X
- 2014
- PG
- GKIDS
- 2 h 17 m
- 2014
- PG
- GKIDS
- 2 h 17 m
Summary Found inside a shining stalk of bamboo by an old bamboo cutter and his wife, a tiny girl grows rapidly into an exquisite young lady. The mysterious young princess enthralls all who encounter her – but ultimately she must confront her fate, the punishment for her crime. [Gkids]
Directed By: Isao Takahata
Written By: Isao Takahata, Riko Sakaguchi
- 2014
- PG
- GKIDS
- 2 h 17 m
- 2014
- PG
- GKIDS
- 2 h 17 m
The Tale of The Princess Kaguya
8.5
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Summary Found inside a shining stalk of bamboo by an old bamboo cutter and his wife, a tiny girl grows rapidly into an exquisite young lady. The mysterious young princess enthralls all who encounter her – but ultimately she must confront her fate, the punishment for her crime. [Gkids]
Directed By: Isao Takahata
Written By: Isao Takahata, Riko Sakaguchi
Where to Watch
Not available in your country?
ExpressVPN
Get 3 Extra months free
$6.67/mth
Top Cast
Metascore
Universal Acclaim
Based on 28 Critic Reviews
89
96% Positive
27 Reviews
27 Reviews
4% Mixed
1 Review
1 Review
0% Negative
0 Reviews
0 Reviews
Metascore
Universal Acclaim
Based on 28 Critic Reviews
89
96% Positive
27 Reviews
27 Reviews
4% Mixed
1 Review
1 Review
0% Negative
0 Reviews
0 Reviews
This delicate, hand-drawn marvel is lyrical and heartbreaking in ways that most live-action movies never approach.
It’s a lovely piece of work.
User Score
Universal Acclaim
Based on 270 User Ratings
8.5
87% Positive
236 Ratings
236 Ratings
6% Mixed
17 Ratings
17 Ratings
6% Negative
17 Ratings
17 Ratings
User Score
Universal Acclaim
Based on 270 User Ratings
8.5
87% Positive
236 Ratings
236 Ratings
6% Mixed
17 Ratings
17 Ratings
6% Negative
17 Ratings
17 Ratings
Theres no qiestion in my mind if the tale of the princess kaguya is ghiblis best film. Since this is in my opinion the best film of all time. I never knew so much emotion could be represenred in a film . Animation in this film is one of the most basic of ghibli yet it is still plesant. The score aka music is PERFECT. And the characters too . I never knew movies could be this good .
99%/100%
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The Tale of The Princess Kaguya is a breathtaking masterpiece that seamlessly blends traditional Japanese art with modern animation techniques. Based on the folktale "The Tale of the Bamboo Cutter," the film tells the story of a mysterious princess who is discovered in a bamboo stalk and raised by a kind bamboo cutter and his wife.
Director Isao Takahata's attention to detail and commitment to authenticity is evident in every frame of the film. From the hand-drawn backgrounds to the watercolor-inspired character designs, every aspect of the animation is a feast for the eyes. But the film's true strength lies in its emotional resonance. As the story unfolds, the audience is taken on a journey of self-discovery, love, and loss, ultimately culminating in a poignant and bittersweet ending.
The film's score, composed by Joe Hisaishi, is also a standout feature. Hisaishi's music perfectly captures the film's tone and mood, evoking both wonder and melancholy.
Overall, The Tale of The Princess Kaguya is a triumph of storytelling and animation, and a testament to the power of traditional folktales. With its stunning visuals, unforgettable characters, and emotionally resonant story, it is a must-see for animation fans and cinephiles alike. A true 10/10 masterpiece.
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It's a remarkably gorgeous piece of work.
It’s a gentle epic, based on a 10th-century Japanese folk tale, that uses pencils, ink, and impressionistic washes of color to convey a glowing visual otherworld, one that stands in contrast both to Takahata’s earlier work and the hard-edged lines and bright tones of much anime.
Over-long, but a work of great artistry and emotion. As the woodcutter says upon finding our heroine: “A gift from heaven”.
Throughout The Tale Of The Princess Kaguya, even when it gets bogged down in too much story, the animation is so gorgeous that any given frame could pass for a masterwork.
Taking Eastern watercolours as inspiration, the aesthetic is impressionistic and painterly with a fluidity that imbues the piece with an intrinsic magic.
A decidedly different, folklore-inspired story from Studio Ghibli’s other founder, the somewhat lesser-known Isao Takahata. The Tale of Princess Kaguya depicts a divine child, mystically delivered to a pleasant little farming family in the base of a bamboo stalk, who begins growing at a rapid pace. When the same family discovers a wealth of gold and silks in another stalk, they take the windfall as a sign that the girl should be raised amongst royalty and whisk her away from their happy, humble country life to join the pompous, self-serving world of the upper class. Which, sadly, is the last thing the girl wants from life.
Driven by its storybook visuals, lush with watercolors and restraint, this film looks like nothing else in the Ghibli catalog. Sparse but expressionistic, it’s a mesmerizing alternative to the warmer, more detail-oriented portrayals of the studio’s house style. That shift is a welcome one, especially when the new methods prove their flexibility during the infrequent high-energy scenes; a real testament to the artists’ ability to adapt and excel while outside their comfort zones. In a storytelling sense, however, it falls short of Ghibli’s better films. I felt the same way about Pom Poko, another of Takahata’s directorial efforts: delightful and charming for the first hour, but then the sprawl sets in and our sense of enchantment quickly fades.
I loved this as an artistic exercise, and was entranced by the establishing shots, but the plot didn’t have enough steam to carry its goods through two-plus hours. Takahata films just can’t seem to find the exit before overstaying their welcome.
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What an utter disappointment. I was really looking forward to seeing this but after viewing I wish I never had. The film was meant to be beautiful but just failed to engage. I was dreading a terrible ending but the ending I got was worse. The first 20 minutes was good so I can't give it zero marks. But really it's not worth watching!
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For this to score higher than any other Ghibli movies is rather stunning. This tale is at its core not so interesting as the main character Kaguya spends most of her short life on Earth in complete ignorance to the life around her and completely raptured by what is superficially being waved in her face, even though its to her dislike. She is powerless to be more than an annoyance to the men wanting her hand and in the end when its too late she suddenly finds the ability to lets just say do things humans normally cannot do in order to spend the 1 minute in the film that is suppose to bring us to the ultimate conclusion...whatever that was. Try any other Ghibli movie and you will be more than satisfied relative to this clunker.
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Production Company
Studio Ghibli,
Dentsu,
Hakuhodo DY Media Partners,
KDDI Corporation,
Mitsubishi,
Nippon Television Network (NTV),
Toho
Release Date Oct 17, 2014
Duration 2 h 17 m
Rating PG
Tagline A Princess' Crime and Punishment
Awards
Academy Awards, USA
• 1 Nomination
Behind the Voice Actors Awards
• 5 Nominations
Tokyo Anime Award
• 2 Wins & 3 Nominations