Moviestore/ShutterstockWhen thinking of “time loop media” as a genre, a couple of movies and shows might immediately come to mind: Groundhog Day (1993), Click (2006), Doctor Strange (2016), Russian Doll (2019). The Girl Who Leapt Through Time, an anime film released the same year as Click, rarely makes the list. And yet, the animated feature directed by Mamoru Hosoda is one of the best of the genre.Based on Yasutaka Tsutsui’s 1967 novel of the same name, The Girl Who Leapt Through Time follows ordinary high schooler Makoto Konno’s adventures after she (literally) stumbles upon the ability to time travel. What begins as a lighthearted romp full of low-stakes mischief and hijinks grows more somber as the film continues. Makoto initially uses her new ability to fix small problems and avoid being late. But she eventually realizes that by traveling through time, she has inadvertently impacted others, sometimes with dire consequences. What follows is a messy tangle of past and future events that Makoto must unravel, but not without a cost.Hosoda’s anime film is not the first onscreen adaptation of the story, nor the second. It’s the seventh, preceded by three live-action films and three TV shows. Even still, The Girl Who Leapt Through Time continues to resonate — following the anime’s release in 2006, the book was adapted twice more for the screen. Each version takes bits and pieces from the original and adds new details, small changes and twists. In this way, Tsutsui’s book is in a loop of its own, his timeless story reverberating from generation to generation.How Was The Girl Who Leapt Through Time Received Upon Release?In Japan, The Girl Who Leapt Through Time was initially given a modest release. But the movie did well, and due to its popularity, distributor Kadokawa Herald Pictures increased the number of theaters showing the film. In the U.S., however, The Girl Who Leapt Through Time was only shown in a few cities.The Girl Who Leapt Through Time also had a notable competitor. Paprika, directed by late anime great Satoshi Kon, and based on another book by Tsutsui, was released the same year. While it was also initially given a limited release, Sony Pictures Classics expanded the film’s distribution to include 80 theaters, a large number of cinemas for an animated feature in the mid-2000s. As a result, The Girl Who Leapt Through Time was outshined by its sister film, and English-language reviews from the mid-2000s are limited.Although according to Rotten Tomatoes results, the film has received mostly positive reviews, feedback at the time was mixed. In 2008, Time Out wrote that the movie’s final third “descend[s] into drab moralising and a furious tying up of loose plot ends.” The same year, The Guardian offered a more positive take, calling “the simply drawn figures highly effective against the lush background artwork.” More recently, critics reflecting on the nearly 20-year-old film have reassessed its merits.Why Is The Girl Who Leapt Through Time Important to See Now?The film’s low-key approach to its time-loop premise makes it stand out from the rest. | Moviestore/ShutterstockIn 2024, worldwide animation distributor GKIDS announced that it had acquired the rights for Hosoda’s film catalog, including Summer Wars, Wolf Children, and, of course, The Girl Who Leapt Through Time. This acquisition, which included a theatrical release for The Girl Who Leapt Through Time earlier in fall 2025, as well as a Blu-Ray edition, means the film will finally get its turn in the spotlight.Hosada’s pensive feature seamlessly blends the mundane with the fantastical, offering viewers a stunning meditation on the passage of time and the pain of growing up. The film’s painterly backgrounds and piano soundtrack only add to The Girl Who Leapt Through Time’s melancholy undertones. The film explores the lengths a person will go — including traveling back in time — to avoid discomfort and the cost of that avoidance. But through main character Makoto’s eyes, it also identifies the kinds of moments worth savoring: playing baseball with your best friends after school, riding your bike as the sun sets, observing a beautiful painting.What New Features Does The Girl Who Leapt Through Time Blu-Ray Have?See Hosoda’s early classic in its 4K remaster. | Moviestore/ShutterstockGKIDS’ release of The Girl Who Leapt Through Time on Blu-Ray marks the film’s first time in 4K Ultra HD. The restoration is packaged in a limited-edition Steelbook and includes a host of brand-new bonus features. Viewers can expect additional teasers and trailers, a storyboard feature and commentary, as well as film commentary from the voice cast and director Hosoda.The Girl Who Leapt Through Time is available on 4K Blu-ray now.The Girl Who Leapt Through Time 4K SteelbookAmazon -