Judging by the team at the reins, I had high hopes for “The Deer King.” It’s the directorial debut of Masashi Ando, who has worked as animation director on films such as Hayao Miyazaki’s “Spirited Away,” Satoshi Kon’s “Paprika” and Makoto Shinkai’s “Your Name.” And it’s co-directed by another filmmaker with an impressive resume, Masayuki Miyaji, who has helmed series such as “Xam’d: Lost Memories.”

Despite the pedigree of its creators, however, “The Deer King” often feels like a weak echo of the films on which Ando made his name, although it delivers a few nice moments.

Based on a series of novels by Nahoko Uehashi, the film takes place in a “Game of Thrones”-style fantasy world and centers around Van (Shinichi Tsutsumi), a hulking soldier who has been taken prisoner and forced to work in a mine. One day, the mine is attacked by a pack of paranormal dogs whose bites leave their victims with a deadly, incurable sickness. In Van’s case, though, the bite on his arm leaves him with supernatural strength. He uses this strength to break out of his cell and rescue a young orphan girl named Yuna (Hisui Kimura) in the process.