Grave of the Fireflies (1988)
- Original title
- 火垂るの墓
- Directed by
- Isao Takahata
- Genre
- drama film, drama anime and manga, flashback film, anti-war film, ghost film, coming-of-age film
- Country
- Japan
- Runtime
- 1h 33m
- Rated
- NR
- Rating
- 8.4 of 10 from 6,605 voters
- Elsewhere
- IMDb
The catalogue in 3D
The film shelves have a room of their own that you can walk around in. The cat behind the counter is the AI Catbot, and they pick real films from the same catalogue when you tell them what you feel like watching. Nothing is for sale, here or in there. Go in from here and this film is already out on the counter, with more like it waiting on the shelf next to it.
How it feels
Two young siblings try to survive on their own after their city is firebombed during World War II. They face hunger, illness, and the indifference of others as the war drags on.
tragicharrowingpoignantslow-pacedemotionaldevastatingintimatesobering
What happens
Grave of the Fireflies is a 1988 Japanese animated war film written and directed by Isao Takahata. It stars the voices of Tsutomu Tatsumi, Ayano Shiraishi, Yoshiko Shinohara, and Akemi Yamaguchi. Based on Akiyuki Nosaka's 1967 semi-autobiographical short story of the same name, the film is set in Kobe shortly after its bombing by the U.S. Army Air Forces, and follows two orphaned siblings who desperately struggle to survive during the final months of the Pacific War. Production began after Nosaka became interested in an animated adaptation of his book. It was animated by Studio Ghibli, marking Takahata's first film with the studio. Several critics considered it an anti-war film, but Takahata disagreed. The film was theatrically released in Japan by Toho on April 16, 1988, and was a modest success at the Japanese box office, grossing ¥1.7 billion. Its later international releases between 2018 and 2025 grossed $4.7 million overseas. It received universal acclaim and is considered by many to be Takahata's masterpiece, one of the greatest animated films of all time, and a major work of Japanese animation. It garnered particular praise for its emotional weight, and is often cited as one of the saddest films ever made. (from Wikipedia, CC BY-SA)
More like this
Noisy Requiem (1988)
My Neighbor Totoro (1988)
Tomorrow (1988)
Hope and Pain (1988)
Sakura-tai Chiru (1988)
Tombstone of the Fireflies (2008)
Barefoot Gen 2 (1986)
Maquia: When the Promised Flower Blooms (2018)- More like this film, on a shelf you can walk up to.It's the lit case on the top shelf.