| Lu Over the Wall | |||||
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 Theatrical release poster[1] | |||||
| Japanese name | |||||
| Kanji | 夜明け告げるルーのうた | ||||
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| Directed by | Masaaki Yuasa | ||||
| Written by |
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| Produced by |
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| Starring |
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| Edited by | Ayako Tan[3] | ||||
| Music by | Takatsugu Muramatsu | ||||
Production company | |||||
| Distributed by | Toho | ||||
Release date |
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Running time | 112 minutes[4] | ||||
| Country | Japan | ||||
| Language | Japanese | ||||
| Box office | $161,253[5] | ||||
Lu Over the Wall (Japanese:夜明け告げるルーのうた,Hepburn:Yoaketsugeru Rū no Uta;lit. 'The Song of Lu, the Dawn Announcer') is a 2017Japanese animatedfantasy film produced byScience Saru and released byToho about the eponymousningyo. It was directed byMasaaki Yuasa, and written by Yuasa andReiko Yoshida.[2][6] The music was composed by Takatsugu Muramatsu. It is the second Science Saru film, though it was the first to be produced.[7][8]
The film was released in Japan on May 19, 2017,[9] It was also released byAnime Limited on December 6, 2017,[10] and byGKIDS on May 11, 2018.[11][12] Half Symbolic Films released the film on January 31, 2019.[13]
Kai Ashimoto (足元カイ,Ashimoto Kai) is a lonely and pessimistic 9th grader living in Hinashi Town (日無町,Hinashi-chō) with his grandfather, anumbrella maker, and father. His rock band, "SEIRÈN", was formed by his friends, Kunio (国夫) and Yūho (遊歩).
One day, Kai explores Merfolk Island (人魚島,Ningyojima) and meets Lu (ルー,Rū), theningyo girl. Themusic beat allows herfish fin to transform into a pair ofhuman legs. The two strike up a friendship, and Kai takes Lu around the town for a tour. Kai learns that Lu cannot touch sunlight or she will burst into flames. He also learned that Lu has a papa and her mother was killed by a ship. Kai introduces Lu to Yuho and Kuino. When Kai accidentally reveals the secret of the merfolk to the townspeople, Lu's love and power of music makes themdance around town. Despite Kai'sselfishness, videos of Lu go viral and she becomes a celebrity. Inspired by her popularity, Yūho's grandfather reopens an old merfolk-themed amusement park on an island near the town. Kai becomes disinterested in the band and begins to ignore Lu. SEIRÈN plays the park's opening, but after Lu arrives and steals the show, Yūho becomes upset and runs away.
Meanwhile, anti-merfolk feelings have been rising in the town, and when Yūho cannot be found by her father, he puts the blame on Lu and captures her. As he threatens her with sunlight, Lu's father comes to save her, which triggers a curse that begins to flood the town. Kai and Yūho help Lu and her father escape, who in turn rally other merfolk to help the town escape the rising waters. In the process of helping, the merfolk destroy the natural cliff which shades the bay from the sun, exposing themselves as the dawn breaks. As the threat of the curse disperses, the townspeople gather themselves and use many umbrellas to save all sea creatures from thesun.
Kai apologizes to Lu and everyone dances happily until all sea creatures return to theocean. Before parting, Kai and Lu declare their love for each other. Kai starts a new life in town. However, it is understood that Kai and Lu will see each other again in the future.
| Characters | Japanese | English[14] |
|---|---|---|
| Kai | Shōta Shimoda | Michael Sinterniklaas |
| Lu | Kanon Tani | Christine Marie Cabanos |
| Yuho | Minako Kotobuki | Stephanie Sheh |
| Kunio | Soma Saito | Brandon Engman |
| Isaki | Shizuka Ito | Alyson Leigh Rosenfeld |
| Lu's Father | Shinichi Shinohara | Michael Alston Bailey |
| Teruo | Kenichi Suzumura | Ethan Murray |
| Chairman | Choo | Michael Sorich |
| President | Takayuki Sugō | Joe Ochman |
| Granny Octopus | Yutaka Aoyama | Barbara Goodson |
| Chief Priest of Shrine | Mutsumi Sasaki | Derek Stephen Prince |
| Homeroom Teacher | Shingo Horii | HD Quinn |
| Fuguda | Tokuyoshi Kawashima | Kyle Hebert |
| Nodoguro | Ryuji Mizuno | Mike Pollock |
| Kameda | Takaaki Seki | Raymond K. Essel |
| Kujirai | Riki Kagami | Wayne Grayson |
| Shiira | Atsuyoshi Miyazaki | Jason Simon |
| Young Grandpa | Reidai Hirabayashi | David Thompson |
| Esojima | Daigo | Doug Erholtz |
| Grandfather | Akira Emoto | Steve Kramer |
Yuasa announced on hisTwitter that he was working on the film in January 2017.[6] It was animated in a hybrid form in whichkey frames were drawn on paper, but instead of the traditionalclean-up andinbetweening still used in most Japanesetraditional animation at the time, these rough key frames were thentraced and inbetweened inAdobe Flash.[15]
Yuasa acknowledged thatLu shares some similar plot elements and the visual subject of water withHayao Miyazaki's filmPonyo, and that it occurred to him late into the production ofLu. He considers this due to the influence on him of Miyazaki andIsao Takahata'sPanda! Go, Panda!: Rainy-day Circus, which Miyazaki reused elements of himself inPonyo, and is happy for his works to include such homages to works he admires.[16][17]
Kazuyoshi Saito's 1997 song "Utautai no Ballad" (歌うたいのバラッド) was chosen to be the theme song of the film.[18]
Onreview aggregatorRotten Tomatoes, the film holds a 78% approval rating based on 45 reviews, with an average rating of 6.4/10. The website's critics consensus reads, "Lu Over the Wall can be more fun to watch than to follow, but director Masaaki Yuasa's distinctive visual style offers colorful compensation for an occasionally scattered story."[19]Metacritic, which uses a weighted average, assigned the film a score of 62 out of 100 based on 14 critics, indicating "generally favorable reviews".[20]
Charles Solomon fromLos Angeles Times wrote, "Yuasa's bold imagery and sometimes convoluted storytelling defy the conventions of traditional animated filmmaking, but he is clearly an artist with an individual vision whose work offers something genuinely new and eye-catching."[21]
On the other hand, Simon Abrams from RogerEbert.com said "Still, I can't lie: I was bored throughout the 112 minutes I spent watchingLu over the Wall. I initially thought that I was allergic to the mediocre English voice actors' performances. But I soon realized that that my biggest problem was that I couldn't reconcile the basic disconnect between the thrilling story-telling and the paint-by-numbers story. I wanted the film's creators to do something with their formulaic narrative, but they never did."[22]
Lu over the Wall grossed $161,253 at the box office.[5]
| Year | Award | Category | Recipient | Result |
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| 2017 | Annecy International Animated Film Festival | Cristal du long metrage | Lu Over the Wall | Won[23] |
| Shanghai International Film Festival | Best Animation | Nominated[24] | ||
| Fantasia International Film Festival | Best Animated Feature - Silver Prize | Won[25] | ||
| 2018 | Mainichi Film Awards | Ofuji Noburo Award | Won[26] | |
| Japan Media Arts Festival | Grand Prize | Won[27] |
I was makingLu andWalk On happened during that production.
While I was working onLu Over the Wall, the other one came up suddenly, so I decided to work on both at the same time.
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