Tokyo Godfathers

Tokyo Godfathers (Japanese: 東京ゴッドファーザーズ, Hepburn: Tōkyō Goddofāzāzu) is a 2003 Japanese animated Christmas tragicomedy adventure film written and directed by Satoshi Kon. The film stars live-action actors such as Toru Emori, Yoshiaki Umegaki, and Aya Okamoto as the lead voice actors. Kon was inspired by the 1948 American film 3 Godfathers to make the film. Unlike Kon's other films, Tokyo Godfathers is grounded more in realism. However, as is typical of Kon's work, the film includes devices that are not straightforward, and Kon himself called it a twisted sentimental story. Tokyo Godfathers was released in Japan on November 8, 2003, and in North America on January 16, 2004. It won the Excellence Award at the 2003 Japan Media Arts Festival and Best Animation Film at the 58th Mainichi Film Awards.