Memories of Matsuko & Kamikaze Girls director Nakashima Tetsuya delights audiences & critics alike with the colorful tragicomedy Paco & the Magical Picture Book. Inspired by Goto Hirohitos play, Paco & the Magical Picture Book is ostensibly a childrens film, but in the same way that Roald Dahl & Grimms fairy tales are meant for kids. Spelling gloom & tragedy amidst campy comedy, fantastical elements, & family-friendly fun, the film follows the once-upon-a-time adventures of an orphan girl living at a very odd hospital. Just like in Memories of Matsuko, Nakashima overwhelms the senses with amazing production design & cinematography, wrapping pathos in glossy fairy-tale sets, bright art direction, eye-popping CG animation, & gung-ho musical sequences. Child actress Ayaka Wilson is perfectly charming as the films titular heroine, holding her own alongside acclaimed actor Yakusho Koji ( Retribution) & an all-star supporting cast that
Includes:: Tsuchiya Anna ( Sakuran), Tsumabuki Satoshi ( The Magic Hour), Kase Ryo (I Just Didnt Do It), & Abe Sadao ( Maiko Haaaan!!!).
After losing both her parents & her memory in a car accident, young girl Paco (Ayaka Wilson) ends up in a hospital full of strange & wacky types including biker-chick nurse Tamako (Tsuchiya Anna), hysterical former child star Muromachi (Tsumabuki Satoshi), & tyrannical grump Onuki (Yakusho Koji). Everyday Paco wakes up with no memory of the day before, & everyday she runs to Onuki asking him to read aloud her pop-up picture book about a frog king & a crayfish wizard. Onuki, however, has no patience for little girls, & sends her flying. But as the days pass, even an old grouch like Onuki begins to show a soft side. & so, he decides to bring the picture book to life for the hospitals annual play.