Rainbow Fireflies (2012): cast, story & where to watch

Released in 2012, Rainbow Fireflies is a fantasy and animation film directed by Konosuke Uda, running about 105 minutes.

What it’s about. One year ago, Yūta lost his father from a car accident. Now in the 6th grade, Yūta goes to catch a beetle at a dam on a deep mountain. Yūta often went there with his father. There, Yūta meets a strange old man. Due to heavy rain, Yūta slips and falls down a bridge. He becomes unconscious. When Yūta awakes, he sees a child, Saeko, in front of him. Saeko takes Yūta to a village that looks like something that existed 30 years ago. Yūta has the feeling that he went into the past. He also meets Kenzō, who is the same age as Yūta. They promise to go catch a bug the following day. Saeko then takes Yūta to an old house. An old woman there treats Yūta like a cousin. Yūta doesn't know what is going on. At night, the strange old man he met earlier appears and tells Yūta that he will belong to this time period for a month. A precious summer vacation for Yūta begins.

Who’s in it. Rainbow Fireflies stars Akashi Takei as Yūta Otabe (voice), Ayumi Kimura as Saeko Okuyama (voice), Tarô Ishida as Hotaru Jii (voice) and Chikao Ohtsuka as Aotengu (voice), among others.

How it landed. With an audience score of 7.3/10, Rainbow Fireflies has been warmly received by audiences.

Where to watch. Streaming options change often. See the full, country-by-country breakdown on our where to watch Rainbow Fireflies page.

If you liked it. Fans of Rainbow Fireflies tend to enjoy The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King, The Green Mile, Spirited Away and The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring.