Little Amélie or the Character of Rain (French: Amélie et la métaphysique des tubes) is a 2025 independent animated fantasy drama film, directed by Maïlys Vallade and Liane-Cho Han. Produced by Maybe Movies and Ikki Films, it is an adaptation of the novel The Character of Rain (Métaphysique des tubes) by Amélie Nothomb.
The film had its world premiere at the 2025 Cannes Film Festival on 20 May, and it was theatrically released in France on 25 June. It received widespread acclaim for its emotional, audiovisual, and thematic merits. The film was nominated for Best Animated Feature at the 98th Academy Awards.
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Synopsis
Amélie is born in a vegetative state to a Belgian family living in Kobe, Japan. Amélie believes her condition makes her a god to everyone around her. On her second birthday, an earthquake occurs that causes Amélie to break free of her vegetative state and move around freely. She soon becomes frustrated and rejective of her family, causing her father Patrick to call for a nanny. At the suggestion of landlady Kashima-san, Nishio-san arrives to the household, alongside the family's grandmother Claude to stay for a while. Claude provides white chocolate to Amélie, calming her down. Amélie begins to bond with the family, except for her older brother, André.
After Amélie learns her first word, "vacuum cleaner" (aspirateur in French), Claude goes back to Belgium, upsetting Amélie. Nishio later finds Amélie, and reads to her a book about yōkai, starting a friendship between the two, to Kashima's chagrin. During their time together, Nishio shows Amélie a school of koi near a garden, teaches her the kanji word for rain (雨, ame) through a fogged window, and explains how she had lost her family in World War II. Later, Patrick learns of Claude's death and has to go to Belgium for two months, with Amélie sad yet confused about the concept of death. Upon Patrick's return, the family sans Nishio goes out to play in the beach. Amélie is reluctant to leave, but Nishio encourages her by recounting the memories of when she had visited as a child. Once there, Amélie takes and opens a jar, hoping to fill her beach experiences for Nishio. While staring curiously at the sea creatures, Amélie is caught up in the waves and nearly drowns. André saves her, finally earning him her respect. Returning home, Amélie shares the jar with Nishio; she thanks Amélie.
On Amélie's third birthday, she finds Nishio at the home of Kashima, who scolds Nishio for bonding with Amélie and asks if she had forgotten her own family. Amélie is caught listening to their conversation. While bringing her back to her family, Nishio is denounced by Kashima in front of Amélie's family. Nishio resigns as their nanny, leaving Amélie to celebrate her third birthday alone. Amélie is given her birthday present; three koi. However, Patrick informs Amélie that the family will soon be moving back to Belgium, further upsetting her.
One day while feeding her koi, Amélie throws herself into the pond. She ends up meeting Claude, who informs her that her time is not over. Amélie sees an outside vision of her past memory of accompanying Nishio near the window, who tells her to wake up. Amélie finds herself in a hospital, having been saved by Kashima and Nishio. Much later, the family enjoys winter, and now knowing how precious her time is with Nishio, Amélie officially recognizes that she is not a god, but a human.
Cast
French language
Loïse Charpentier narrates as Amélie
Emmylou Homs voices Amélie's dialogue
Victoria Grosbois as Nishio-san
Yumi Fujimori as Kashima-san
Cathy Cerdà as Claude, the grandmother
Marc Arnaud as Patrick, the father
Laetitia Coryn as Danièle, the mother
Haylee Issembourg as Juliette
Isaac Schoumsky as André
François Raison as Doctor and radio voice
English language
The English language cast as dubbed for the U.S. release by NYAV Post and GKIDS.
Lily Gilliam narrates as Amélie
Lucille Ainsworth voices Amélie's dialogue
Francesca Calo as Nishio-san
Page Leong as Kashima-san
Jayne Taini as Claude, the grandmother
Brent Mukai as...
Patrick, the father
the radio announcer
Jessica DiSalvo as Danièle, the mother
Avril Kagan as Juliette
Rhodes Carroll as André
Michael C. Pizzuto as the doctor
Distribution
Little Amélie or the Character of Rain premiered at the 2025 Cannes Film Festival on 20 May 2025 in the Special Screenings section. It was released in France on 25 June 2025 and distributed by distribution company Haut et Court. On 5 June, GKIDS acquired North American distribution rights, and a limited theatrical release starting 7 November.
The film had its North American festival premiere at the 2025 Toronto International Film Festival.
Reception
On the review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes, 97% of 90 critics' reviews are positive, with an average rating of 8.2/10. The website's consensus reads: "Conveying complex emotions through a deceptively simple story and dynamic colors, Little Amélie is an enchanting animated feature that brims with wisdom." On Metacritic, the film holds a weighted average score of 82/100 based on 20 critics, indicating "universal acclaim" reviews.