A Failing Utopia and its Savior
An Analysis of Animal Crossing: The Movie
It should be noted this piece was written as a joke for a film club I take part in; its contents are not my actual opinions regarding the film.
All names have been changed from Japanese to their English counterparts.
Video game adaptations often fail to represent their source material, or, if they do, the films are boring, forgettable messes. What almost all of these attempt to do is make an entertaining ninety minutes with little substance — a lack of meaning, subtext, or thematic ties which would leave the viewer with a notion that his or her time has not been wasted; yet all are unworthy of the names, characters, and stories they borrow. Except one: Animal Crossing: The Movie.
In 2006, Japan saw the release of Dōbutsu no Mori, or Animal Crossing: The Movie. The animated film, directed by Jōji Shimura, is a remarkable example of both a faithful adaptation to its source material and an engaging work with more to say than it lets on. What appears to be a light children’s comedy with inspirational themes is also an examination of a failing utopia infiltrated by a dissident, a critique of totalitarian governments, and a political message against extreme forms of communism. Through a detailed analysis of the film, one can have a better recognition of what video game adaptations should aim to be, which the form is still lacking today.
Animal Crossing is one of the staple franchises from Nintendo — essentially a life simulator within an animal village that is highly replayable, simple but addictive. The endearing nature of the series to a wide variety of gamers and non-gamers alike has attracted many fans. It is quite surprising the film adaptation was never released overseas given how faithful it is. To summarize the film, Ai, a young child, moves into Animal Village and befriends its inhabitants in spite of the occasional misstep. There is little more to the basic structure since the games themselves are based around the interactions between the player and the villagers; no defining narrative can truly be extrapolated from the games, which is perhaps why the film succeeds so well. What makes Animal Crossing: The Movie more than a basic adaptation of this gameplay loop is the subtext by which the film creates; a political and social commentary emerges beyond the charming animation.
Rain and fog obfuscate the beginning images of the movie as Ai is transported to Animal Village by cab, a cold and sinister start for what is supposed to be a cheerful adventure. As the cab travels through a tunnel with a bright light at its end, Animal Village comes into view; a beautiful remote town surrounded by rich green forests and at its edge an ocean that stretches to the horizon. Animal Village is a utopia to Ai and the viewer, as the transition from cold to warmth, drab to color, blindness to sight exemplifies. But what lies within this seemingly perfect utopia is at the heart of this film — comparisons to More’s Utopia and Huxley’s Brave New World are apparent as Ai enters the village. At the town hall, Ai is introduced to Mayor Tortimer; his presence interrupts the music, his face is quickly cut between frames to add suspense, and he asks who she will be voting for when the winter elections arrive. The candidates are as follows: Tortimer, Tortimer, Tortimer, and Tortimer. A rigged election and a dictatorship is obvious. Ai appeases him by stating she shall vote for him, yet Tortimer has not earned this vote through persuasion or honesty; no, he has earned it through fear as his assistant whispers to Ai. The utopia already begins to crack as the viewer understands the political situation within the village. An authoritarian government has been established. One that the film presents through a suspenseful lens despite Ai’s naivete.
The political situation within Animal Village grows worse as time continues. Not only does Tortimer break village rules by advertising his campaign for reelection at the winter festival but voter apathy has penetrated the community, most likely due to Tortimer’s dictatorship; he is the only individual on the ballot. Why vote when only one is allowed to rule? Furthermore at the film’s conclusion, Tortimer reveals only one vote was cast — Tortimer’s. One villager, before the vote count, even proclaims, “I completely forgot [about the election],” the forgetfulness being a clear example of such voter apathy within the village. Problems are readily apparent in Animal Village and more are revealed through Ai, who is not merely a newcomer but an infiltrator and dissident of Animal Village, one hellbent on reforming the political, economic, and social status of the town even if she is unaware of such purpose.
The motive for Ai’s move to Animal Village is never explicit, an inference required. She writes to her mother at various points but only to mention her activities, but her mother is aware Ai has moved and has approved it. Ai, moreover, never returns to her mother. There must be some motivation, and the one that seems most apparent is Ai, as the sole human in the village, has arrived as a means of change, a civilized member in an uncivilized society, as represented by the animals, a symbol often seen in various mediums to represent undignified and uncultured behavior. A traditional man versus nature conflict arises. Ai is only a child but a child who was raised in a human society, a civilized society. Her beliefs and actions have already been codified by what she has always known. By transferring her to Animal Village, a remote location with a sole road to enter, likely to prevent most from entering without the village’s consent, Ai may through a cultural osmosis enact change, even if not immediate but a slow burn through her entire lifetime at the village.
Animal Village accepts Ai as one of their own, but they likely have never had another human live in the village, although there is one slight exception. Yū is a young boy who lives in a neighboring village. He is often seen in Animal Village; however, he is always seen in costume and almost always animal costumes. Unlike Ai, Yū must have adapted among the animals and is not an agent of change as a result. Even so, Ai eventually reforms Yū as he removes his costume as the end of the film. Yū’s normal behavior has been affected through the many times he has been with Ai. This is not the sole time Ai begins to change the village and the villagers themselves.
To best exemplify Ai’s influential nature, her effect on the town, and how the villagers react, the friendship between Ai and Margie is in need of investigation. When Ai arrives at Animal Village, she lives with Tom Nook, the owner of a shop which delivers goods. Tom (in a shameless form of child labor) recruits her to deliver these goods to the villagers. Her small frame and lesser strength compared to an adult such as Tom leaves her in a difficult situation yet Ai wills herself to the task. Margie, as an elephant with more strength, befriends Ai by assisting her in delivering heavy packages. Such a friendship would be benign if the friendship was not corrupted by capitalism, one ideal that Ai brings into the town. Not only a dictatorship, Animal Village has a communistic system: Money is rarely exchanged; the inhabitants do not work much except in celebration; and the utopian elements of the societal, economic, and political forces in the town form a shared-values system instead of a competitive, capitalistic system. Such a system would be acceptable if it was not susceptible to problems — the as-mentioned dictatorship, voter apathy, and a noticeable lack in child labor laws. Additionally, Ai never even goes to school during the film which is fairly suspicious since the film takes place during the summer, fall, and winter seasons. Education is necessary for a child. Is she supposed to learn by experience with her fellow comrades?
Looks so good, bring a tear to your eye
Returning to the case at hand, Margie introduces “efficiency” into Ai’s work. While efficiency is necessary in any work, the communistic system has throughout history failed at maintaining efficient work (see the USSR as a prime example). The only reason why Margie would assist Ai under the guise of “efficiency” and not just through friendship is if Ai has already begun to affect the town. This example would be taken with a grain of salt if it was not furthered by a discussion of cherries and cherry pie. Beneath a cherry tree, Ai and Margie discuss how each eats a cherry pie. Both accept that the entire pie should be eaten with little regard to weight and whether it could be shared. In such a society as Animal Village, a villager should share what he or she can with his/her fellow neighbors yet Margie dares not. She has been influenced by Ai, the civilized capitalist. Efficiency and unfiltered greed of the ingredients one earns, not received from a citizenship but through hard work — these are the elements of capitalism and not communism. Ai is not conscious of such influence; she is a child. But this change is still apparent, so much so that the villagers act when they discover Margie’s new beliefs.
Ai and Margie share dreams during the film. Margie’s dream is to become a fashion designer (which itself is prone to the competition of capitalist forces). The villagers, who at one point off-screen must have become aware of Margie’s change, use this dream to rid the town of Margie. Perhaps they believed Margie was the influential agent but they rid her all the same. Under the guise of living her dream, Ai learns that Margie has left with no word from Margie of this departure. Animal Village has concocted a plan to remove Margie without Ai becoming aware of their malicious intent. The villagers have not killed her but likely imprisoned her since she is later seen during an emergency (which shall be discussed next). They have forged a letter, a drawing, and a departure that no friend would ever have committed without at least some partial notice beforehand. For a film based on a franchise whose gameplay is about making friends, such a grievance against a friend is not to be quickly disregarded. Ai, unfortunately, accepts this excuse as the naive child she is, yet her influence will find its apex with the assistance of UFOs.
These UFOs, who appear after a fake UFO crashes and causes chaos during the winter festival, are more influential agents and supporters of Ai. She discovers many bottles with messages throughout the film; and at the film’s end, the fake UFO is uncovered to have sent them. The connection between the fake UFO and the arrival of real UFOs cannot be doubted. As an animal, the fake UFO must have been brainwashed into planting these messages, crashing into a real UFO, and then letting Ai find one of these aliens; all of which leads to the confusion of the villagers and the acceptance of Ai when she fixes the situation. Incidentally, the fake UFO must fix his ship so he can pay off his bank loan, a dastardly reminder of the capitalist forces outside of Animal Village, a reference that cannot be forgotten; this fake UFO and the real aliens are enjoined to help Ai’s infiltration. Margie is released from prison, Yū is freed from animal control, and, once the emergency is controlled, the town awards the winter festival award to Ai — Tortimer would have surely won if such a strange occurrence had not occurred. The aliens even recreate Ai’s face in the sky, a sign they are in her favor, in support of her change. A miracle this all has been, yet it all is orchestrated by outside forces.
Ai has succeeded.
The question which remains is what effect will Ai’s influence have on the village. A few discernible effects are apparent by the end of the film, a few inferred from her ultimate purpose. First, love has been reintroduced in Animal Village. Viewers may notice the lack of partners, boyfriends and girlfriends, husbands and wives, and any other form of love in the town; in fact, Whitney and Apollo are the last known lovers — their failed relationship is mentioned to Ai. With her new-founded grip on the villagers, Ai has sparked the love between Whitney and Apollo. Whitney is seen with an endearing frame, her eyes desire Apollo as if she had never not loved him. She even finds flowers at her doorstep, Apollo’s flowers. Love has returned to Animal Village, and its inhabitants can rest assure Ai is responsible.
Second, the town becomes more prosperous. A penguin who cannot find a single fish finally uncovers one during the credits; education returns and Ai goes to school; business begins to boom as new capitalistic elements have penetrated the village; scientific discoveries are allowed with research on dinosaur bones; and the credits’s song states how much better the town is after the film’s events. Even Margie is allowed to join the capitalist world (or, perhaps as a sinister twist for an eventual sequel, she is imprisoned once again) as a fashion designer. Altogether, Animal Village is successful; it is now a utopia once again. May it even be called civilized.
Finally — not to be forgotten as the villagers had — the political system will likely be reformed due to Ai’s influence. Although Tortimer is still the mayor, he is being forgotten (as an omen from a visitor earlier in the film and a shot in the credits both reveal); and to forget such a dictator may invoke action when he finally passes, if not sooner. Maybe Ai or a candidate she supports can enact political, economic, and other changes within the village to prevent the problems that invaded Animal Village before Ai’s arrival. The future is unclear, albeit a fruitful one. Only time will tell if Ai can change this unfortunate government — and Animal Village on the whole for longer than the short-run.
Ai is an agent of change. She is a civilized individual who moves to an uncivilized and failing utopia, a communistic and totalitarian village. Through a short period of time, she has done what only those on the outside could have succeed in: Ai has saved a community on the brink of disaster. Animal Crossing: The Movie is one of the most in-depth experiments within the current collection of video game adaptations because of the themes it tackles, the beauty it evokes, the savagery it cleanses, and the commentary it describes on the various injustices which often plague the real world. The film is a unique and necessary work that shall not easily be forgotten. It is the cherries to be feasted upon without any regret, the cherry pie to not be shared. Let any game company attempt to recreate this masterpiece because none shall succeed.
