Esta es una película sobre siete artistas. También es una película sobre siete personas discapacitadas mentales. En el curso de este conmovedor film, descubrimos como el arte puede proporcionar un camino al interior del ser humano.

Sato se centra en el genio creativo de gente a la que normalmente se relega a la marginalidad social a causa de su "improductividad". Rodado a lo largo de 8 meses
y después de un extenso estudio, la película encadena un sutil y especial momento. El director de fotografía es Tashima Seizo, un pintor que colaborado extensamente con artistas discapacitados

Cualquier película sobre el arte necesita esta subestimada, pero brillante fotografía, para hacer honor al talento de los sujetos.

La cámara les observa trabajar, siguiendo el proceso creativo paso a paso, escuchando sus opniones sobre su arte, sobre el arte. La intensidad con la que dibujan, pintan, esculpen (¡y filman!) se contrasta con secuencias que muestran su obra en toda su brillantez. Los montajes de línea, color y forma son expresiones concretas de los miedos, alegrías, obsesiones de estos artistas. Artists in Wunderland tiene todas las caracterñisticas de un film de Sato Makoto: el peculiar humor y la pasión del ser humano por el día a día.

 Born September 12, 1957 in Hirosaki, Aomori Prefecture, Sato-san majored in philosophy at the University of Tokyo (1982). He first worked in film as assistant director for Innocent Sea: Minamata 1982 (directed by Katori Naotaka). In 1989, he began living communally in the mountains of Niigata with a film crew of seven to direct Living on the River Agano. The film, completed in 1992, won the gold medal at the Nyon Film Festival and the Grand Prize at Sundance in Tokyo. He directed many documentaries, including Artists in Wonderland (1998, Siglo), Self and Others (2000, Eurospace), and Hanako (2001, Siglo). His film Agano Memories (2004, Kasama Films) was a reflective return to Niigata 10 years after his first film was made. His last film, Out of Place: Memories of Edward Said (2005, Siglo), was named best documentary at the prestigious Mainichi Film Awards in February 2007.

In addition to directing films, Sato-san was chief lecturer in the documentary program at the Film School of Tokyo and professor of theatrical arts at the Kyoto University of Art and Design. In 2002, he spent a year in England as a Ministry of Education overseas fellow. He also produced television programs, edited films, and wrote books on film theory. His books of essays and criticism include The Horizon of Documentary Film. He was a member of the board of directors of the Directors Guild of Japan and contributed in a variety of capacities to the Yamagata International Documentary Film Festival and the film program at the Athénée Français Cultural Center in Tokyo.

Sato Makoto died on September 4, 2007. He was 49 years old.