Little Amélie or the Character of Rain

The movies nominated for Best Animated Feature this year are all incredible!

I thought Arco was my favorite animated film just a few days ago, but I definitely think that honor now goes to Little Amélie.

This is a wonderfully poignant and delightful little film. One that is filled with incredibly vibrant colors, absolutely gorgeous animation, and a surprisingly mature story.

That story revolves around a mysterious 2-year-old girl named Amélie; a curious young girl who develops a deep attachment to her family's housekeeper, Nishio-san. But, even at her young age, Amélie discovers the wonders of nature, as well as the emotional truths hidden behind her family's idyllic life.

Yes, Amélie has a surprisingly deep understanding of the world around her, and her wild sense of curiosity does make for an engaging story. One that perfectly captures the innocence of childhood. It even reminded me of my own childhood a bit! Not that I relate to being a foreigner in post-war Japan, but I did see a bit of myself in Amélie's characterization.

I was also an observant child. I didn't speak my first words until I was 5-years-old. Which had my mother worried about me, of course, but I was definitely able to speak by then; I just chose not to. I was more interested in observing the world around me than I was in speaking about it. A trait that has stuck with me even after all of these years.

But Amélie also reminded me of my friend's niece, who just turned 5-years-old a few weeks ago. Because, while we may not be related by blood, we share a bond that's not too dissimilar from the one that Amélie has with Nishio-san. We're family. She's way more outgoing than I ever was, but I love that girl with all of my heart; I would do anything for her. And it was nice to be reminded of that relationship here.

So, Little Amélie is a tender little film about human connection. One that shows us how powerful bonds can form in the most unexpected places.

Amélie Nothomb's story is an incredibly heartwarming, sweet, charming, and delightful one. And, since I'm not familiar with her work as an author, I would love to see more of her novels adapted this way. Especially since this is a visually stunning film.

The animation here reminded me of other films from Cartoon Saloon. Which isn't a bad thing. I absolutely love their animation style, and I honestly wish more movies were animated this way. Because the animation in this film is nothing short of breathtaking. 

Speaking of short, I absolutely love the movie's brisk runtime. At 78-minutes in length, Little Amélie manages to feel refreshingly light without actually being light on substance.

This is a powerful, poignant, and profound little movie. One that definitely would've been included on my year-end Top Ten list.

Little Amélie is one of the best movies of 2025, and it would definitely get a recommendation from me.

Also worth noting: I watched this movie in its original language. Which is good! But I'm curious to know how GKIDS handled the English Dub of the film. Because most English dubs tend to drop religious themes and references to God (for some reason), but Amélie's perspective on God is a pretty integral part of the story being told here. So I'd like to see what, if anything, gets lost in the translation.