Modest Heroes


Modest Heroes is a three-part Japanese animated anthology film produced by Studio Ponoc. The film is the first volume in the studio's Ponoc Short Films Theatre anthology, and includes films directed by Hiromasa Yonebayashi, Yoshiyuki Momose, and Akihiko Yamashita.

Plots

Kanini & Kanino

Kanini and Kanino are tiny freshwater crab siblings who live underwater in a nearby stream. Their father is taking care of them while their mother has gone away to give birth. When they suddenly find themselves alone, the siblings embark on a dangerous journey to find their father.

Life Ain't Gonna Lose

Shun is born with a lethal allergy to eggs. Every day, then, his family focuses on protecting Shun from contact with eggs. Shun has to eat special meals at school, his classmates must be careful not to spit on him and get saliva with egg all over him, and Shun has to take his allergy into consideration when he thinks about going on a school field trip. At the same time, his mother tries to maintain her career as a dance teacher. One day Shun unknowingly is in danger.

Invisible

A man struggles with not being seen by those around him. Throughout the day, he is ignored by everyone else, and even begins to lose his physical permanence. An unexpected stranger speaks to him... and then the invisible man suddenly has an opportunity to be a hero.

Characters

Kanini & Kanino

;Kanini
;Kanino

Life Ain't Gonna Lose

;Mom
;Shun Yashima
;Dad
;Doctor

Invisible

;The Invisible Man
;The Old Man

Production

announced on March 27, 2018 that it would be launching a new project called the Ponoc Short Films Theatre, an anthology of animated short films divided into volumes based on their themes. They announced that the first volume would be titled Modest Heroes, and would consist of three short films by former Studio Ghibli staffers Hiromasa Yonebayashi, Yoshiyuki Momose, and Akihiko Yamashita. The film is produced by Yoshiaki Nishimura. Yonebayashi's 18-minute "Kanini & Kanino" is a fantasy adventure film with music composed by Takatsugu Muramatsu, who had previously worked with the director on When Marnie Was There and Mary and the Witch's Flower. Momose's 16-minute "Life Ain't Gonna Lose" is a drama film scored by Masanori Shimada. The soundtrack is the first Shimada has composed for a film, having previously only worked in television. Yamashita's 13-minute "Invisible" is an action film with music by Yasutaka Nakata. The anthology's ending theme song is "Chiisana Eiyū" by Kaela Kimura.
The film was originally intended to have four rather than three segments, with the fourth being directed by Ghibli director Isao Takahata. However, Takahata died on April 5, 2018, so the film was limited to three segments.

Release

The film was released in Japan on August 24, 2018. The film was released to DVD and Blu-ray by Walt Disney Japan on March 20, 2019.
On October 10, 2018, GKIDS announced it had acquired the North American distribution rights to Modest Heroes. It was released there on January 10, 2019. The North American home video package was released on June 18, 2019, distributed by Shout! Factory.
Modest Heroes was released onto Netflix around the world on September 6, 2019, as "A Netflix Original Movie".