“Your Name”(Kimi no Na wa) debuted at Anime Expo in Los Angeles, California in July 2016. Topping Hayao Miyazaki’s “Spirited Away” by grossing over $328 million internationally, “Your Name” released in US theaters April 7 earning just shy of $2 million.
A romance story, “Your Name” follows the lives of complete strangers Mitsuha, from a rural, Shinto family and Taki, a waiter at an Italian restaurant in Tokyo. The pair become connected through their dreams–putting a fresh spin on the gender bender genre while exploring fate and time.
The animated film quickly became Japan’s fourth highest-grossing film–only losing out to Disney hit “Frozen” (2013) and James Cameron’s “Titanic” (1997). “Spirited Away” remains the highest-grossing domestic movie, for now.
Fifteen years its predecessor, Miyazaki’s “Spirited Away” received an Oscar for Best Animated Feature Film in 2002. Anime productions have been nominated the two previous years, Studio Ghibli’s “The Tale of Princess Kaguya” (2013) in 2015 and “When Marnie Was There” (2014) in 2016.
“Your Name” was up against Disney’s “Moana” (2016), stop motion hit “Kubo and the Two Strings” (2016), “Zootopia” (2016), and “My Life as a Zucchini” (2017). “Zootopia” walked away on top.
While “Your Name” did not manage to secure a nomination from the Academy Awards, the 2D anime film did garner other successes.
Producers Genki Kawamura and Noritaka Kawaguchi have created works like live action adaptations “Parasyte: Part 1” (2014), “Attack on Titan: Part 2” (2015)” as well as animated films “The Boy and Beast (2015)” “Children Who Chase Lost Voices” (2011) and “The Garden of Words” (2013).
“Your Name” is the only anime film not produced by Studio Ghibli within the top four highest-grossing of all time, where it sits at number one.
“Your Name” will run at Fairfield Commons until April 21.
Barton Kleen
Executive Editor