A boy chases a train to say three words he's never been able to speak. Eighteen minutes later, you understand why that matters more than the destination. The film doesn't move fast enough to look away from what it's actually showing you: how much courage it takes to stop imagining and start living. Animation this thoughtful, dialogue this quiet, and a premise this small shouldn't hit this hard. It does anyway.

Hinata pours his heart onto paper, sketching the classmate who fills his thoughts. His talent for art far exceeds his ability to speak, so his feelings for Shigure stay in his daydreams and drawings, where he imagines the two of them on fantastical adventures. When she asks him to help look after the school's birds, the fourth grader is thrilled at the chance to get closer. Then her family decides to move away. On moving day, Hinata resolves that he has to tell her how he feels, and he sets off after the train carrying her to another town. The result is a romantic adventure film about a shy boy finding his courage.