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Japan · 2013
Rated PG · 2h 17m
Director Isao Takahata
Starring Aki Asakura, Kengo Kora, Nobuko Miyamoto, Atsuko Takahata
Genre Animation, Drama, Fantasy
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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.
This adaptation of a 10th-century folk tale is less sumptuous than Ghibli maestro Hiyao Miyazaki’s surreal classics, yet it’s also more affecting than most of them. An allegory about the irrecoverable joys of childhood, it may make parents hug their kids now.
Taking Eastern watercolours as inspiration, the aesthetic is impressionistic and painterly with a fluidity that imbues the piece with an intrinsic magic.
The A.V. Club by David Ehrlich
A devastating and deceptively simple tale adapted from 10th-century folklore, Isao Takahata’s The Tale Of Princess Kaguya distills a millennium of Japanese storytelling into a timeless film that feels both ancient and alive in equal measure.
Slant Magazine by Elise Nakhnikian
The soft colors, graceful movements, and clean lines together embody the ineffable beauty of life on Earth that is one of the film's main themes.
The Hollywood Reporter by Leslie Felperin
It’s a lovely piece of work.
The Tale of Princess Kaguya is a visionary tour de force, morphing from a childlike gambol into a sophisticated allegory on the folly of materialism and the evanescence of beauty.
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.
The Playlist by Oliver Lyttelton
It's a remarkably gorgeous piece of work.
The Telegraph by Robbie Collin
Emotions and moods are anchored to specific moments of stillness, and we feel them all the more intensely because of it.
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Beautiful animation with a tragic ending that leaves a bitter aftertaste, in the way of old folktales.