Skip to content
MovieCove
Motonori Sakakibara

Motonori Sakakibara

Director, also cinematographer · Aichi, Japan

From
Aichi, Japan
Works as
Director, also cinematographer
Titles
6 on MovieCove · 11 credits in all
Links
IMDb (opens in a new tab)TMDB (opens in a new tab)Wikidata (opens in a new tab)

Known for

TMDB popularity, last 37 days to Oct 26Down 3% in 30 days

What are Motonori Sakakibara's films like?

Across their 5 MovieCove titles with a thematic analysis, their films lean Self and Bonds.

Themes

share of theme weight
Self
39%
Bonds
35%
Survival
10%
Morality
7%
Ideas
5%
Power
4%
Purpose3 titles, browse their movies with this themeFamily bonds2 titles, browse their movies with this theme

What they feel like to watch

their average across 3 films
ToneFeelDemandtheir average · filled zone: the category
Serious: How heavy the subject matter and outlook get. Browse their serious movies.
Tone · Weight
lightdark

A split, not a type: Light 1 · Serious 0 · Dark 2

Heightened: How far its world departs from everyday reality. Browse their heightened movies.
Tone · Style
naturalisticheightened

Grounded 0 · Stylized 1 · Heightened 2

Charged: How hard the emotional peaks hit while you watch. Browse their charged movies.
Feel · Intensity
gentleintense

Gentle 0 · Charged 2 · Intense 1

Steady: How much it swings between very different feelings. Browse their steady movies.
Feel · Swings
steadyswings

Steady 2 · Shifting 1 · Whiplash 0

Straight-faced: How much of the runtime is played for laughs. Browse their straight-faced movies.
Feel · Humor
noneconstant

A split, not a type: Straight-faced 1 · Some laughs 2 · Funny 0

Even-paced: How fast it moves from scene to scene. Browse their even-paced movies.
Demand · Pace
slowrelentless

Slow burn 0 · Even-paced 3 · Relentless 0

Engaged: How much focus it asks of you — look away and lose the thread? Browse their engaged movies.
Demand · Attention
casualfull focus

Casual 1 · Engaged 2 · Full focus 0

Resolved: How much is left for you to interpret. Browse their resolved movies.
Demand · Resolution
resolvedambiguous

Resolved 2 · Open-ended 1 · Ambiguous 0

Moods and endings

endings are an aggregate; no title is named

Dominant moods · mentions across their titles

Joyful
3
Tense
2
Hopeful
3
Warm
2
Bittersweet
1
Other
3

How their films linger

Hopeful3 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteFeel-good2 titles, browse their movies with this aftertaste

How their films end · 1 with a twist

  • Happy2
  • Bittersweet3

AI-generated from each title's plot synopsis and cast list, with extra plot summaries, reviews and Parents Guide notes for titles the model may not know, and the model's own knowledge of the ones it recognizes. Only analyzed titles count, so this covers part of the filmography; the feel axes count films only for now.

Where can I watch Motonori Sakakibara's films?

As of October 24, 2026, 5 of their 6 MovieCove titles stream on a subscription or free service, most on Tubi (4).

Also on these channels

Subscription and free streaming for Motonori Sakakibara's titles on MovieCove; rent and buy are not counted. Titles are listed by Midcredits score, highest first, at most 12 per service; a dashed chip is a producer credit or a minor one, such as a thanks. A service opens the browse page, which counts movies only, so its number can differ.

Filmography

11 credits, 6 with a MovieCove page.

  • Gudetama: An Eggcellent Adventure(2022)

    Show 10 episodes · Director · Series Director

    Midcredits score: 66th percentile of all shows

  • Pokémon: Mewtwo Strikes Back - Evolution(2019)

    Director

    Midcredits score: 38th percentile of all films

  • The Snack World: Hitogirai no Lenny (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2016)

    Director

  • Santa Pac's Merry Berry Day (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2016)

    Director

  • Rudolf the Black Cat(2016)

    Director

    Midcredits score: 74th percentile of all films

  • Kong: King of the Apes(2016)

    Show 13 episodes · Director

    Midcredits score: 17th percentile of all shows

  • Sushi Ninja (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2014)

    Show 3 episodes · Director

  • Pac-Man and the Ghostly Adventures(2013)

    Show 52 episodes · Director

    Midcredits score: 8th percentile of all shows

  • Pac-Man and the Ghostly Adventures: All You Can Eat! (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2013)

    Director

  • Final Fantasy: The Spirits Within - Aki's Dream Reconstruction (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2001)

    Director

  • Final Fantasy: The Spirits Within(2001)

    Co-Director · Cinematographer

    Midcredits score: 51st percentile of all films

Career shape

A full career of 11 titles from 2001 to 2022.

Biggest box office

Final Fantasy: The Spirits Within (2001)

$85M worldwide

Highest rated

Rudolf the Black Cat (2016)

Midcredits 74th

Most popular right now

Pokémon: Mewtwo Strikes Back - Evolution (2019)

By role

only this rolewith another role
Directing11 of 11: 9 only directing, 2 with another role · typical Midcredits score45thCinematography1 of 11: 0 only cinematography, 1 with another roleOther crew1 of 11: 0 only other crew, 1 with another role

By decade

2000s2 · crew2010s8 · crew2020s1 · crew

Counts from TMDB across their full career, self appearances out; a title counts in every role they held on it. The ring is the typical Midcredits score (the median percentile) of the role's titles that are on MovieCove, shown from 5 scored.

How do Motonori Sakakibara's films land?

Their typical MovieCove film has a Midcredits score in the 51st percentile, the median of all 3; across a limited sample of 3 films with reception data, the typical film sits in the 49th percentile for acclaim.

Acclaim · how much people like their films

49thpercentile
Typical film, the median of 3

Approval · how many liked their films

58thpercentile
Typical film, the median of 3

Reach · how many have seen their films

87thpercentile
Typical film, the median of 3

Midcredits score across 6 titles, by percentile

  • 50th to 74th3
  • 25th to 49th1
  • Below 25th2

Shape of the crowd

3 of their 6 titles are Crowd Pleasers.

  • Cult Classic1
  • Crowd Pleaser3
  • Mixed2

Most divisive · director

Pac-Man and the Ghostly Adventures (2013)

81st percentile spread · 33% rated it 4 or lower

Most loved · director

Rudolf the Black Cat (2016)

Midcredits 74th · 67% liked

Reviewers score the atmosphere 68/100 in their films, across 3 reviewed titles; fans 73, detractors 55. The element that speaks to their work as a director.

Percentiles are each film's standing among all films on MovieCove; the typical film is the median, so one outlier cannot drag it. Percentiles and reviewer scores count the films IMDb credits them on, for now; the Midcredits score bands, the shape of the crowd and the two cards count their MovieCove titles, shows included (a show ranked among shows), appearances as themselves left out. A descriptor is the shape of a title's IMDb rating distribution against the catalog; "most divisive" needs a spread wider than half of all titles, and a card names only a principal credit: a craft role, and on a show a crew role or a run of episodes, never a courtesy credit or a one-off guest spot.

Who does Motonori Sakakibara work with?

People who share at least 2 of Motonori Sakakibara's MovieCove titles, grouped by what they did on them; Kunihiko Yuyama shares the most, 2.

Directors

Writers

Producers