Lu Over the Wall (2017 film)

Lu Over the Wall (Yoaketsugeru Rū no Uta) is a Japanese animated fantasy film released in 2017. It was produced by Science Saru and released by Toho. It was directed by Masaaki Yuasa, and written by Yuasa and Reiko Yoshida. The music was composed by Takatsugu Muramatsu. The film was fully produced in the Adobe Flash platform.

The film was released in Japan on May 19, 2017, It was also released by Anime Limited on December 6, 2017, and by GKIDS on May 11, 2018. Half Symbolic Films released the film on January 31, 2019

Synopsis
A middle school student named Kai Ashimoto, lives in the small fishing village of Hinashi with his father and grandfather. After his parents divorced, Kai shuts himself off from everyone.

One day, two of his classmates Yuho Ebina and Kunio form a band called "SEIRÈN". After seeing Kai's video online, the two invite him to join their band and to come practice with them on Merfolk Island. There, they meet a mermaid named Lu, who loves to sing and dance. Kai begins to spend more time with her and begins to open up more.

Cast and characters

 * Christine Marie Cabanos as Lu
 * Michael Sinterniklaas as Kai Ashimoto
 * Stephanie Sheh as Yuho
 * Brandon Engman as Kunio
 * Michael Alston Baley as Lu's Father
 * Ethan Murray as Teruo Ashimoto
 * Alyson Leigh Rosenfeld as Isaki
 * Michael Sorich as Yuho's Father
 * Joseph Whimms as Yuho's Grandfather
 * Barbara Goodson as Granny Octopus
 * Derek Stephen Prince as Kunio's Grandfather
 * H.D. Quinn as The Homeroom Teacher
 * Kyle Hebert as Fuguda
 * Mike Pollock as Nodoguro
 * Raymond K. Essel as Kameda
 * Wayne Grayson as Kujirai
 * Jason Simon as Sukekiyo Shiira
 * Doug Erholtz as Esojima
 * Steve Kramer as Kai's Grandfather
 * David Thompson as Young Grandfather
 * Additional voices include Jason Griffith, Erin Fitzgerald, Michael Deaner, Michael Schneider, Doug Stone, Erica Schroeder, Noelle M. DePaula, Catie Harvey and Lisa Ortiz

Connection to Ride Your Wave
Masaaki Yuasa has stated that while his 2019 film, Ride Your Wave is not a sequel to Lu Over the Wall, it does “have some connections” with the. Both films share a water theme and both Lu and Wangyo make a cameo appearance in the film.

Reception
The film holds an approval rating of 76% on Rotten Tomatoes, based on 41 reviews and an average rating of 6.17/10. The site's critical consensus says "Lu Over the Wall can be more fun to watch than to follow, but Yuasa's distinctive visual style offers colorful compensation for an occasionally scattered story".

In 2018 and 2017 respectively, the film won the Ōfuji Noburō Award and the Annecy International Cristal award for best feature film.

Trivia

 * The merfolks in the film were originally going to be vampires, but Yuasa decided he wanted something more cute and light-hearted.
 * It is the second Science Saru film has made, however it was the first to be produced.
 * Elements of vampires are still kept in the film, such as a mermaid bite turning humans and animals into merfolk and merfolk being burned when exposed to direct sunlight.
 * Lu Over the Wall and Hayao Miyazaki's Ponyo share similarities to each other. Said similarities include:
 * A young girl who lives in the water.
 * A young human boy that befriends said girl.
 * and the climax of both films feature a flood.
 * Masaaki Yuasa acknowledged being inspired by Hayao Miyazaki, but stated that his inspiration actually came from the director’s early work Panda! Go Panda!. He didn't notice the similarities to Ponyo until late in production.