Thankfully, the film’s story holds its own against the marvelous visuals. When coupled with the computer animated characters, the backdrops make for a curious but enticing mix of visual styles. One of the most striking features of Oblivion Island is the painterly quality of the environments, which at times almost look as if they were hand drawn two-dimensional scenes blessed with an almost endless color palate. Though the character animation may not quite be on par with the likes of Pixar, the film’s computer generated visuals are still head and shoulders above most. Credit goes to Production I.G, veterans of films such as Ghost in the Shell, for venturing into fairly new territory for an anime studio and coming through with a superior effort.

Much like Alice following the White Rabbit into Wonderland, Haruka trails the fox and unexpectedly journeys into his world where she attempts to reclaim her mirror.įrom the start, viewers will immediately be drawn in by Oblivion Island’s gorgeous presentation. Emotionally exhausted, Haruka sits down on the steps of the shrine and falls asleep in the long hours of the afternoon, only to awaken to see a fox spirit scurrying about. Haruka visits a shrine to make an offering in the hopes of persuading the fox spirits to return the mirror, which, in her heart, symbolizes her mother. At the time, Haruka had proudly boasted that she would always take care of her things, and recalling this makes her determined to get the memento back. According to the story, all of the little possessions we neglect become fair game to the fox spirits who claim these items as their own, hauling them away to another world.

When teenager Haruka discovers that a hand mirror her late mother had given her has gone missing, it brings back memories of a fantastical tale her mother had told her when she was a child.

Magic mirror comics