Suzume

Suzume (Japanese: すずめの戸締まり, Hepburn: Suzume no Tojimari; lit. 'Suzume's Locking Up') is a 2022 Japanese animated coming-of-age fantasy adventure film written and directed by Makoto Shinkai. The film is the third and final installment of Shinkai's disaster trilogy, following Your Name (2016) and Weathering with You (2019), the film follows 17-year-old high school girl Suzume Iwato and young stranger Souta Munakata, who work together to prevent a series of earthquakes across Japan by closing and sealing doors from an ancient colossal, supernatural worm that causes earthquakes after hitting the ground.

Produced by CoMix Wave Films, it features the voices of Nanoka Hara and Hokuto Matsumura, with character designs by Masayoshi Tanaka, animation direction by Kenichi Tsuchiya, art direction by Takumi Tanji, and its musical score was composed by Radwimps and Kazuma Jinnouchi, making it Shinkai's third collaboration with Tanaka and Radwimps. The film began production in early 2020, eventually being announced as completed by October 2022. Its themes were inspired by the 2011 Tōhoku earthquake and tsunami. A novel adaptation, also written by Shinkai, and a manga series illustrated by Denki Amashima both debuted prior to the film's release.

Suzume first premiered in IMAX in Japan on November 7, 2022, followed by a theatrical release by Toho on November 11. It received largely positive reviews from critics, with praise directed towards the characters, animation, visuals, music, and emotional story. The film grossed over US$314 million worldwide, making it the fourth highest-grossing Japanese film of all time (although it was later passed by Spirited Away), as well as the fourth highest-grossing film of 2022 in Japan. Among its numerous accolades, the film was nominated for Best Animated Feature at the 81st Golden Globe Awards and received seven nominations at the 51st Annie Awards.