STORY

A family of three lives near a forest. One winter’s morning, the father, a woodcutter, forgets his stainless steel bottle at home. His young daughter rushes out of the house to bring her father the hot tea he had forgotten as he works in the winter cold. Then, the girl comes across an unexpected situation in the forest…

STORY

Girl
A nine–year-old girl. Always cheerful and kind and likes to help her mother.A tomboy that is considerate of others. She can stay positive and keeps moving forward even when the odds are against her, a disposition she inherited from her mother.
Father
Works as a woodcutter. A tolerant, hard worker. He takes life at his own pace.
Mother
A gentle person who values consideration for others. She watches over her family and warmly welcomes them with her excellent cooking.
Wind Spirit
Quick-witted and loves mischief. Brimming with curiosity as he watches the girl’s growth.
Earth Spirits
Mother-and-child spirits that make brightly colored flowers bloom. They got lost in the withered forest while preparing for the coming of spring.

Director

村田朋泰 | Murata Tomoyasu

Born in Tokyo in 1974. Received his master’s degree from the Department of Design of the Graduate School of Fine Arts, Tokyo University of the Arts. Established the stop-motion animation studio
Tomoyasu Murata Co. (TMC) afterwards.
He does away with words and scripts and allows the acting and the atmosphere to express the emotions in his direction. He creates works that explore the Japanese identity through themes such as absence, loss, memory, and views on life and death, while artfully incorporating backgrounds that show transitions, like light to shadow and wind to rain.
Major works
Nostalgia (2000) Excellence Award, 5th Japan Media Arts Festival -
Animation Division Scarlet Road (2002) Special Prize,
9th Hiroshima International Animation Festival A Branch of a Pine is Tied Up (2017)
Honorable Mention, Asians on Film - Animation Division
Music video for the song Hero by Mr. Children. Ratio of Forest currently airing on
NHK E-Television’s Puchi Puchi Anime program.

Making-of

Wallpapers