On a fateful day, a young girl named Ai takes a taxi to her new home in Animal Village. After being swindled by her landlord, Tanukichi, into working for his delivery service, it is not long before Ai meets other village residents: Kotobuki, the mayor perpetually worried about his reelection; Yuu, the only other human around, with a passion for random antics and costumes; Bouquet, an overly energetic but rather friendly cat; and Sally, an elephant who dreams of being a fashion designer. New friends seem to lurk in every nook and cranny, but despite that, Ai still struggles to find her niche in this town—until some mysterious notes left on the beach give her a glimpse of a greater purpose.

Doubutsu no Mori is based on the 2001 video game series Animal Crossing by Nintendo. The movie began production following the success of Animal Crossing: Wild World, with the 2005 Nintendo DS game shipping a total of three million copies in Japan at the time. Some video game staff worked closely with the project to ensure the movie would widely appeal to audiences, just like the games.

The film was released on DVD in Japan on July 25, 2007.