For the first years of her life, Amélie never makes a sound. But when her grandmother visits and offers a miraculous bite of chocolate, Amélie suddenly awakens to all the world’s wonders. As she explores her home in post-war Japan, Amélie forms a close bond with her family’s housekeeper, Nishio-san, and discovers new delights in every flower petal, koi pond, and raindrop. Adapted from the autobiographical novel by Amélie Nothomb and brought to life in the completely original animated style of directors Maïlys Vallade and Liane-Cho Han, LITTLE AMÉLIE OR THE CHARACTER OF RAIN tells a tender, poignant and visually stunning story about the healing power of human connection.
For in-depth thoughts on Little Amelie or the Character of Rain, please see my colleague Joshua Mbonu’s review from its original theatrical release here.
Video Quality
Little Amelie or the Character of Rain comes to Blu-Ray from GKIDS with a glorious 1080p transfer in its original aspect ratio. This feature showcases exceptional detail in the setting, especially through the eyes of Amélie, who views the natural world with a wonder and curiosity that is supported by the animation. Nearly every scene delivers an onslaught of dazzling imagery that embraces the loving medium of 2-D animation. The character designs are favorably rendered without a break in continuity. The transfer handles every change in the environment with an assured hand, avoiding jagged lines and color bleeding. The animation techniques are replete with pleasing detail and texture. The colors are bold and brightly saturated with complex hues radiating off the screen. Highlights are carefully maintained, and black levels are deep with no semblance of compression artifacts or digital anomalies. This is what animation is all about.
Audio Quality
The Blu-Ray comes with a DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 lossless track presented here in its original French, along with an English language dub. The film is presented with optional English, English SDH, and Spanish subtitles. Dialogue comes through clearly without getting overshadowed by any competing elements. The score does a lot of the emotional heavy lifting, and it sounds wonderful with the surround sound presentation. The environmental peculiarities in the surround channels are embraced as the sounds transport you into this world. The soundscape capitalizes on its narrative ambition with some natural texture to the world. GKIDS comes through for fans with an amazing presentation.
Special Features
- Interviews with Directors Maïlys Vallade and Liane-Cho Han: A nearly 15-minute interview with the filmmakers, who discuss the creation of the film, the perspective of the camera angles, the visual style of the film, leaning into emotion, and more.
- Director Scene Breakdowns: A series of scenes totaling 26 minutes is provided in which the directors dive into the creation of key moments in the film.
- Art Gallery (12:57)
- Animation Breakdowns: A nearly four-minute look at the evolution of animation from storyboard to animatic to layout and its final form.
- Directors Q&A at Animation Is Film Festival: A nearly 18-minute post-screening Q&A is provided, in which they discuss their motivation for tackling this project, how the film tackles identity, the animation style, and more.
Final Thoughts
Little Amelie or the Character of Rain is one of the most moving cinematic experiences of 2025, animated or otherwise. The process of discovering all the unique facets of the world through the eyes of an innocent soul is uniquely beautiful. Every new conflict is small in comparison, but it means the world to this little being who is experiencing everything for the first time. The bond our main character forms with her caretaker is handled with grace and nuance, and it leaves the audience emotionally wrecked in the best way. Add in the stunning animation that brings everything to life, and you have one of the best films of the year. GKIDS has released a Blu-Ray with a top-tier A/V presentation and a valuable assortment of supplemental features. If you love an emotionally driven animated feature, you should not miss this one. Highly Recommended
Little Amelie or the Character of Rain will be available to purchase on Blu-Ray on March 10, 2026.
Note: Images presented in this review are not reflective of the image quality of the Blu-Ray.
Disclaimer: GKIDS and Shout! Studios have supplied a copy of this disc free of charge for review purposes. All opinions in this review are the honest reactions of the author.
Dillon is most comfortable sitting around in a theatre all day watching both big budget and independent movies.
