Mirai

Mirai (未来のミライ, 2018) is Mamoru Hosoda's animated fantasy, ready to watch online on iFILM. Four-year-old Kun has always been the whole world to his parents. Then his baby sister Mirai arrives, and suddenly every bit of their attention belongs to her.

Jealous and sulking, Kun retreats to the garden and an old family tree growing in the courtyard. The tree opens a doorway through time. He meets his mother as a mischievous little girl, his great-grandfather as a young man, the family dog in human shape, and Mirai herself grown into a teenager who has traveled back to set things right. Each encounter teaches him a little more about where he comes from and what being a big brother actually means.

Hosoda, known for Wolf Children and The Girl Who Leapt Through Time, keeps this one small and intimate, folding a whole family history into a single striking house built around a spiral staircase. The film earned an Academy Award nomination for Best Animated Feature. A gentle, low-key pick for family night, especially with a jealous firstborn at home. Stream Mirai (2018) online on iFILM.