Final Fantasy VII Advent Children (ファイナルファンタジーVII アドベントチルドレン Fainaru Fantajī Sebun Adobento Chirudoren?) is a 2005 Japanese computer-animated science fiction film directed by Tetsuya Nomura, co-directed by Takeshi Nozue, and produced by Yoshinori Kitase and Shinji Hashimoto. It was written by Kazushige Nojima and the music was composed by Nobuo Uematsu. Developed by Visual Works and Square Enix, Advent Children was the first announced title in the Compilation of Final Fantasy VII series, which is composed of titles related to the highly successful 1997 role-playing video game Final Fantasy VII.
It takes place two years after the events of the game and is set in the city of Edge. Cloud Strife, now living as a delivery boy alongside Tifa Lockhart and taking care of two children, is summoned to find the cause of "Geostigma", a mysterious disease that is threatening the city's population. The film was released on DVD in Japan on September 14, 2005, and a year later in North America and Europe. Special editions of the film contain official tie-ins that depict events that happen before and after the period covered by the film. On April 16, 2009, Square Enix released a director's cut version titled Final Fantasy VII Advent Children Complete for the Blu-ray Disc format which was also released overseas.
The idea of the film was conceived when Kitase wrote a script that focused on Cloud's and Tifa's story. Visual Works picked Final Fantasy VII as the theme for their next film, and Square Enix helped them develop it. Final Fantasy VII Advent Children received mixed reviews by online writers, who praised its battles and animation, but criticized how non-Final Fantasy VII gamers would not understand the plot. The film received the "Maria Award" at the Festival Internacional de Cinema de Catalunya in 2005, and it was awarded "best anime feature" at the 2007 American Anime Awards. As of May 2009, the DVD and Universal Media Disc releases of Advent Children sold over 4.1 million copies worldwide. Advent Children Complete earned better reviews due to some changes and new features, and it also enjoyed good sales.
English Voice Cast
Main Cast
- Benjamin Bryan - Denzel
- Grace Rolek - Marlene Wallace
- Rachael Leigh Cook - Tifa Lockhart
- Steve Burton - Cloud Strife
Secondary Cast
- Beau Billingslea - Barret Wallace
- Crispin Freeman - Rude
- Dave Wittenberg - Yazoo
- Fred Tatasciore - Loz
- George Newbern - Sephiroth
- Mena Suvari - Aerith Gainsborough
- Quinton Flynn - Reno
- Rick Gomez - Zack Fair
- Steve Blum - Vincent Valentine
- Steve Staley - Kadaj
- Wally Wingert - Rufus Shinra
Minor Cast
- Andrea Bowen - Moogle Girl
- Bettina Bush - Elena
- Chris Edgerly - Cid Highwind
- Christy Carlson Romano - Yuffie Kisaragi
- Greg Ellis - Cait Sith
- Jamieson Price - Reeve Tuesti
- Liam O'Brien - Nanaki / Red XIII
- Ryun Yu - Tseng
Final Fantasy VII: Advent Children Complete (2009)
- Aaron Refven - Denzel
- Ariel Winter - Marlene Wallace
Additional Voices
- Abigail Mavity - Child D
- Axel Alba - Child C
- Bob Buchholz - Parent Walla, Prejudiced Man
- Crispin Freeman - News Anchor
- Dave Wittenberg - Angry Pedestrian, Midgar Walla
- Doug Stone - Midgar Walla
- Jamieson Price - Parent Walla
- John DeMita - Midgar Walla
- Julie Ann Taylor - Midgar Walla, Parent Walla
- Karen Strassman - Midgar Walla, Parent Walla
- Kate Higgins - Midgar Walla
- Liam O'Brien - Parent Walla
- Mary Matilyn Mouser - Child B
- Michelle Ruff - Answering Machine B
- Paul St. Peter - Parent Walla
- Shane Baumel - Child A
- Stephanie Sheh - Midgar Walla, Parent Walla
- Wendee Lee - Answering Machine A, Parent Walla
- Yuri Lowenthal - Parent Walla