Wolf Children

Alongside a film that retains most of its impact on the small screen, this DVD is packed with special features that fans will love. They're deceptively packaged and at first glance the second disc might not appear to contain anything special, but the section labelled Stage Introductions in fact involves several Q&As with the director and cast members, the youngest of whom are almost as cute in person as their animated counterparts and are impressively articulate. It's interesting to see how the questions and answers vary in the different cultural contexts presented by premieres around the world. There's surprisingly little repetition and consequently we get quite an in-depth look at the production and the way the ideas behind the film developed.

Similarly, an item labelled Promotional Film contains just a few short snippets of animation followed by an extensive interview with the director. This has been filmed in a corner of his office so the sound quality isn't perfect, with other people working in the background, but on the plus side we go on to see more of the office and how its staff prepare the animation, delicately painting those beautiful mountain and forest backdrops.

Alongside this there are a few actual promotional films featuring some of the film's most charming and evocative scenes, which complement the interviews well. The overall package both informs and entertains, and suits the film very well.