Parents' Guide to Rebirth of Mothra

This film is quirky and strange in the best way, and charming enough to survive its own excesses. Rebirth of Mothra takes the environmental anxiety of the original Mothra films, born out of a reaction to nuclear testing after World War II, and does it justice, folding that same conscience into a story about a logging company waking something ancient and very furious. The pacing is the clearest weakness, since the action sequences stretch on longer than the story needs, and the film could have traded some of that plotting and monster spectacle for tighter momentum, a problem the sequels go on to fix.

Taiki and Wakaba work as an engaging pair of leads, even if the attempt to turn the kids into environmentalists feels a little forced at times. Belvera starts out without much clear motivation, but once her reasons come into focus, she becomes genuinely complex in a way that feels earned rather than tacked on, and Hano is clearly having a blast in the role. The effects hold up beautifully, all rubber and puppetry with a tactile, handmade texture that gives the film a nostalgic warmth for adults and pure joy for kids. There's a moment (no spoilers here) that catches you off guard with how moving it is, the rare instance of shedding real tears over what is, technically, a puppet. This is a film built for children first and nostalgic adults second, simple in its intentions and a little slow in its execution, but its heart is never in question.