Shining Boy & Little Randy (2005)

Tetsu Susumu, an introspective, somewhat rebellious teen who lives with his family on a Hokkaido animal ranch. Owned and operated by his feisty mother Saori and his bumbling stepfather, the ranch is essentially an animal talent agency, since the family rents out their animals to television stations and movie studios to put food on the table. Unfortunately, Tetsu's unconventional home life makes him the target of constant harassment by his classmates, who claim he stinks of animals. Clearly, Tetsu's days at school aren't exactly the best days of his life.

But as the family business starts to take a turn for the worse, Saori decides to take a risk to improve the situation, selling a few of her barnyard creatures in order to buy an animal she's wanted for years - an elephant! Tetsu quickly bonds with Mickey the elephant, essentially becoming an "Elephant Whisperer" with a knack for communicating with the giant beasts. Soon, a second elephant is added to the mix, but Little Randy proves to be more than the family bargained for, as Tetsu himself finds him difficult to train. A solution presents itself when Tetsu learns of a special school in Thailand for "Mahouts" (elephant trainers). After some initial resistance from Saori, she eventually gives in to her son's demands, allowing Tetsu to make the journey to Chang Mai.

In this challenging new phase in his life, Tetsu must learn Thai, win over his skeptical fellow students, and tame a wild little elephant named Farr to prove his mettle. After completing his stay in Thailand, Tetsu returns to Japan with the dream of one day establishing a sanctuary for elephants. Along the way, he develops a romance with a local girl named Emi and tries to mend the already strained relationship he has with his mother and stepfather.