【3 Hours at Starbucks?!】 How Wolf Children Was Born: Mamoru Hosoda Reveals the Story Behind His Films

The Girl Who Leapt Through Time might have been his last film.

We covered the pre-opening talk for “Mamoru Hosoda: The Origins” at Grand Front Osaka on October 27, 2026. Director Mamoru Hosoda and host Takuto Onuki discuss the making of The Girl Who Leapt Through Time, Summer Wars and Wolf Children, and how Hosoda first set his sights on animation directing.
【Highlights】
■ The Girl Who Leapt Through Time: At a difficult point when another film opportunity seemed unlikely, Hosoda made a movie that initially opened in only six theaters. He recounts how audiences came to embrace it.
■ Wolf Children: He recalls drafting the initial plot in around three hours, and discusses rare development materials added specifically for Osaka.
■ The clouds in Hosoda's films: Why do clouds inspired by his native Toyama appear even in a Tokyo-set film?
■ His creative beginnings: His childhood ambitions, what he learned from revisiting his films after 20 years, and advice for younger generations.

A revealing conversation for film fans and anyone interested in animation production.
【Exhibition】
The Girl Who Leapt Through Time 20th Anniversary: Mamoru Hosoda — The Origins
Dates: October 28, 2026–January 4, 2027
Venue: Event Lab, Knowledge Capital, North Building, Grand Front Osaka
Official site:
https://hosodagenten.exhibit.jp/
© 2006 The Girl Who Leapt Through Time Production Committee
© 2009 SUMMERWARS FILM PARTNERS
© 2012 Wolf Children Production Committee
© Mamoru Hosoda: The Origins Exhibition

Filmed and reported by Happyell, the theme park media outlet:
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