Weathering with You (2019)
Story overview
Weathering with You is a 2019 Japanese animated film about a teenage boy who runs away to Tokyo during an unusually rainy summer. He meets a girl with the magical ability to clear the sky and bring sunshine. Their friendship develops as they use her weather-changing powers to help people, but they face challenges as the story explores themes of sacrifice, connection, and the impact of their choices on the world around them.
Parent Guide
A beautifully animated fantasy drama with moderate emotional intensity and themes suitable for older children and teens.
Content breakdown
Some suspenseful sequences and perilous situations involving weather phenomena and characters in danger, but no graphic violence.
Some intense weather scenes and emotional moments that might be unsettling for sensitive viewers, but nothing graphic or horror-oriented.
No strong language noted; appropriate for the PG-13 rating.
No sexual content or nudity; includes mild romantic elements appropriate for the rating.
No substance use depicted.
Deals with themes of sacrifice, difficult choices, and emotional consequences that create meaningful dramatic tension.
Parent tips
This PG-13 animated film contains moderate emotional intensity and some perilous situations that may be concerning for younger viewers. The story deals with mature themes including running away from home, financial struggles, and making difficult choices that affect others. While there's no graphic violence or strong language, the emotional weight of the story and some suspenseful sequences make it more suitable for older children and teens.
The fantasy elements and beautiful animation will likely appeal to viewers who enjoy magical stories, but parents should be prepared to discuss the film's themes about responsibility, sacrifice, and environmental consequences. The relationship between the teenage protagonists is central to the story and includes romantic elements appropriate for the PG-13 rating.
Parent chat guide
This film provides opportunities to talk about real-world issues like climate concerns, personal responsibility, and how our actions affect others. For younger viewers, you might emphasize the friendship and magical aspects, while with teens you could explore deeper themes about sacrifice and difficult decisions. Keep discussions open-ended and ask what your child thought about the characters' choices.
Parent follow-up questions
- What was your favorite part about the weather in the movie?
- How did the characters help each other?
- What colors did you see in the sky?
- How did the music make you feel?
- What would you do if you could change the weather?
- Why do you think the main character ran away from home?
- What would you do if you had a special power like the girl in the story?
- How did the weather affect how people felt in the movie?
- What does it mean to make a sacrifice for someone else?
- How did the characters show they cared about each other?
- What do you think about the choices the characters made when faced with difficult situations?
- How does the movie show that our actions can affect other people?
- What messages do you think the film gives about friendship and responsibility?
- How did the fantasy elements help tell a story about real feelings?
- What would you have done differently if you were in the characters' situations?
- How does the film explore the balance between personal happiness and responsibility to others?
- What commentary might the film be making about environmental concerns through its weather themes?
- How do the characters' ages and life situations affect their decisions throughout the story?
- What does the film suggest about the consequences of our choices, even with good intentions?
- How does the animation style contribute to the emotional impact of the story?
🎭 Story Kernel
At its core, 'Weathering with You' is less about climate change and more about the radical, selfish choices of youth in a world that has already given up. Hodaka and Hina aren't trying to fix the broken adult world; they're choosing to build their own, even if it's a smaller, wetter one. The film's true conflict is between societal preservation and personal happiness. When Hodaka chooses Hina over Tokyo's sunshine, he rejects the utilitarian logic of sacrifice that adults accept. It's a celebration of adolescent rebellion as a form of creation, arguing that sometimes the most moral act is to prioritize the one person who makes your world meaningful over the abstract 'greater good.'
🎬 Visual Aesthetics
Makoto Shinkai's visual language is a masterclass in texture and atmosphere. The rain isn't just precipitation; it's rendered with a hyper-realistic, almost tangible quality—individual droplets catch light on windows, streets become liquid mirrors. This contrasts sharply with the brief, blindingly pure sunlight Hina summons, which feels almost divine. The camera often adopts a low-angle perspective, aligning us with the teenagers looking up at the towering, indifferent adult world of Tokyo. The color palette is a symphony of blues and greys, punctuated by the warm, artificial glow of fast-food joints and Hina's bright yellow umbrella—a beacon of hope in the downpour. The climactic fall through the cumulonimbus cloud is a breathtaking inversion of the sky, turning the heavens into an ocean.
🔍 Details & Easter Eggs
💡 Behind the Scenes
The film is a spiritual successor to Shinkai's 'Your Name,' with a cameo from Mitsuha and Taki appearing as background characters in a scene. Voice actor Kotaro Daigo, who plays Hodaka, was a complete newcomer discovered through auditions. The stunningly detailed Tokyo backgrounds are based on extensive photographic scouting during actual rainy seasons, with specific locations like the Yoyogi Kaikan building being meticulously reproduced. Composer Radwimps returned from 'Your Name,' but the soundtrack incorporates more weather-related sound design, blending music with the sonic texture of rain.
Where to watch
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Trailer
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