Tokyo Godfathers facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Tokyo Godfathers |
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Theatrical release poster
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| Directed by | Satoshi Kon |
| Produced by |
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| Screenplay by |
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| Story by | Satoshi Kon |
| Starring |
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| Music by |
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| Cinematography | Katsutoshi Sugai |
| Editing by |
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| Studio | Madhouse |
| Distributed by | Sony Pictures Entertainment Japan |
| Release date(s) | August 30, 2003 (Big Apple Anime Fest) November 8, 2003 (Japan) |
| Running time | 92 minutes |
| Country | Japan |
| Language | Japanese |
| Budget | $2.4 million |
| Money made | $847,106 |
Tokyo Godfathers (東京ゴッドファーザーズ, Tōkyō Goddofāzāzu) is an exciting 2003 Japanese animated movie. It's a mix of comedy, drama, and adventure, written and directed by Satoshi Kon. This was the third film Kon directed, and he also wrote the story for it.
What makes Tokyo Godfathers special is that it uses real-life actors like Toru Emori, Yoshiaki Umegaki, and Aya Okamoto for the main voices. Unlike Kon's other movies, this one feels very real. It doesn't have fantasy elements or explore ideas about what's real and what's not.
The movie was inspired by an old American film called 3 Godfathers. Tokyo Godfathers came out in Japan on November 8, 2003. It won awards like the Excellence Award at the 2003 Japan Media Arts Festival. It also won Best Animation Film at the 58th Mainichi Film Awards.
Contents
The Story of Tokyo Godfathers
This section tells you about the movie's plot.
A Christmas Eve Discovery
On Christmas Eve, three friends who live on the streets find something amazing. There's Gin, a middle-aged man; Hana, a kind transgender woman; and Miyuki, a teenage girl who ran away from home. They are looking for gifts in the garbage when they find an abandoned newborn baby.
The baby comes with a note asking someone to take care of her. There's also a key that leads to a bag with clues about her parents. The three friends decide to find the baby's family. Hana names the baby Kiyoko, which means "pure child" in Japanese, because she was found on Christmas Eve.
Unexpected Encounters
Near a cemetery, the group helps a powerful yakuza boss who is stuck under his car. This man knows the owner of a club where Kiyoko's mother used to work. His daughter is marrying the club owner that very day!
At the wedding party, the groom tells them the baby's mother is a woman named Sachiko. He gives them her address. But then, a surprise happens: a person disguised as a maid tries to shoot the bride's father. This person, who is a hitman, grabs Miyuki and baby Kiyoko. He takes them to his home.
New Friends and Old Secrets
At the hitman's house, Miyuki meets his wife, who also has a child. They start to get along, even with a language barrier. While looking at old photos, Miyuki sadly shares why she ran away. She tells them she left home after her beloved cat, Angel, went missing. She thought her strict father, Ishida, had gotten rid of the cat.
Meanwhile, Hana searches for Miyuki and Kiyoko. Gin helps an elderly man who is dying on the street. The old man gives Gin a small red bag before he passes away. Some teenagers then show up and hurt Gin.
A Family's Journey
Hana finds Miyuki and Kiyoko, and they look for a place to stay. They go to Angel Tower, a club where Hana used to work. Gin, who was rescued by another club member, is also there. They learn that Hana became homeless after her partner, Ken, died in an accident.
The trio then goes to Sachiko's old address, but her house is gone. They hear that Sachiko and her husband had a difficult relationship. The group rests at a store until they are asked to leave. Hana suddenly collapses and is taken to the hospital by Gin and Miyuki.
Surprises at the Hospital
At the hospital, Gin finds his own daughter, who is also named Kiyoko, working as a nurse. Hana gets upset with Gin in front of his daughter and leaves. Miyuki follows with baby Kiyoko.
Hana and Miyuki then see Sachiko about to jump off a bridge. Sachiko says her husband got rid of the baby without her knowing. She wants them to give Kiyoko back to her.
The Truth and a Miracle
Gin finds Sachiko's husband, who confirms a news report Gin saw earlier. The report said that Kiyoko was actually taken by Sachiko from the hospital. They chase after Sachiko and Kiyoko.
After an exciting car chase, Miyuki chases Sachiko to the top of a building. Sachiko explains that she wanted a baby to feel closer to her husband. When her own baby was stillborn (born without signs of life), she took Kiyoko from the hospital nursery, thinking the baby was hers because she was so sad.
As Sachiko is about to jump off the building with Kiyoko, her husband appears from his apartment across the street. He begs her to start over with him. Sachiko jumps anyway, but Miyuki catches her. However, Sachiko accidentally drops Kiyoko. Hana bravely jumps off the building after Kiyoko, catches the baby, and lands safely thanks to a strong gust of wind.
A Happy Ending
Hana, Miyuki, and Gin are taken to the hospital. Miyuki gives Gin his cigarettes and drops the old man's small red bag. Inside, they find a winning lottery ticket!
Kiyoko's real parents want the trio to become her godparents. When a police inspector introduces them to the three friends, the inspector turns out to be Miyuki's father! It's a truly amazing coincidence.
Characters in Tokyo Godfathers
This table shows the main characters and the actors who voiced them.
| Character | Japanese | English | |
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| Animax/ Red Angel Media | GKIDS/ NYAV Post (2019) | ||
| Gin | Tooru Emori | Darren Pleavin | Jon Avner |
| Hana | Yoshiaki Umegaki | Russel Wait | Shakina Nayfack |
| Miyuki | Aya Okamoto | Candice Moore | Victoria Grace |
| Kiyoko | Satomi Koorogi | Kari Wahlgren | |
| Oota | Shouzou Iizuka | Jamieson Price | |
| Mother | Seizou Katou | Kate Bornstein | |
| Yasuo | Hiroya Ishimaru | Kirk Thornton | |
| Homeless Man | Ryuuji Saikachi | David Manis | |
| Ishida | Yuusaku Yara | Crispin Freeman | |
| Sachiko | Kyouko Terase | Larissa Gallagher | |
| Gin's daughter Kiyoko | Mamiko Noto | Erica Schroeder | |
| Doctor | Akio Ootsuka | Jamieson Price | |
| Arao | Rikiya Koyama | Michael Sinterniklaas | |
| Kurumizawa | Inuko Inuyama | Philece Sampler | |
| Yamanouchi | Kanako Yahara | Philece Sampler | |
| Cat Lady | Rie Shibata | Erica Schroeder | |
| Taxi Driver | Kouichi Yamadera | Marc Thompson | |
More Voices
- Japanese: Akiko Kawase, Akiko Takeguchi, Atsuko Yuya, Bin Horikawa, Chiyako Shibahara, Eriko Kawasaki, Hidenari Umezu, Kazuaki Itou, Masao Harada, Mitsuru Ogata, Nobuyuki Furuta, Toshitaka Shimizu, Tsuguo Mogami, Yoshinori Sonobe, Yuuto Kazama
- English (GKIDS): Crispin Freeman, David Manis, Erica Schroeder, Jaden Waldman, Jamieson Price, Jordan Cole, Kirk Thornton, Lexie Foley, Gloria Garayua, Marc Thompson, Michael Sinterniklaas, Orlando Rios, Philece Sampler
How the Movie Was Made
This section talks about the production of Tokyo Godfathers.
Starting the Project
While director Satoshi Kon was working on his previous film, Millennium Actress, a producer from Madhouse studio asked him about his next movie idea. After finishing Millennium Actress, Kon spent two months writing a short plan for Tokyo Godfathers. Madhouse liked it right away!
The Creative Team
The original story and screenplay were written by Satoshi Kon himself. He worked with Keiko Nobumoto, who is famous for writing TV dramas and anime like Cowboy Bebop. Kon had actually asked Nobumoto to work on his earlier film, Perfect Blue, but she was too busy then.
The animation director for Tokyo Godfathers was Kenichi Konishi, who had also worked on My Neighbors the Yamadas at Studio Ghibli. Shogo Furuya was the studio director.
Focus on Characters
For this movie, Kon focused a lot on the characters and their feelings. He wanted them to feel very real and expressive. Even though the story has funny parts, the goal was to make it feel like a modern, realistic animated film.
Tokyo Godfathers was made using digital technology. All of Satoshi Kon's movies after this one were also made with digital animation.
Main Ideas in the Film
This section explores the deeper meanings and messages in Tokyo Godfathers.
Coincidence and Family
The main ideas in the movie are "coincidence" and "family." The story is about three main characters who are not related by blood but live like a family. Through a series of amazing coincidences, triggered by finding the baby, each of them starts to reconnect with their own families that they had lost touch with.
Miracles in Real Life
While the movie doesn't have fantasy, it does show how "meaningful coincidences" can happen. Satoshi Kon wanted to show a chain of miraculous events that move the story forward. He said the film tries to bring back the idea of "miracles and coincidences" into our everyday lives, even in a world that relies on science.
This means that even in the real-life setting of homeless people in Tokyo, "miracles" can happen. The director wanted to show events that might seem impossible in real life, but make them feel believable in the movie.
The City as a Character
Kon chose homeless people as the main characters because he was interested in their lives. He thought about how they survive in a rich city, almost as if the city itself supports them.
He also had an idea that the city's buildings and alleys might have a soul, like a living being. He imagined that the three friends step into a "different world" within the city, where strange coincidences happen. Through their adventures, they reconnect with their families and society. It's like the city of Tokyo is watching over them.
You can even see "faces" hidden in the city landscapes in the movie. Air conditioners and windows look like eyes and mouths. These are like the "gods of the city" watching the characters. The characters don't see these faces, only the audience does. This is another way Kon adds a bit of "fiction" to the "reality" of the city.
A New Idea of Family
The three main characters are not related, but they act like a family. Kon wanted to suggest a "new image of family" for the future. He believed that there isn't just one way to have a family. Instead, each person needs to find what family means to them.
Kon also said that he didn't want to show homeless people as weak or unhappy. He saw the three characters as symbols of everyone's weaknesses and regrets. He believed that their unhappiness came from losing the spark in their lives, and the story is about them finding that spark again.
Movie Release Information
This section tells you about when and how the movie was released.
Tokyo Godfathers was released in North America by Sony Pictures on December 29, 2003. It was released on DVD on April 13, 2004.
Later, on December 19, 2019, a company called GKIDS released the movie again. They worked with the original US distributor, Destination Films. This new release on March 9, 2020, featured a brand new 4K restoration (which means it looks super clear and detailed!) and a new English voice cast.
See also
In Spanish: Tokyo Godfathers para niños
- Homelessness in Japan
- Japanese films of 2003
