Sweet and touching, this piece of Japanese animation takes real emotions and weaves them into a fantastical story.

The film is therefore about healing above all else—with a dash of mythologizing come true. A solid, heartwarming drama that balances the real world with the supernatural.

Warm, wise and wonderful. As poet Pablo Neruda once wrote, "They can cut all of the flowers, but they can't stop the spring from coming." The House of the Lost on the Cape captures the essence of that poem.

Its themes, subject matter and messages are tempered by uninspiring art direction and a narrative more suited to a visual novel (down to the twinkly acoustic guitar in the soundtrack).