Underplayed Gems

The Tale of the Princess Kaguya (2013)

The Tale of the Princess Kaguya poster
Original title
かぐや姫の物語
Directed by
Isao Takahata
Genre
drama film, fantasy film, Drama, Fantasy, Romance
Country
Japan
Runtime
2h 17m
Rated
PG
Rating
8.1 of 10 from 2,005 voters
Elsewhere
IMDb
The 3D catalogue: film cases on wooden shelves, with the cat sitting at the counter next to its greeting.

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.

More films like thisWatch the trailer

or watch the trailer on YouTube

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)

More like this

This page is from Underplayed Gems. Not quite it? You can browse by genre, country and year, or take this one into the 3D catalogue and ask the Catbot for something closer.