On a bright morning, in a small Japanese town in the suburbs, a group of school kids walking to school stop to find a peculiar sight: a group of penguins have appeared in the town and no one knows why. The child inside all of us would want to strive to let their imagination run free as we make promises of finding out the world ourselves and think about what we’ll achieve when we grow up.
If you’re looking for a romp depicting the ideals of childhood and curiosity, then look no further than the new Japanese animated film “Penguin Highway.” Based off the award winning 2010 novel by Tomihiko Morimi, this film was the debut for director Hiroyasu Ishida. It was initially released in Japan in 2018 and given a release in the United States by Eleven Arts in 2019 with an English dub. Formerly a YouTube animator and moving on to anime shorts, Ishida delivers an interesting first film that The Telegraph’s Robbie Collins calls a “heart-warming, imagination-tickling joy.” The film was praised by critics and audiences around the world for its charming characters, peppy animation and heart-warming narrative on the themes of growing up and how it applies to how we see the world.
“Penguin Highway” follows a precocious fourth grader named Aoyama, who takes joy in researching the world around him and has even calculated the remaining days until he becomes an adult. When penguins start appearing out of nowhere in his town, he eagerly prepares himself to investigate where they came from. With multiple theories of aliens and runaways from the zoo, his investigation leads to a nameless Lady that works at the dentist that can turn any object into a penguin and a mysterious floating ball of water called ‘The Ocean.’ Together with his classmates and the Lady, Aoyama resolves to learn about both phenomena and see if they’re connected to each other. Their innocuous research project leads them away from a carefree summer adventure to a riveting and delightful exploration of how wonder evolves as we grow up.
One of the interesting features of “Penguin Highway” is its characters and how they are distinct and memorable to the viewers. Aoyama on the surface seems like a one-note character, but he instead comes off as an endearing child character who shares his boundless curiosity and learns to enjoy moments with his friends instead of thinking about the future. He has moments where he creatively scares a bully for picking on his friends and shares humorous moments trying coffee for the first time. Other highlights include Aoyama’s classmate Hamamoto, a girl he claims to be his intellectual equal, is very playful and passionate about her work and the Lady, whose aloof personality seems interesting as she playfully encourages Aoyama to solve the mystery of how she creates penguins out of nothing.
The film also provides great moments of animation through the interesting background with the characters to the vibrant moments of the film. The backgrounds are wonderfully illustrated with very detailed environments and the character design makes characters feel alive and memorable. In specific moments of the film, the animation is seamless when moments like the Lady throwing soda cans that turn into penguins help leave an impression on viewers of how creative the animation can be in transporting us to another world, especially in the climax.
The film’s main theme is how childhood wonder can dissolve as you grow up and what you know changes overtime. For example, Aoyama develops an interest in the Lady and he applies it to find out why seeing her makes him feel happy and how it develops. This also applies to his personal belief of reasoning, seeing him try to put logical sense to things of his imagination and surroundings. By the time he gets to school at the beginning of the film, he initially has six hypotheses on why the penguins arrive in town and how confident he is of his future. The best thing about animated movies from outside the United States is how they explore themes of puberty and adolescents without shying away from the aspects of reality and present it in a smart way.
Overall, “Penguin Highway” is a wonderful slice of life story that is sure to have you recall memories of childhood adventures. From its endearing characters, vibrant animation and its remarkable subject matter, this film is able to bring you on a colorful adventure with twists and turns, as well as help you take a stroll down memory lane on growing up as a child. It’s a joyful ride in which following along to find out where the penguins come from will have you shouting, “Eureka!”
“Penguin Highway” is available to purchase on DVD and Blu-ray, as well as on sites such as Amazon and iTunes. The film is not rated, but has moments of mild suggestive themes, crude humor and peril.
Poster courtesy of StudioColorido
