resolve determined to inform her children as much about their heritage as possible. Only being a regular human, Hana can only teach her children about her experience living as a person, but she seeks to be able to inform Yuki and Ame about their wolf identities just as much. By being in a rural setting, Yuki and Ame can run around through the wilderness in their wolf forms without disturbing onlookers. Moreover, they’re able to hunt and communicate with the local wildlife - something they’re uniquely capable of doing because of their heritage. Hana can’t personally pass on the knowledge of growing up in a wolf form to her kids, but she can empower them to learn as much as they can by engaging in this other part of themselves.
Another boon of getting a job as a conservationist is that she can bring her kids to where she works. Hana specifically brings Ame to see the conservatory’s single timber wolf to interact with. Ame goes on to communicate with this wolf a lot of the time, while his sister Yuki begins grade school, frequently interacting with humans. As the years go on, Yuki and Ame go on to both go to school alongside other humans as they try to fully embrace their human sides of their identities, but conflict begins to brew as the two kids develop different attitudes towards both parts of their heritage.
Being the older sister, Yuki begins attending grade school first and quickly learns to constrain her wolf transformation for the sake of fitting in with her peers. As time goes on, Yuki, once a firecracker child that was willing to change into her wolf form on a dime, now exclusively lives life in her human form. She begins socializing in a more traditionally feminine way in order to fit in with the other girls she goes to school with. Yuki decides to primarily express herself through the human form part of her identity, almost never transforming into a wolf except when under distress. Ame, meanwhile, has chosen the opposite path, expressing a disinterest in school and having to suppress what he considers to be an integral part of himself. Ame goes on to embrace interacting with wildlife and fully understanding his responsibilities as a wolf. As he grows up, he becomes more antisocial among humans and exclusively spends time in nature with other animals. Hana’s two children begin walking different paths due to the different aspects of their heritage that they have chosen to embrace. Although this reality brings about struggle and potential heartbreak, it’s one that allows her children to effectively discover who they are - something any parent wants for their kids.
Yuki and Ame are both empowered by their mother to learn as much about their identities as possible. Yuki and Ame’s relationships with their wolf forms shift throughout their childhoods. In time, Yuki favors her human heritage while Ame favors his wolf heritage. Despite choosing different parts of their identity to embrace, the two kids are able to make an informed decision over who they want to be - something that is only possible through Hana’s embrace of multicultural parenting. // Image: Toho, Studio Chizu, GKIDS
Wolf Children illustrates its narrative themes as well as it does because of the values and philosophy that our protagonist Hana holds onto. Instead of being freaked out by and rejecting her partner’s wolf form and therefore the wolf forms of her children, she acknowledges that such things are just part of who they are and should be respected and understood. Hana approaches her parenting style with a multicultural approach.
Multiculturalism is simply the acceptance and support of different cultures - treating majority and minority groups with equal levels of respect and attention. Raising children in a multicultural context has become increasingly common in the modern era as parents from various cultural backgrounds decide to start families with each other. Even if these families bear children that inherit aspects of different cultural backgrounds, those children don’t and shouldn’t have to grow up choosing one cultural background over another. Parents often choose to teach their cultural values and understandings onto their children - a multicultural family simply expands this concept to include the teaching of values and concepts from multiple cultures.
This can and often does include teaching multiple languages to a child, with the family speaking more than one language at home. This is something that continues to become more common as territories foster more diverse communities, leading to people from different cultural backgrounds to find each other and start families. Despite this concept being one that impacts more and more people as the years go on, there aren’t many instances of stories directly talking about families that have this dynamic.
Wolf Children’s discussion of Yuki and Ame’s human and wolf forms is an inherently empathetic one, in that it never posits one as being superior to another. Though, that’s a concept that many characters struggle with in a realistic capacity. Yuki chooses to live life as a human because she simply feels a need to belong with other people. Living life as a human is the most effective way of achieving that for her. Moreover, living life as a wolf just isn’t a possibility for Yuki if she wants to live the life in the way that she considers ideal for her. Meanwhile, Ame understands that he wants to live life as a wolf, but he is consistently confronted by his sister and mother insisting that he’s “supposed” to live life as a human, as if that’s the only part of his identity that he’s allowed to embrace.
As the film builds towards its climax, Hana even calls out to her son as he runs out towards the wilderness in the rain, yelling “you’re not a wolf! You’re a human!”. Hana cuts herself off, though, as she realizes the harm of her own words. She is choosing what her son is allowed to be instead of Ame having the power to make the decision for himself. Hana realizes that her son deserves to have the final say in what parts of his identity that he considers most important to him - such is why Hana has taught her children about both human and wolf cultures in the first place.
Hana races out into the wilderness during the film’s climax to reunite with her son that has run away from home. Ame has chosen his new home - the mountain near Hana’s fixed-up house in the countryside. Ame’s name will be one without Hana in it and, for a moment, she can’t accept that. As she hopes to reunite with and apologize to her son, she finally catches a glimpse of Ame attaining his place in the wilderness among the other wildlife he lives alongside. Hana yells out to Ame, confirming that this is where he belongs - she fully accepts Ame’s decision to embrace this aspect of his identity.
Ultimately, Yuki and Ame choose to live their lives in seperate ways, prioritizing different aspects of their cultural identity. What is most vital in one’s journey of self-discovery is that the individual is given the ability to choose for themselves what’s important to them. Hana often apologizes to her children, confessing that she doesn’t know how to fully express what it means to be a wolf. She often wishes that she asked her late partner about his upbringing as a wolf so that she could teach her own children better - but alas, Hana does the best with what she’s given. Despite not having all valuable information available to her, she still tries to make her children as informed of their heritage as possible with the tools, environment, and information she has access to. It’s not much, but it’s enough to empower her children to make the choice for themselves over how they want to live their life. Yuki and Ame ultimately hold the power over how they want to express themselves - the role of the parent in this context is to simply inform their children of what options they have available to them and what those options entail.
This is what makes Wolf Children such a meaningful film. A lesser story may opt to convey that embracing humanity is the superior option, but Wolf Children recognizes that identity is not a matter of choosing what the “better option” is between multiple aspects of one’s culture. Rather, Wolf Children confirms that, like many things in life, one’s identity is an amalgamation of an individual’s personal values, lived experiences, and, yes, cultural background. To water down such complicated facets and make one culture seem superior to another would do a disservice to the narrative theme of identity.
In Hana’s eyes, the human and wolf aspects of her children’s culture are equally important and valid. It’s through that empathetic understanding of value across her children’s cultural backgrounds - one of which isn’t her own - that her children are able to realize the direction of their lives. Through identifying the necessity of multiculturalism in the context of parenting and teaching future generations, Hana assures that the paths her children walk are entirely their own.
Through utilizing fantasy elements to illustrate the importance of teaching future generations of their cultural backgrounds, Wolf Children tells a story that feels as deeply moving and informative as it feels entertaining and fun. Wolf Children holds within it a perfect balance of humor, heartbreak, and emotional erudition. In spite of the myriad of emotions swirling around the film’s characters as they navigate the shifting nature of identity, Wolf Children strikes a deeply resonant chord that makes for a story full of important lessons that are just as relevant to adults watching the film for its nuanced storytelling as they are to young children watching the film for its captivating art style and brilliant music.
Wolf Children is a beautiful film and one of the rare instances where I walked out of the theater kicking myself for not having seen this emotional masterpiece sooner. This is a film that is emotionally intelligent to a striking degree rarely seen in film. It’s for that reason that Wolf Children has quickly risen to be among a small collection of films that I think need to be seen by as many people as possible, regardless of age. Wolf Children doesn’t just leave such a resonant impact because of its smart use of fantasy elements - a lot of the film’s success hinges on a simple fact: intelligent writing about a topic not talked about in many stories goes an unbelievably long way.
Wolf Children manages to go the distance thanks to its hope-filled optimism and thoughtful consideration of complex topics. The injection of fantasy in this tale merely gives this film’s commentary on identity more punch. Or, perhaps, more bite.
Final Grade: A+
Thank you very much for reading! What are your thoughts on Wolf Children? What do you think about the film’s commentary on parenthood, multiculturalism, and identity? As always, join the conversation and let me know what you think in the comments or on Bluesky @DerekExMachina.com.
