Snow Prince
Encyclopedia
is a 2009 Japanese film adapted from the novel A Dog of Flanders
and inspired by the 1971 film A Small Love Melody
. It is directed by Joji Matsuoka
and written by Kundo Koyama—the scriptwriter for the film Departures
. Actor Shintaro Morimoto plays the role of Sota, an orphan who lives with his grandfather and is very good at drawing, and actress Marino Kuwashima plays the role of Sota's friend, Sayo. Together, they have to weather the many challenges that come their way because of their lowly social status. Snow Prince marked the film debuts of Morimoto and Kuwashima.
Snow Prince had its international debut when it was first screened in Flanders
, Belgium, where the book A Dog of Flanders
was set. It was then showcased at the 2009 Hawaii International Film Festival
on 20 October 2009, and subsequently opened in Japanese cinemas on 12 December 2009. The film, which grossed $845,375 from its screenings in Japan and Singapore, received mixed reviews from critics. Actor Teruyuki Kagawa was nominated for the best supporting actor award at the 52nd Blue Ribbon Awards
for his role.
Seventy years earlier, Sota lives with his grandfather and a dog named Chibi, which he and Sayo found as a puppy. They live in such poverty that Sota cannot afford to go to school. He does not begrudge anyone and continues to dream of becoming a painter. He has been friends with Sayo, a girl brought up in a wealthy family, ever since they were little, despite the difference in their families' wealth. Sayo’s father, Mr. Arima, has uneasy feelings about this difference. Sayo's mother, however, is more tolerant and even has Sayo take gifts to Sato and his grandfather.
One day a circus comes to town, and Sota's grandfather tells him not to go near it. He goes, however, when Sayo asks him to come with her to watch a performance. After the performance, they sneak backstage and are caught by the circus clown. The clown lets them off, and gives Sota an egg, which he had intended to buy for his grandfather earlier. Sota believes that the clown can read his mind, and calls him Kamisama, which means "god" in Japanese.
Later, while talking to Sayo's classmates, Sota learns about "Night-Sky", a legendary paint produced from materials found in only one pond. Sayo and Sota resolve to find the pond together. However, the route to the pond is dangerous, and involves passing through a train tunnel. In the tunnel Sayo trips and is nearly run over by a train. Sota manages to pull her out just in time, but is scolded by Mr. Arima for taking Sayo to such a dangerous place. He tells his wife not to let Sayo see Sota again. Later, Sota is accompanied by the circus clown to the pond. Sota offers to paint a picture of him, but the clown refuses and tells Sota to paint whatever his heart desires. He decides to paint Sayo playing the piano after he watches Sayo play the "Clair de lune
". To save money for the painting paper, Sota goes hungry and eats just a few grains of rice each day.
One morning, Sota discovers that his grandfather is dead. After the funeral, he goes to the circus to find solace in the circus clown, but finds that the circus has moved away. In the present again, the manuscript the old man brought has ended, and Sayo recounts the rest of the story.
Despite the difficulties he faces, Sota manages to complete the painting, which he wishes to give to Sayo. He and Chibi go to Sayo’s house, where Sayo is having a birthday party with her classmates. Sota gives the painting to Soya's father, and asks him to pass the painting to Sayo. Sota continues walking and when he settles down to rest, he sees that Sayo's father’s warehouse is on fire. Sota helps to put out the fire and calls for help. He leaves before Soya's father arrives, and Mr. Arima launches a manhunt to find Sota to thank him. When this hunt is unsuccessful, Sayo suggests that they look for him at the pond. They find him there, dead. In the present day again, the old man leaves and Sayo starts playing the "Clair de lune" on the piano.
, whose previous works include the films Tokyo Tower: Mom and Me, and Sometimes Dad (2007) and Sayonara, Kuro (2003). Kundo Koyama wrote the screenplay of his film. Snow Prince is Kundo Koyama's second work, after his work on the Departures
, which won the Best Foreign Language Film
award at the 81st Academy Awards
.
The film was inspired by the 1872 English novel A Dog of Flanders
, written by Marie Louise de la Ramée, and by the film Small Love Melody, both of which were popular with Japanese audiences and well known in Japan. In the movie, an Akita dog was used instead of the Flemish breed used in the novel, and the setting was moved to Yamagata Prefecture
in Japan instead of Flanders, Belgium. When asked about these changes, director Joji Matsuoka said that "this film is not specifically shot at any location" and that he used an Akita because it is "representative of Japan". Asahi Shinbun reported that Snow Prince's script was also partly inspired by the script of an anime version of A Dog of Flanders that was released previously.
member Ryutaro Morimoto
, was praised by the director, who said that he was looking for a child "who can exist for real". Matsuoka described Shintaro's qualities as "rare nowadays", and also described him as an "angel".
Other notable cast members of the film includes actors Teruyuki Kagawa and Tadanobu Asano
, and actress Rei Dan
. Actor Teruyuki Kagawa previously starred in films like 20th Century Boys (2009) and Dear Doctor
(2009), and was also the two-time recipient of the "Best Supporting Actor" award at 29th and 31st Japan Academy Awards respectively. He has also starred in television series like Mr. Brain
(2009) and Diplomat Kosaku Kuroda
(2011). In this film, he stars as Masamitsu Arima, the father of Sayo and a rich village merchant. The actor Tadanobu Asano made his debut appearance in the 1990 film Batashi Kingyo, another film that this film's director Joji Matsuoka directed. Asano is also the winner of the "Best Lead Actor" award at the 33rd Japan Academy Awards. He plays the role of the circus clown Haigo, who is also the secret father of Sota, in this film.
. The filming at this location took place from November 2008 to February 2009. In addition, the scene where Mr. Arima's warehouse caught fire was filmed in , Yamagata Prefecture. The railway tracks in the movie are those of the former , which used to operate in Miyagi Prefecture
. The scene where Sayo played the "Clair de lune" and the ending scene of the film was shot at the former .
Matsuoka described the filming conditions as "very harsh", but said that "the film was completed thanks to the children" and ended by praising the perseverance of Shintaro and Kuwajima. Shintaro Morimoto said that the scene where the warehouse caught fire "was the scariest scene in the entire film". Fellow actor Maiko also said that when she was seeing Shintaro and Marino acting like lovers, it reminded her of her "first love".
's Clair de lune, or the third movement of the Suite bergamasque
. The piece "Clair de lune" is also featured in the film.
The Snow Prince Gasshōdan group is a temporary boy choir that was formed specially for this movie, and it is led by actor Shintaro Morimoto. The group comes under the management of Johnny Jr.
, a Japanese talent agency that specially trains male idols. Snow Prince Gasshōdan is made up of 10 boys, who together, had an average age of 10.5 years at the time of the filming. This makes the group Snow Prince Gasshōdan the youngest group in the history of all the Johnny Jr. idol groups to release a single. According to the movie's release committee, the group Snow Prince Gasshōdan existed until the end of 2010 before it was disbanded. Leader Shintaro Morimoto expressed hope the group could be reunited again after 10 years.
Snow Prince was recorded and released as a single album on 2 December 2009. This single debuted at the ninth position on the weekly Oricon
charts, later achieving its peak of the fifth position in the same charts.
government's tourism board because he was the lead actor of the film. Snow Prince was then shown in Hawaii
, where it made its film festival debut at the Hawaii International Film Festival
(HIFF) on 20 October 2009.
The film was then opened in Japan cinemas on 12 December 2009. It was officially released at a ceremony held at Marunouchi Piccadilly in Yurakucho, Tokyo, on 12 December 2010. The entire cast of the film, together with the film's director Joji Matsuoka, were present at the ceremony. Also, at the ceremony, it was revealed to the media that negotiations for the film's distribution rights overseas were ongoing. It was announced that distributors from 25 different countries in Asia and Europe were interested in releasing the films in their home countries, though these were not specifically mentioned. This is a high number as, usually, Japanese films will only receive around 10 to 15 different offers. During its debut weekend, Snow Prince debuted in 234 cinema screens across Japan. It grossed a total of $362,879 in the opening week, making it the 10th highest grossing movie over the weekend of 12 and 13 December. Overall, it earned $837,724 in Japanese cinemas.
In Singapore cinemas, Snow Prince was released on 13 May 2010 by local distributor Cathay-keris Films. It grossed US$4,088 on the first weekend (13–16 May) and US$2,320 on the second weekend (20–23 May), for a total gross of US$7,651 in Singapore cinemas.
The home media for Snow Prince was released in DVD (format 2) and Blu-ray Disc
versions. The distributor Toei
released the film in Japan on 20 August 2010. In Taiwan, a DVD version of Snow Prince was released on 5 April 2011 under the film's Chinese name of 雪地王子 with Chinese subtitles and Japanese dialog. Later, Snow Prince was showcased at the inaugural Beijing International Film Festival, where it became one of the six Japanese films to be shown on 24 April 2011.
for this film's theme song Snow Prince was released in a limited edition version and a regular version by Sony Music Entertainment
on 2 December 2009.
Track list:
The Japan Times
gave Snow Prince a score of 2 out of 5. In the critical review entitled "Weep over this princely pile of slush", Mark Schilling criticized the film as "a weeper that ... left me surprisingly dry eyed" and added that "There's hardly a spark of originality in the entire enterprise, unless you count the casting of Tadanobu Asano – the coolest Japanese actor of his generation – as a sad-but-wise circus clown." The "Eiga-Judge" website had two movie reviews of Snow Prince. The first review, written by reviewer Matiko Wataru, said that this innocent and sad tale tragedy of the boy is too simplistic and the screenplay did not do much. However, the review praised the "beautiful scenery of the city of Shonai" and said the film was a "sad and beautiful combination of children and animals".
The Guardian
rated it third on its list of "The top 10 films of 2009 you probably won't have seen". The reviewer, David Parkinson, praised this work as "the most beautiful children's film of the year". He elaborated by saying, "Everything about this poignant account...is exquisite. The photography and period design are impeccable, while the script deftly acquaints younger viewers with the good that can still emerge from the harsher realities of life.". He ended his review with: "This is the kind of family entertainment that Hollywood has long forgotten how to make."
A Dog of Flanders
A Dog of Flanders is an 1872 novel by English author Marie Louise de la Ramée published with her pseudonym "Ouida". It is about a Flemish boy named Nello and his dog Patrasche....
and inspired by the 1971 film A Small Love Melody
Melody (1971 film)
Melody is a 1971 British film directed by Waris Hussein about "puppy love". It was released as S.W.A.L.K. in the United Kingdom . The film starred Jack Wild, Mark Lester and Tracy Hyde...
. It is directed by Joji Matsuoka
Joji Matsuoka
is a Japanese film director. After studying filmmaking in the College of Art at Nihon University, he won an award for his independent short Inaka no hōsoku at the Pia Film Festival in 1984. He directed his first commercial feature, Bataashi kingyo, in 1990 and received a number of awards for best...
and written by Kundo Koyama—the scriptwriter for the film Departures
Departures (film)
All compositions by Joe Hisaishi.#"Shine of Snow I" 1:12#"Nohkan" 3:10#"Kaisan" 0:53#"Good-Bye Cello" 2:16#"New Road" 1:15#"Model" 0:47#"First Contact" 1:51#"Washing" 0:34#"Kizuna I" 1:57#"Beautiful Dead I" 3:12#"Okuribito " 1:51...
. Actor Shintaro Morimoto plays the role of Sota, an orphan who lives with his grandfather and is very good at drawing, and actress Marino Kuwashima plays the role of Sota's friend, Sayo. Together, they have to weather the many challenges that come their way because of their lowly social status. Snow Prince marked the film debuts of Morimoto and Kuwashima.
Snow Prince had its international debut when it was first screened in Flanders
Flanders
Flanders is the community of the Flemings but also one of the institutions in Belgium, and a geographical region located in parts of present-day Belgium, France and the Netherlands. "Flanders" can also refer to the northern part of Belgium that contains Brussels, Bruges, Ghent and Antwerp...
, Belgium, where the book A Dog of Flanders
A Dog of Flanders
A Dog of Flanders is an 1872 novel by English author Marie Louise de la Ramée published with her pseudonym "Ouida". It is about a Flemish boy named Nello and his dog Patrasche....
was set. It was then showcased at the 2009 Hawaii International Film Festival
Hawaii International Film Festival
The Hawaii International Film Festival is a film festival held in the U.S. state of Hawaii. It was started in 1981 by Jeannette Paulson Hereniko and has been held annually in the fall for two weeks...
on 20 October 2009, and subsequently opened in Japanese cinemas on 12 December 2009. The film, which grossed $845,375 from its screenings in Japan and Singapore, received mixed reviews from critics. Actor Teruyuki Kagawa was nominated for the best supporting actor award at the 52nd Blue Ribbon Awards
Blue Ribbon Awards
The are film-specific prizes awarded solely by movie critics and writers in Tokyo, Japan.The awards were established in 1950 by which is composed of film correspondents from seven Tokyo-based sports newspapers...
for his role.
Plot
An elderly woman, Sayo Arima, receives an unexpected package containing a manuscript. It was left by an old man, who says that it was written by his father Haigo. As Sayo reads it, she recalls events related to the special friendship that she shared with a poor village boy named Sota.Seventy years earlier, Sota lives with his grandfather and a dog named Chibi, which he and Sayo found as a puppy. They live in such poverty that Sota cannot afford to go to school. He does not begrudge anyone and continues to dream of becoming a painter. He has been friends with Sayo, a girl brought up in a wealthy family, ever since they were little, despite the difference in their families' wealth. Sayo’s father, Mr. Arima, has uneasy feelings about this difference. Sayo's mother, however, is more tolerant and even has Sayo take gifts to Sato and his grandfather.
One day a circus comes to town, and Sota's grandfather tells him not to go near it. He goes, however, when Sayo asks him to come with her to watch a performance. After the performance, they sneak backstage and are caught by the circus clown. The clown lets them off, and gives Sota an egg, which he had intended to buy for his grandfather earlier. Sota believes that the clown can read his mind, and calls him Kamisama, which means "god" in Japanese.
Later, while talking to Sayo's classmates, Sota learns about "Night-Sky", a legendary paint produced from materials found in only one pond. Sayo and Sota resolve to find the pond together. However, the route to the pond is dangerous, and involves passing through a train tunnel. In the tunnel Sayo trips and is nearly run over by a train. Sota manages to pull her out just in time, but is scolded by Mr. Arima for taking Sayo to such a dangerous place. He tells his wife not to let Sayo see Sota again. Later, Sota is accompanied by the circus clown to the pond. Sota offers to paint a picture of him, but the clown refuses and tells Sota to paint whatever his heart desires. He decides to paint Sayo playing the piano after he watches Sayo play the "Clair de lune
Suite bergamasque
The Suite bergamasque is one of the most famous piano suites by Claude Debussy. Debussy commenced the suite in 1890 at age 28, but he did not finish or publish it until 1905.-History:...
". To save money for the painting paper, Sota goes hungry and eats just a few grains of rice each day.
One morning, Sota discovers that his grandfather is dead. After the funeral, he goes to the circus to find solace in the circus clown, but finds that the circus has moved away. In the present again, the manuscript the old man brought has ended, and Sayo recounts the rest of the story.
Despite the difficulties he faces, Sota manages to complete the painting, which he wishes to give to Sayo. He and Chibi go to Sayo’s house, where Sayo is having a birthday party with her classmates. Sota gives the painting to Soya's father, and asks him to pass the painting to Sayo. Sota continues walking and when he settles down to rest, he sees that Sayo's father’s warehouse is on fire. Sota helps to put out the fire and calls for help. He leaves before Soya's father arrives, and Mr. Arima launches a manhunt to find Sota to thank him. When this hunt is unsuccessful, Sayo suggests that they look for him at the pond. They find him there, dead. In the present day again, the old man leaves and Sayo starts playing the "Clair de lune" on the piano.
Cast
- Shintaro MorimotoShintaro MorimotoShintaro Morimoto is a japanese actor and singer. He is under the management of Johnny & Associates.- Career:...
as Sota, a poor orphaned boy who lives with his grandfather. He is talented in drawing, and spends much of his time drawing because he cannot afford to go to school. He is frequently accompanied by the dog Chibi, whom he and Sayo found abandoned and injured. - Marino Kuwashima as Sayo Arima, Sota's soulmate and best friend. She is a member of the wealthy Arima family, and thus her father opposes her relationship with Sota.
- Teruyuki Kagawa as Masamitsu Arima, Sayo's father. He is a rich merchant in the village, and Sota's grandfather works for him. He strongly opposes the relationship between Sota and his daughter Sayo because he hopes that she will marry into a rich family.
- Rei DanRei Danis a Japanese actress. She began her career as a member of the Takarazuka Revue. She was nominated for Best Supporting Actress at the 32nd Japan Academy Prize for Kabei: Our Mother.-Filmography:* Kabei: Our Mother * Snow Prince...
as Kiyo Arima, Sayo's mother. She is caught between her husband's resistance to Sota and her belief in romantic love. - Maiko as Yasuko Hasegawa, Sayo's granddaughter in the present.
- Manabu Yamamoto as the old man, who delivers the letter which sparks the flashback of this incident. He is also Sota's half-brother and Haigo's son.
- Tadanobu AsanoTadanobu Asano, born is a Japanese actor. He is known for his roles as Dragon Eye Morrison in Electric Dragon 80.000 V, Kakihara in Ichi the Killer, Mamoru Arita in Bright Future, Hattori Genosuke in Zatoichi, Kenji in Last Life in the Universe, Aman in Survive Style 5+, Ayano in The Taste of Tea, and Temudjin...
as the circus clown, Haigo. He is also Sota's father, but does not tell him. He helps Sota find the legendary "night-sky" paint, and tells Sota to paint whatever his heart desires. - Katsuo NakamuraKatsuo Nakamurais a Japanese actor. He won the award for best supporting actor at the 5th Japan Academy Prize and at the 6th Hochi Film Award for Kagero-za, Buriki no kunsho, Shikake-nin Baian...
as Masayoshi Harada, Sota's grandfather. He gives many words of wisdom to Sota, and gently advises Sota not to hate anyone or bear any grudges for the circumstances and predicaments in his life. He later dies due to a long-running illness. - Keiko Kishi as Sayo in the present.
Development
Snow Prince was directed by Joji MatsuokaJoji Matsuoka
is a Japanese film director. After studying filmmaking in the College of Art at Nihon University, he won an award for his independent short Inaka no hōsoku at the Pia Film Festival in 1984. He directed his first commercial feature, Bataashi kingyo, in 1990 and received a number of awards for best...
, whose previous works include the films Tokyo Tower: Mom and Me, and Sometimes Dad (2007) and Sayonara, Kuro (2003). Kundo Koyama wrote the screenplay of his film. Snow Prince is Kundo Koyama's second work, after his work on the Departures
Departures (film)
All compositions by Joe Hisaishi.#"Shine of Snow I" 1:12#"Nohkan" 3:10#"Kaisan" 0:53#"Good-Bye Cello" 2:16#"New Road" 1:15#"Model" 0:47#"First Contact" 1:51#"Washing" 0:34#"Kizuna I" 1:57#"Beautiful Dead I" 3:12#"Okuribito " 1:51...
, which won the Best Foreign Language Film
Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film
The Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film is one of the Academy Awards of Merit, popularly known as the Oscars, handed out annually by the U.S.-based Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences...
award at the 81st Academy Awards
81st Academy Awards
The 81st Academy Awards ceremony, presented by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences , honored the best films of 2008 and took place February 22, 2009, at the Kodak Theatre in Hollywood, Los Angeles beginning at 5:30 p.m. PST / 8:30 p.m. EST...
.
The film was inspired by the 1872 English novel A Dog of Flanders
A Dog of Flanders
A Dog of Flanders is an 1872 novel by English author Marie Louise de la Ramée published with her pseudonym "Ouida". It is about a Flemish boy named Nello and his dog Patrasche....
, written by Marie Louise de la Ramée, and by the film Small Love Melody, both of which were popular with Japanese audiences and well known in Japan. In the movie, an Akita dog was used instead of the Flemish breed used in the novel, and the setting was moved to Yamagata Prefecture
Yamagata Prefecture
-Fruit:Yamagata Prefecture is the largest producer of cherries and pears in Japan. A large quantity of other kinds of fruits such as grapes, apples, peaches, melons, persimmons and watermelons are also produced.- Demographics :...
in Japan instead of Flanders, Belgium. When asked about these changes, director Joji Matsuoka said that "this film is not specifically shot at any location" and that he used an Akita because it is "representative of Japan". Asahi Shinbun reported that Snow Prince's script was also partly inspired by the script of an anime version of A Dog of Flanders that was released previously.
Casting
New actor Shintaro Morimoto and new actress Marino Kuwashima were officially revealed as the lead cast members of this film at the film's 10th press conference on 11 May 2009. They were handpicked from a group of 10,000 people in an audition by director Joji Matsuoka. Matsuoka reportedly decided to chose Shintaro and Marino because they "had a different twinkle in their eyes". In particular, Shintaro, the younger brother of Hey! Say! JUMPHey! Say! JUMP
Hey! Say! JUMP is a ten-member Japanese boy band under the Japanese talent agency Johnny & Associates. The name Hey! Say! refers to the fact that all the members were born in the Heisei period and JUMP is an acronym for Johnny's Ultra Music Power...
member Ryutaro Morimoto
Ryutaro Morimoto
is a Japanese singer as member of Hey! Say! JUMP. He is under the management of Johnny & Associates. He is the youngest boy in the group.-Career:On August 12, 2004, when he was 9 years old, Morimoto appeared on the variety show Ya-ya-yah, where his audition for Johnny and Associates was aired along...
, was praised by the director, who said that he was looking for a child "who can exist for real". Matsuoka described Shintaro's qualities as "rare nowadays", and also described him as an "angel".
Other notable cast members of the film includes actors Teruyuki Kagawa and Tadanobu Asano
Tadanobu Asano
, born is a Japanese actor. He is known for his roles as Dragon Eye Morrison in Electric Dragon 80.000 V, Kakihara in Ichi the Killer, Mamoru Arita in Bright Future, Hattori Genosuke in Zatoichi, Kenji in Last Life in the Universe, Aman in Survive Style 5+, Ayano in The Taste of Tea, and Temudjin...
, and actress Rei Dan
Rei Dan
is a Japanese actress. She began her career as a member of the Takarazuka Revue. She was nominated for Best Supporting Actress at the 32nd Japan Academy Prize for Kabei: Our Mother.-Filmography:* Kabei: Our Mother * Snow Prince...
. Actor Teruyuki Kagawa previously starred in films like 20th Century Boys (2009) and Dear Doctor
Dear Doctor (film)
is a 2009 Japanese film directed by Miwa Nishikawa. It won the award for Best Film at the 31st Yokohama Film Festival. It was nominated for Best Film at the 33rd Japan Academy Prize.-Cast:* Tsurube Shôfukutei as Dr...
(2009), and was also the two-time recipient of the "Best Supporting Actor" award at 29th and 31st Japan Academy Awards respectively. He has also starred in television series like Mr. Brain
Mr. Brain
is a Japanese television drama starting on TBS on 23 May 2009.-Synopsis:Tsukumo Ryusuke is a quirky, yet brilliant neuroscientist working for the National Research Institute of Police Science. Wielding a unique perspective and psychology, Tsukumo tackles the nation's most baffling crimes and...
(2009) and Diplomat Kosaku Kuroda
Diplomat Kosaku Kuroda
Diplomat Kosaku Kuroda is 2011 Japanese television drama starting Yuji Oda who respised his role as Kosaku Kuroda in sequel of Amalfi: Rewards of the Goddess...
(2011). In this film, he stars as Masamitsu Arima, the father of Sayo and a rich village merchant. The actor Tadanobu Asano made his debut appearance in the 1990 film Batashi Kingyo, another film that this film's director Joji Matsuoka directed. Asano is also the winner of the "Best Lead Actor" award at the 33rd Japan Academy Awards. He plays the role of the circus clown Haigo, who is also the secret father of Sota, in this film.
Filming
Scenes of Sota's and the Arima family's houses, the village and the playhouse of Sota and Sayo were shot at the in Shōnai, YamagataShonai, Yamagata
is a town located in Higashitagawa District, Yamagata, Japan. It was created by the merger of the towns of Amarume and Tachikawa in 2005.As of 2005, the town has an estimated population of 24,921 and the density of 249.26 persons per km²...
. The filming at this location took place from November 2008 to February 2009. In addition, the scene where Mr. Arima's warehouse caught fire was filmed in , Yamagata Prefecture. The railway tracks in the movie are those of the former , which used to operate in Miyagi Prefecture
Miyagi Prefecture
is a prefecture of Japan in the Tōhoku Region on Honshu island. The capital is Sendai.- History :Miyagi Prefecture was formerly part of the province of Mutsu. Mutsu Province, on northern Honshu, was one of the last provinces to be formed as land was taken from the indigenous Emishi, and became the...
. The scene where Sayo played the "Clair de lune" and the ending scene of the film was shot at the former .
Matsuoka described the filming conditions as "very harsh", but said that "the film was completed thanks to the children" and ended by praising the perseverance of Shintaro and Kuwajima. Shintaro Morimoto said that the scene where the warehouse caught fire "was the scariest scene in the entire film". Fellow actor Maiko also said that when she was seeing Shintaro and Marino acting like lovers, it reminded her of her "first love".
Theme song
The film's theme song is , and it is sung by the group . This theme song and the formation of the Snow Prince Gasshōdan group was unveiled at an animal welfare organization event on 1 November 2009. Songwriter Shinji Nojima wrote the song's lyrics. "Snow Prince" is a choral song inspired by Claude DebussyClaude Debussy
Claude-Achille Debussy was a French composer. Along with Maurice Ravel, he was one of the most prominent figures working within the field of impressionist music, though he himself intensely disliked the term when applied to his compositions...
's Clair de lune, or the third movement of the Suite bergamasque
Suite bergamasque
The Suite bergamasque is one of the most famous piano suites by Claude Debussy. Debussy commenced the suite in 1890 at age 28, but he did not finish or publish it until 1905.-History:...
. The piece "Clair de lune" is also featured in the film.
The Snow Prince Gasshōdan group is a temporary boy choir that was formed specially for this movie, and it is led by actor Shintaro Morimoto. The group comes under the management of Johnny Jr.
Johnny & Associates
is a talent agency formed by Johnny Kitagawa in 1962. Johnny & Associates trains and promotes groups of male idols, collectively known as , in Japan.-1962–1989:...
, a Japanese talent agency that specially trains male idols. Snow Prince Gasshōdan is made up of 10 boys, who together, had an average age of 10.5 years at the time of the filming. This makes the group Snow Prince Gasshōdan the youngest group in the history of all the Johnny Jr. idol groups to release a single. According to the movie's release committee, the group Snow Prince Gasshōdan existed until the end of 2010 before it was disbanded. Leader Shintaro Morimoto expressed hope the group could be reunited again after 10 years.
Snow Prince was recorded and released as a single album on 2 December 2009. This single debuted at the ninth position on the weekly Oricon
Oricon
, established in 1999, is the holding company at the head of a Japanese corporate group that supplies statistics and information on music and the music industry in Japan. It started as , which was founded by Sōkō Koike in November 1967 and became known for its music charts. Oricon Inc...
charts, later achieving its peak of the fifth position in the same charts.
Release
Snow Prince had its first special screening in Flanders, Belgium, where the novel A Dog of Flanders was set. This was the first time lead actor Shintaro Morimoto traveled overseas, and he said that, "My heart was beating very fast, but seeing the audience response, I gained more confidence in this film". Morimoto became the spokesperson for the FlandersFlanders
Flanders is the community of the Flemings but also one of the institutions in Belgium, and a geographical region located in parts of present-day Belgium, France and the Netherlands. "Flanders" can also refer to the northern part of Belgium that contains Brussels, Bruges, Ghent and Antwerp...
government's tourism board because he was the lead actor of the film. Snow Prince was then shown in Hawaii
Hawaii
Hawaii is the newest of the 50 U.S. states , and is the only U.S. state made up entirely of islands. It is the northernmost island group in Polynesia, occupying most of an archipelago in the central Pacific Ocean, southwest of the continental United States, southeast of Japan, and northeast of...
, where it made its film festival debut at the Hawaii International Film Festival
Hawaii International Film Festival
The Hawaii International Film Festival is a film festival held in the U.S. state of Hawaii. It was started in 1981 by Jeannette Paulson Hereniko and has been held annually in the fall for two weeks...
(HIFF) on 20 October 2009.
The film was then opened in Japan cinemas on 12 December 2009. It was officially released at a ceremony held at Marunouchi Piccadilly in Yurakucho, Tokyo, on 12 December 2010. The entire cast of the film, together with the film's director Joji Matsuoka, were present at the ceremony. Also, at the ceremony, it was revealed to the media that negotiations for the film's distribution rights overseas were ongoing. It was announced that distributors from 25 different countries in Asia and Europe were interested in releasing the films in their home countries, though these were not specifically mentioned. This is a high number as, usually, Japanese films will only receive around 10 to 15 different offers. During its debut weekend, Snow Prince debuted in 234 cinema screens across Japan. It grossed a total of $362,879 in the opening week, making it the 10th highest grossing movie over the weekend of 12 and 13 December. Overall, it earned $837,724 in Japanese cinemas.
In Singapore cinemas, Snow Prince was released on 13 May 2010 by local distributor Cathay-keris Films. It grossed US$4,088 on the first weekend (13–16 May) and US$2,320 on the second weekend (20–23 May), for a total gross of US$7,651 in Singapore cinemas.
The home media for Snow Prince was released in DVD (format 2) and Blu-ray Disc
Blu-ray Disc
Blu-ray Disc is an optical disc storage medium designed to supersede the DVD format. The plastic disc is 120 mm in diameter and 1.2 mm thick, the same size as DVDs and CDs. Blu-ray Discs contain 25 GB per layer, with dual layer discs being the norm for feature-length video discs...
versions. The distributor Toei
Toei Company
is a Japanese film, television production, and distribution corporation. Based in Tokyo, Toei owns and operates thirty-four movie theaters across Japan, a modest vertically-integrated studio system by the standards of the 1930s United States; operates studios at Tokyo and Kyoto; and is a...
released the film in Japan on 20 August 2010. In Taiwan, a DVD version of Snow Prince was released on 5 April 2011 under the film's Chinese name of 雪地王子 with Chinese subtitles and Japanese dialog. Later, Snow Prince was showcased at the inaugural Beijing International Film Festival, where it became one of the six Japanese films to be shown on 24 April 2011.
Soundtrack
The singleSingle (music)
In music, a single or record single is a type of release, typically a recording of fewer tracks than an LP or a CD. This can be released for sale to the public in a variety of different formats. In most cases, the single is a song that is released separately from an album, but it can still appear...
for this film's theme song Snow Prince was released in a limited edition version and a regular version by Sony Music Entertainment
Sony Music Entertainment
Sony Music Entertainment ' is the second-largest global recorded music company of the "big four" record companies and is controlled by Sony Corporation of America, the United States subsidiary of Japan's Sony Corporation....
on 2 December 2009.
Soundtrack (limited edition album)
The limited edition version of the single Snow Prince contains a CD and a bonus DVD.Track list:
- (DVD)
- (DVD)
Soundtrack (regular album)
Track list:- "Bitter Moon"
Critical reception
In a pre-release review of the film, Asahi Shinbuns Atsushi Ohara said that "the film has adapted Dog of Flanders well", but he took issue with the treatment of Sota and Chibi, saying that they were treated too harshly. He rounded off his review by saying that the dog acted superbly and was very adorable, and that the scenery in the film had a rare beauty. In another article written by him, he said that the audience should "expect to ponder about the events in this film", and finished by saying that the film allows the audience to gain important messages. In another pre-release review, Nobuko Yamasaki, writing on behalf of Moviewalker, said that Snow Prince was filled with "tears of gratitude" and Shintaro Morimoto's acting was lovely. He also said that the movie 's dog role reminded him of the director's previous work Sayonara, Kuro. He added that he had to take out a handkerchief as he watched the film.The Japan Times
The Japan Times
The Japan Times is an English language newspaper published in Japan. Unlike its competitors, the Daily Yomiuri and the International Herald Tribune/Asahi Shimbun, it is not affiliated with a Japanese language media organization...
gave Snow Prince a score of 2 out of 5. In the critical review entitled "Weep over this princely pile of slush", Mark Schilling criticized the film as "a weeper that ... left me surprisingly dry eyed" and added that "There's hardly a spark of originality in the entire enterprise, unless you count the casting of Tadanobu Asano – the coolest Japanese actor of his generation – as a sad-but-wise circus clown." The "Eiga-Judge" website had two movie reviews of Snow Prince. The first review, written by reviewer Matiko Wataru, said that this innocent and sad tale tragedy of the boy is too simplistic and the screenplay did not do much. However, the review praised the "beautiful scenery of the city of Shonai" and said the film was a "sad and beautiful combination of children and animals".
The Guardian
The Guardian
The Guardian, formerly known as The Manchester Guardian , is a British national daily newspaper in the Berliner format...
rated it third on its list of "The top 10 films of 2009 you probably won't have seen". The reviewer, David Parkinson, praised this work as "the most beautiful children's film of the year". He elaborated by saying, "Everything about this poignant account...is exquisite. The photography and period design are impeccable, while the script deftly acquaints younger viewers with the good that can still emerge from the harsher realities of life.". He ended his review with: "This is the kind of family entertainment that Hollywood has long forgotten how to make."
Accolades
| Year | Award | Category | Result | Recipient |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2010 | 52nd Blue Ribbon Award | Best supporting actor | Teruyuki Kagawa | |
| Tohoho 10 Worst Films | - | 9th position | Snow Prince |