It's the holiday season, and no matter what you celebrate, this time of year is packed with time spent with loved ones. One might think that that means more time to watch movies, but families come in all shapes and sizes, so it's not always easy to find content that is enjoyable for everyone while also being appropriate for all ages. Luckily, the world of anime has quite a few options for those of us looking for fun cartoons to watch with family in the downtime of holiday celebrations - here's a few ideas in that direction.
Promare
If you're looking for action, Studio Trigger's 2019 hit Promare is sure to scratch your itch. In a future where some people have developed pyrokinetic superpowers, life as one of those with fire powers - known as the "Burnish" - is tough. Between normal people feeling unsafe around them and the government cracking down on even the most peaceful of Burnish, discrimination against them runs rampant. That's where the world is when our two protagonists - a robot-riding firefighter named Galo and a particularly headstrong Burnish named Lio - meet. The two become unlikely allies as they work together to uncover the secrets of the world around them, fighting their way to a more fair and loving world one stylish battle at a time.
From director Hiroyuki Imaishi, who helped found Trigger and helmed fan-favorite projects like Tengen Toppa Gurren Lagann and Kill la Kill, as well as writer Kazuki Nakashima who also penned those shows, Promare is a distillation of Trigger's energy and ethos in two fiery hours, without some of the more risque imagery Imaishi sometimes plays with. It's an intense, rollicking time from start to finish, so it is guaranteed to entertain. The plot is fittingly straightforward, so if you're just looking for a breezy time, it's perfect, but there's plenty of thematic subtext to dig into as well. Whether you're a kid looking for some hot-blooded robot fights or an adult looking for a tightly written, socially conscious script, Promare has something to deliver for everyone.
Words Bubble Up Like Soda Pop
On the other hand, if you're looking for something with similar visual flair but a more low-key atmosphere, look no further than Words Bubble Up Like Soda Pop. A simple but adorable movie, it follows "Cherry", a budding poet who is embarrassed by his own voice, and "Smile", a popular online streamer and influencer with a complex about her buck teeth. Both teenagers are ironically ashamed of the very things that exemplify their talents, and an accidental mixup involving their phones brings them together and eventually sets them on a mission to uncover a piece of history about the town they live in. The creative minds of the two are playfully expressed in the visual language of the film, as the small town and mall they love are painted with the same color and life its inhabitants bring to it. Along the way, their appreciation for each other and the world around them helps them appreciate themselves, and a heartwarming romance forms between the two.
Words Bubble Up Like Soda Pop comes from the mind of anime mainstay Dai Sato, whose work can be found in shows ranging from choice episodes of Cowboy Bebop to his series composition role in the stylish mecha romance, Eureka Seven. It's brought to life by director, Kyohei Ishiguro, who shows his experience directing down-to-earth romantic dramas from his very first TV directorial role, the classical music-centered, Your Lie in April. And if that wasn't enough, the playful world of the film is brought to life with a lively, poppy soundtrack composed by the accomplished Kensuke Ushio, whose music can also be heard in works ranging from the melancholy A Silent Voice to the off-the-walls energy of Devilman Crybaby. Words Bubble Up Like Soda Pop perfectly captures the feeling of being an awkward, lovestruck teenager in various states of transition, and its focus on embracing the advantages of modern technology while also celebrating the wonders the past still holds for us is sure to bring a smile to everyone's face.
Summer Wars
Finally, if you're spending time with family over the holidays, Mamoru Hosoda's celebration of familial bonds in Summer Wars can't be missed. Set in a near future that almost just feels like our current reality, Summer Wars is about Kenji, a nerdy kid who is roped into pretending to be the boyfriend of popular girl, Natsuki, over the course of one fateful summer weekend. Natsuki's family is having a big get-together for the 90th birthday of their matriarch, Natsuki's great-grandma, Sakae. Kenji's job is simply to put on a front for Natsuki so that she doesn't disappoint her grandmother; Natsuki wants her aging great-grandmother to see her granddaughter leading a normal, traditionally productive life. At the same time as the family reunion, though, there is trouble brewing on the internet metaverse OZ that will end up throwing the whole world into turmoil - and more importantly, stands to ruin great-grandma's birthday - and Kenji will have to figure out how to get Natsuki's family to work together to save the day.
Director Mamoru Hosoda hardly needs any introduction - the Wolf Children and The Girl Who Leapt Through Time director has also dipped his toes into huge franchise films for series like One Piece and Digimon, after all. In fact, if you've ever seen his Digimon movie Our War Game! - or the parts of it used in what became the US amalgamation of Digimon: The Movie. Summer Wars is, in many ways, a rework of that idea, with the Digimon trappings sanded off and replaced by Hosoda's years of experience between the projects. All that is to say, Hosoda is a director talented in creating family-friendly films with the creativity and smarts to entertain even the most cynical in the bunch. Combine that with a snappy script from his frequent collaborator Satoko Okudera and stunning CG visuals from studio Digital Frontier to create the lively digital world of OZ, and you have a perfect recipe for family fun during the holidays.