The Tale of the Princess Kaguya (2013)

Original title

かぐや姫の物語

Directed by

Isao Takahata

Genre

drama film, fantasy film

Country

Japan

Runtime

2h 17m

Rated

PG

Rating

8.1 of 10 from 2,005 voters

Elsewhere

IMDb

How it feels

A bamboo cutter finds a tiny princess inside a glowing bamboo shoot. She grows into a beautiful young woman, but must face her fate and the demands of the world outside her rural home.

dreamlikemelancholicpoeticmeditativevisually lushheartbreakinggentlephilosophical

What happens

The Tale of the Princess Kaguya (Japanese: かぐや姫の物語, Hepburn: Kaguya-hime no Monogatari) is a 2013 Japanese animated historical fantasy film directed by Isao Takahata from a screenplay he co-wrote with Riko Sakaguchi. Based on The Tale of the Bamboo Cutter, a 10th-century Japanese literary tale, the film follows a bamboo cutter who works with his wife, whose life changes when he meets a living nymph that turns into a beautiful young woman. Themes of feminism, freedom, nepotism, and responsibility are explored throughout. It was produced by Studio Ghibli for Nippon Television Network, Dentsu, Hakuhodo DYMP, Walt Disney Japan, Mitsubishi, Toho and KDDI. The film's ensemble voice cast featured Aki Asakura, Kengo Kora, Takeo Chii, Nobuko Miyamoto, Atsuko Takahata, Tomoko Tabata, Tatekawa Shinosuke, Takaya Kamikawa, Hikaru Ijūin, Ryudo Uzaki, Nakamura Shichinosuke II, Isao Hashizume, Yukiji Asaoka (in a special appearance) and Tatsuya Nakadai. It is the final film to feature Chii, who died in June 2012, and also the final film to be directed by Takahata, who died in April 2018. The Tale of the Princess Kaguya was released in Japan on 23 November 2013 by Toho. With a budget of US$49.3 million, it was the most expensive Japanese film. It received critical acclaim and was nominated for the Best Animated Feature at the 87th Academy Awards. Its production was the subject of the feature-length documentary Isao Takahata and His Tale of the Princess Kaguya. (from Wikipedia, CC BY-SA)

Trailer

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