the script of an anime version of A Dog of Flanders that was released previously. Casting New actor Shintaro Morimoto and new actress Marino Kuwashima were officially revealed as the lead cast members of this film at the film's 10th press conference on 11 May 2009. They were handpicked from a group of 10,000 people in an audition by director Joji Matsuoka. Matsuoka reportedly decided to choose Shintaro and Marino because they "had a different twinkle in their eyes". In particular, Shintaro, the younger brother of Hey! Say! JUMP member Ryutaro Morimoto, was praised by the director, who said that he was looking for a child "who can exist for real". Matsuoka described Shintaro's qualities as "rare nowadays", and also described him as an "angel". Other notable cast members of the film includes actors Teruyuki Kagawa and Tadanobu Asano, and actress Rei Dan. Actor Teruyuki Kagawa previously starred in films like 20th Century Boys (2009) and Dear Doctor (2009), and was also the two-time recipient of the "Best Supporting Actor" award at 29th and 31st Japan Academy Awards respectively. He has also starred in television series like Mr. Brain (2009) and Diplomat Kosaku Kuroda (2011). In this film, he stars as Masamitsu Arima, the father of Sayo and a rich village merchant. The actor Tadanobu Asano made his debut appearance in the 1990 film Batashi Kingyo, another film that this film's director Joji Matsuoka directed. Asano is also the winner of the "Best Lead Actor" award at the 33rd Japan Academy Awards. He plays the role of the circus clown Haigo, who is also the secret father of Sota, in this film. Filming Scenes of Sota's and the Arima family's houses, the village and the playhouse of Sota and Sayo were shot at the in Shōnai, Yamagata. The filming at this location took place from November 2008 to February 2009. In addition, the scene where Mr. Arima's warehouse caught fire was filmed in , Yamagata Prefecture. The railway tracks in the movie are those of the former , which used to operate in Miyagi Prefecture. The scene where Sayo played the "Clair de lune" and the ending scene of the film was shot at the former . Matsuoka described the filming conditions as "very harsh", but said that "the film was completed thanks to the children" and ended by praising the perseverance of Shintaro and Kuwajima. Shintaro Morimoto said that