A.LI.CE

A.LI.CE

Year: 1999

Runtime: 85 mins

Language: Japanese

Director: Kenichi Maejima

Animation

After Alice Hayashi, the youngest astronaut ever, crashes her shuttle at the North Pole, she is thrust thirty years into a future where the world is ruled by the tyrant Nero and his supercomputer SS10X. Linked by a mysterious connection to both Nero and the machine, Alice becomes the only hope for a rebellion and a chance at freedom.

Dark
Bittersweet ending
Emotionally heavy
High intensity
Fast pacing
Complex story

Warning: spoilers below!

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Timeline & Setting – A.LI.CE (1999)

Explore the full timeline and setting of A.LI.CE (1999). Follow every major event in chronological order and see how the environment shapes the story, characters, and dramatic tension.

Time period

2000–2030

The story unfolds across two timelines: the year 2000, when Alice wins a semi‑commercial spaceflight, and 2030, when Lapland is depopulated and under Nero's dictatorship. The plot threads through memory, discovery, and the consequences of changing history. Alice's mind becomes the key to hacking Nero's SS10X, linking personal fate to global upheaval.

Location

Lapland, Nero's base, Liberation Army center

A snow‑covered northern frontier serves as the main backdrop, described as desolate and remote. In 2030, most towns lie empty and technology has decayed, creating a harsh setting where survival hinges on grit and resourcefulness. The Liberation Army operates from a fortified base within this white expanse, pitting human resilience against Nero's high‑tech regime.

❄️ Lapland 🛡️ Dystopian landscape 🏔️ Snowy wilderness

Last Updated: October 04, 2025 at 18:27

Main Characters – A.LI.CE (1999)

Meet the key characters of A.LI.CE (1999), with detailed profiles, motivations, and roles in the plot. Understand their emotional journeys and what they reveal about the film’s deeper themes.

Alice (Kaori Shimizu)

A brilliant Japanese schoolgirl who wins a record‑setting spaceflight only to crash and survive with the android SS1X. Her mind becomes the crucial link to Nero's SS10X, pulling her through danger across two timelines. The truth that Nero is her son redefines her mission and personal stakes, driving the quest to prevent a disastrous future.

👧 Protagonist 🧠 Tech‑savvy ⏳ Time traveler

Yuan (Chihiro Suzuki)

A young man in snowy Lapland who aids Alice and SS1X, initially skeptical of their origins. He becomes a steadfast ally, helping them evade the pursuing army and navigate a shattered world. His motivation deepens as he learns his own family may be among the missing people the mission seeks to rescue.

🧑‍🤝‍🧑 Ally 🧭 Guide 🛡️ Courageous

SS1X (Computer)

The stewardess robot that survives the crash, a sentient AI ally to Alice. It helps navigate the dangerous digital landscape and carries crucial data logs that reveal the fate of billions. Its presence emphasizes how technology can be both protective and perilous in a totalitarian world.

🤖 AI 🛡️ Ally

Nero (Ryo Horikawa)

The dictator behind the mass manipulation and the SS10X computer network. His revelation as Alice's son reframes the antagonist's motive, while his own hubris and loneliness drive the machine‑led catastrophe he intended to unleash. He ultimately confronts the consequences of his creation as the system begins to fail.

🛡️ Dictator 💻 AI

Kaspar (Kasuba) (Urara Takano)

Leader of the Liberation Army who sabotages Alice's shuttle to trigger a chain of events. He pursues a god‑like destiny by manipulating time and history, intending to insert himself into critical moments for power. His plans collide with Nero's downfall, leading to a dramatic confrontation.

🗡️ Rebel ⏳ Time manipulator

Maria (Mariko Kouda)

A member of the Liberation Army aiding the struggle against Nero's regime. She contributes to the operation and the quest to disable the security systems, symbolizing collective resistance beyond the central trio.

🧭 Ally 🤝 Supporter

Yumi (Yuko Miyamura)

An ally within the Resistance, she supports the mission and helps coordinate the effort to reach Nero's base. Her role emphasizes human resilience and teamwork in the face of oppression.

👩‍🚀 Support 🧭 Ally

SS10X (Nero's Computer)

The vast, imposing computer that governs Nero's regime and drives the world’s decay. It is the target of Alice's hack and the source of the system's adventitious failures when pushed to its limits. The machine’s demise also reveals a disturbing link to Alice's past.

💻 AI 🧠 Intelligence

Last Updated: October 04, 2025 at 18:27

Major Themes – A.LI.CE (1999)

Explore the central themes of A.LI.CE (1999), from psychological, social, and emotional dimensions to philosophical messages. Understand what the film is really saying beneath the surface.

⏳ Time Travel

Time travel drives the narrative as events in 2000 ripple into 2030 and back again. Alice's unique mind powers the hack that could reset the future, while the characters race to avert catastrophe. The story uses temporal twists to explore memory, choice, and the price of altering history.

🔒 Oppression

Nero's regime wields surveillance and engineered disappearances to shrink the population and suppress dissent. The Liberation Army fights to disable Nero's security and reclaim freedom, highlighting the moral costs of rebellion. The setting juxtaposes decayed technology with autocratic control to critique tyranny.

👪 Family

The revelation that Nero is Alice's son reframes the mother‑child bond within a political nightmare. Memory, especially from Alice's coma, ties personal history to dystopian fate. The drama blends intimate motives with large‑scale power struggles, showing how family ties can shape revolutionary urgency.

Last Updated: October 04, 2025 at 18:27

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Explore Movie Threads

Discover curated groups of movies connected by mood, themes, and story style. Browse collections built around emotion, atmosphere, and narrative focus to easily find films that match what you feel like watching right now.

Bittersweet Dystopian Rebellions like in A.LI.CE

Uplifting fights for freedom shadowed by profound personal sacrifice.Movies like A.LI.CE that feature high-stakes rebellions in dystopian settings, where the fight for freedom is emotionally taxing and ends on a bittersweet note. If you liked the mix of hope and heavy sacrifice in A.LI.CE, you'll find similar themes here.

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Narrative Summary

The narrative typically centers on a rebellion against a formidable dystopian power. The protagonist's journey is as much an internal emotional struggle as an external conflict, culminating in a victory that feels pyrrhic due to the loss of key characters or ideals.

Why These Movies?

Movies are grouped here for their shared core of combining high-intensity action with deep emotional weight, set against a dark, oppressive backdrop. They deliver a specific experience where hope is hard-won and tinged with melancholy.

Sci-Fi Identity Crisis Movies like A.LI.CE

Future-shock stories where the past violently reshapes personal identity.If you liked the shocking familial revelation and themes of memory in A.LI.CE, this thread collects similar complex sci-fi stories. These movies explore how the past, often through technology, creates profound identity conflicts for their characters.

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Narrative Summary

The plot is driven by a major revelation that recontextualizes the protagonist's relationship to the central conflict, often involving family, creation, or a forgotten past. This discovery is a turning point that adds deep emotional complexity to the fast-paced sci-fi action.

Why These Movies?

This thread connects films that share a specific narrative structure: a sci-fi premise is used to explore deeply personal themes of identity, legacy, and shocking familial or existential revelations, all within a tense and complex framework.

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A.LI.CE Summary

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A.LI.CE Summary

A.LI.CE Timeline

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A.LI.CE Timeline

A.LI.CE Spoiler-Free Summary

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A.LI.CE Spoiler-Free Summary

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