Studio Chizu and Mamoru Hosoda’s anime film Mirai is selected as one of the nominees for the Animated Feature category in the 91st Academy Awards. The complete list of nominees were unveiled by The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences on Tuesday.
Other nominees under this category are Ralph Breaks the Internet, Incredibles 2, Isle of Dogs, and Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse.
The film was also one of the nominees for the 24th Annual Critics Choice Awards, the 76th Annual Golden Globes, and 46th Annual Annie Awards.
Mirai takes focus on spoiled four-year-old boy named Kun-chan. When his family receives an addition in the form of a little sister named Mirai, things begin to change for him. Feeling that hat his new sister stole his parents’ love from him, Kun-chan finds himself being overwhelmed by many experiences he undergoes for the first time in his life. As he undergoes all these new emotions however, another surprise drops on him the in the form of an older version of Mirai, who has come from the future.
Initially, the film was said to be set in an obscure corner of a certain city. Recently it was revealed by Hosoda that the film would actually be set in Yokohama, “somewhere uptown, near Isago and Kanazawa wards.” No specification was made on the importance of the setting to the plot, but it would be an important part to a past event of the family.
When the film was first revealed, Hosoda relayed the the film is inspired by by his own experience as a father. He noted that “Mirai”, which can be translated as “future”, is the name of both the sister character in the film, as well as his own daughter. He also noted that the film would be more of a human drama work like “Wolf Children” rather than an action story like “Summer Wars.”
Source: Oscars, Anime News Network