What could inspire you to live life to the full more so that finding yourself killed by a Yakuza gangster and facing God in the afterlife, then refusing to disappear into nothingness and instead racing back down to the temporal realm to embrace your existence for all its worth? This is what happens to the young manga artist Nishi in Mind Game, the gloriously animated 2004 film in which the protagonists find themselves trapped in the belly of a giant whale after escaping pursuing gangsters, where they learn to live life to the fullest. An ode to the power of the creative spirit - captured wonderfully in the truly stunning visuals - as much as it is a film about the importance of savouring life and living it to the fullest, few films are so inescapably heart-warming. Bursting with energy and vitality, Mind Game is a visual tour de force which only the most cold-hearted viewer won't find immediately gratifying. Animation has never been so much fun. What great uplifting movies would you suggest to see us through the January blues? Why not post a recommendation in the comments below?
