You move to a village and start planting trees because a message in a bottle asks you to. Nothing more happens, nothing needs to happen. The movie knows that watching someone settle into a place, befriend the people there, and work toward something small and quiet is enough. That's the entire game translated into film without apology, and it's exactly what makes it land.
Ai, a self-reliant girl, arrives in Animal Village to start a new life, only to be tricked by her landlord Tanukichi into working for his delivery service. She meets colorful locals such as the anxious mayor Kotobuki, the costume-loving Yuu, the energetic cat Bouquet and Sally, an elephant who hopes to design clothes. Even with new friends around her, Ai struggles to find where she fits in. Then, one night on the beach, she discovers a message in a bottle. It sends her off to plant pine trees across the village, aiming to bring about a miracle on the eve of the Winter Festival.
