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Three shorts, zero filler, all Studio Ghibli alumni proving size doesn't matter—except for feelings. Giant feelings.
TMDB
67
IMDb
66
Rotten Tomatoes
86
Audience Score
50
Google
60
Watch

Modest Heroes (2018)

tiny heroes, massive heartwhimsy with teethanthology excellence

Overview

AnimationFantasyAdventureDrama

Two tiny, aquatic humanoids search for their missing father, a boy battles a lethal allergy to eggs, and an invisible salaryman tries to become a hero.

Flag of JPJPJapanese
Content warning
animeanthology

Standout Aspects

Direction

Three Ghibli veterans, three distinct visual languages, zero weak links.

Writing

Egg allergy story turns breakfast into genuine horror. Who does that?

Best for:Solo: Quiet night when you need a good cry but make it animated.·Friends: Anime-curious friends who think cartoons can't devastate them.·Rewatch: Each segment hits harder once you know where it's going.
Heads up:Emotional: Kanini & Kanino: father-loss anxiety that will wreck parents specifically.·Triggers: Invisible man suicide ideation; don't watch if you're not in a place for it.
Hiromasa Yonebayashi

Director

Hiromasa Yonebayashi

ReleasedAug 24, 2018
Runtime54m
StatusReleased

Vibe

Pacesteady
Intensitymedium
Tonemixed
Feelheavy
TOHO
dentsu

Top Cast

Min Tanaka

Min Tanaka

Blind Man (voice)

Kentaro Sakaguchi

Kentaro Sakaguchi

Father / Doctor (voice)

Joe Odagiri

Joe Odagiri

Invisible Man (voice)

Fumino Kimura

Fumino Kimura

Kanini (voice)

Rio Suzuki

Rio Suzuki

Kanino (voice)

Machiko Ono

Machiko Ono

Mother (voice)

Yuko Sasaki

Yuko Sasaki

Kaka (voice)

Masaki Terasoma

Masaki Terasoma

Toto (voice)

Ask about Modest Heroes

Opens AI chat

Deep Dive

Trivia, insights & behind the scenes

Cultural

This was Studio Ponoc's first release after forming from Ghibli refugees post-When Marnie Was There.

Trivia

The invisible man segment has no visible protagonist for roughly 70% of its runtime—yet it's the most emotionally legible.

YouTube

Modest Heroes: Ponoc Short Films Theatre, Volume 1 [Official US Trailer, GKIDS]

Modest Heroes: Ponoc Short Films Theatre, Volume 1 [Official US Trailer, GKIDS]

Gallery

Reviews

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Discussion

Reactions from the web

The one with the mother enjecting the kid looks like it'll make me cry

@oooalonsonacho6935 30

I got to see this yesterday! It was so incredibly adorable!!! I can't believe I got to see it 😭❤️

@harunanase1696 23

Goddam, the soundtrack is just too good

@mrnefarious8556 34

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