TOKYO GODFATHERS

(three stars)

An anime charmer.

In Japanese, with English subtitles. Running time: 91 minutes. Rated PG-13 (violence). At the Empire and the Angelika.

JOHN Wayne, macho man that he was, would probably not be happy that his character in John Ford’s 1948 cowboy classic, “Three Godfathers,” becomes a turbaned transsexual in “Tokyo Godfathers,” a warm-hearted anime reworking by Japan’s Satoshi Kon.

It’s a snowy Christmas Eve in Tokyo, and three homeless people – the drag queen Hana; Miyuki, a teenage girl who has run away from home; and Gin, a middle-aged alcoholic – discover an abandoned newborn in the trash.

“This is a Christmas present from God,” Hana gushes.

Thoughts of going to the police quickly fade, and the three set out in search of the baby’s mother.

In the process, they find out a lot about themselves.

There’s a rubout at a yakuza wedding, a wild car chase, a thrilling encounter atop a building – and many loving minutes – as our three heroes come to terms with their troubled pasts.

This isn’t your usual anime. For one thing, there are no panty shots, an anime staple.

Director Kon (“Perfect Blue,” “Millennium Actress”) goes heavy on the schmaltz, but it doesn’t matter. He puts viewers in a comfy mode, where sentiment is a plus.

“Tokyo Godfathers” ends in magnificent fashion, with skyscrapers bowing to Beethoven’s Ninth. It’s a stirring ending to a sweet movie.