Hyde Park Pick: The Girl Who Leapt Through Time

The imagination of Mamoru Hosoda is a truly magical one. This same brain, responsible for directing the wondrous first two Digimon films, then went on to create marvels like The Girl Who Leapt Through Time. I’m so pleased his work is being celebrated once again, as he should be held up there with the likes of the greatly revered anime director Hayao Miyazaki. Hosoda was the original director of Howl’s Moving Castle before Miyazaki took over, and both have the greatest capacity for building fantastical worlds that most of us don’t even come close to in dreams.

The Girl Who Leapt Through Time is inspired by Yasutaka Tsutsui’s novel of the same name. 17-year-old protagonist, Makoto, is dealing with the universal pains of being a teenager until… she discovers her ability to leap through time. Makoto uses her newfound time-travel capabilities for important things, ranging from eating pudding to avoiding awkward conversations and improving grades.

The film can be enjoyed at any age, but it’s a particularly perfect escape as a teenager when the need to travel through time feels most useful while going through the embarrassment of everyday existence. I first watched it when I was in high school, and I remember the excitement of discovering it and lending my DVD to as many people as possible so that they could have the same joyous experience. I hope that our screenings are a chance for people to discover it for the first time, as well as many revisiting it fondly.

The mention of time travel, and even sci-fi as a whole, can be a turn-off for some who see this as synonymous with an overly complicated story where you have to learn the world’s language to keep track of what’s going on. However, that’s not the case with The Girl Who Leapt Through Time. The plot never feels overly bogged down in the mechanics of how the time leaps work. Instead, you’re left space to fully appreciate the beauty of the animation and the characters’ relationships.

The animation is truly worth relishing. The peaceful soundtrack and serene watercoloured skies give the film a meditative quality. But don’t get lulled into a false sense of security and try jumping off buildings in the hope of leaping through time!

We’re so excited to bring the film back to the big screen in Leeds, 17 years on from when our friends at Leeds Young Film Festival first brought the film to the city for its UK premiere.

The Girl Who Leapt Through Time is showing at HPPH on Sun 06 Jul at 12:40 (subtitled) and 17:40 (dubbed), and on Tue 08 Jul at 20:00 (subtitled). You can book tickets here.