The Great Yokai War

Although known mainly for Gorn, Japanese directory Takashi Miike has produced films in a wide variety of genres, including childrens' films.

The Great Yokai War is a fantasy-horror film which tells the tale of a young boy caught in a war between traditional Japanese folklore creatures known as Youkai. Young Tadashi Ino is declared the "Kirin-rider" at a local festival, not knowing that the title will soon become literal. He becomes the Reluctant Hero in a war between the traditional Youkai, and a new, mechanical version created by the evil Yasunori Kato to take over the world. The film is an homage to the Yokai Monsters series of films created in the 1960s by the Daiei Motion Picture Company.

Noted for its similarities to The Neverending Story.

This movie contains examples of:

 * A God Am I: Kato's purpose for creating the Tsukumogami is to destroy humanity and make himself the god of a new world.
 * Exactly What It Says On the Tin
 * Family-Unfriendly Aesop: Remember kids, telling a white lie is the path to adulthood!
 * Could just be Values Dissonance. An episode of Digimon Adventure 02 had a similar aesop.
 * Gainax Ending
 * Kid Hero
 * Obake
 * The Tokyo Fireball
 * Title Drop
 * What Do You Mean It's for Kids?
 * Youkai