Heart & Yummie Review

Let's get it out of the way, the titular Umasou (Yummie) is an incredibly adorable baby Ankylosaurus. His huge bubbly and adventurous personality makes you simultaneously root for him and want to protect him at all costs. Heart, our other main protagonist, has a mischievous and strong-willed nature that belies his more compassionate and noble traits.

Heart and Yummie (or Omae Umasou Da Na "You are Umasou") is a 2010 animated film based on a children's picture book of the same name by Tatsuya Miyanishi. Set in the Cretaceous Period, the story begins with a lost egg found by a female Maiasaura who takes the egg back to her nest to raise it with her own children. Upon the egg hatching, she and her herd discover that the baby inside is actually a "Big Jaw" (Tyrannosaurus). Not wanting to kill the baby, the mother chooses to exile herself from the herd, taking the tyrannosaurus and her own child into the wilderness to raise them. As the child grows, it struggles with attempting to survive on the same diet as it's herbivore family, unaware that it needs meat to survive. This would lead the child to an encounter with other Tyrannosaurus, learning it's true origins and running away from its adoptive family. Years later, the now young-adult Tyrannosaurus finds himself thrust into a similar situation as he discovers a newly hatched Ankylosaurus that imprints and deigns him its father.

This is the origin story of Heart and how he comes to meet and guide Umasou. This section only encompasses the first quarter of the movie's runtime with the remainder showing us Heart's journey of raising his own herbivore child as well as truly understanding who he is and the world around him. It's a heart-warming tale full of laughter, adventure, and the adorable Umasou. Throughout its ninety-minute run-time, the overall pacing for the film is good, although certain sections of the film could have benefitted from a snappier pace. There is an underlying sub-plot that appears two-thirds into the movie's runtime that transitions Heart's journey toward the climax. This sub-plot lacks any cohesion with the previous events of the story and concludes without any significant importance to the plot, only serving as a convenient means to get characters to go from point A to point B. Thankfully, the core plot focusing on Heart's journey and growth remains strong and focused throughout, delivering a very satisfying climax and conclusion to his story.


The action sequences in this movie are extremely well animated and directed, full of kinetic energy and expressiveness that masterfully showcases these dinosaurs moving in both traditional and untraditional ways. This work is produced by Aijado who I know from the Spirit of Wonder and Yokohama Kaidashi Kiko OVA adaptations, but many modern anime fans may know from How Not to Summon a Demon Lord or Ascendance of a Book Worm. Alongside the superb animation, the studio's art direction (lead by Akio Saito) is also incredibly detailed and stunning to see. The design of the landscapes are rich and expressive, matching the aesthetic of its storybook origins. The use of colors really bring the settings alive with rich and vibrant colors showcasing the beauty of the world and the creatures that inhabit it. Scenes with more intense or somber moments are also well executed, with the use of appropriate scenery and muted color palettes.

Character designs are expressive, composed of round soft shapes with black borders to give them a cartoony appearance. The voice cast pairs well with these characters, bringing to life their personalities and designs. Tomoyo Harada excels in her role as the motherly Maiasaura, Tetsuya Bessho provides the tough and gruff persona of One-Eyed Baku, and Kappei Yamaguchi does a great job of portraying Heart as the young, mischievous, compassionate, and determined dinosaur that he is. Seishirou Katou, who would have been 8 or 9 years old at the time of production, did an amazing job embodying the young, bold, and adorable Umaso. Sound direction and music are also top notch. Background music is composed of orchestral themes that range from energetic, to whimsical, to fun, to somber. Insert vocal themes are also appropriately placed and add to the overall experience. While the movie only has Japanese audio, Elizabeth Ellis and the team at Discotek Media do a great job of translating and retaining the fun expressiveness of each character.


Heart and Yummie is a great film for all ages. It has fantastic art, fluid animation, excellent voice and sound direction. The movie is currently available exclusively on Blu-Ray via Discotek Media in the United States. This release also contains "The Adventures of Tyrano Boy" film as well as the 20 episode tv adaptation of the original picture book. It is my hope that one day we see this series released on streaming services so that more even more people can experience the joy of watching this film and spending time with Crunchy…I mean Yummie!