It is a 2013 Japanese animated historical fantasy film. Co-written & directed by Isao Takahata that is an adaptation of ‘The tale of the Bamboo Cutter’, a 10th century Japanese literary tale. It was produced by Studio Ghibli for Nippon Television Network.
The voice cast featured Aki Asakura, Kengo Kora , Takeo Chii with others. It was the final film to feature Chii, who died in June 2012 & also final directed film by Takahata , who died in April 2018.
A bamboo cutter discovers a miniature girl inside a glowing bamboo shoot. Believing her to be a divine presence, he & his wife decide to raise her as their own , calling her ‘Princess’. The girl grows rapidly earning her the nickname ‘Little Bamboo’ from the village children.
Her adulthood & finally going back to the moon. It is pictured as Takahata wanted people to ‘imagine or recallthe reality deep within the drawings’.
It was to be released with ‘The Wind Rises’another Ghibli film by Miyazaki , but the storyboards were incomplete so it got delayed. Earlier in 1988, ‘My Neighbor Totoro ‘ & ‘Grave of the Fireflies’ were released together.
With a budget of $ 49.3 million, it is the most expensive Japanese film to date. It received critical acclaim & was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Animated Feature at the 87th Academy awards.
Rotten Tomatoes gives the film an approval rating of 100 %. It is the first film of the decade to receive the approval rating of 100 %on the website, making it one of the highest rated films of the 2010s.
Carlos Aguilar says , it’s an artistic triumph that delights with exuberant handcraft where the each pencil stroke comes alive on screen. Takashata made something at once pastoral, timeless & epic in proportion with an emotional depth rarely seen in films - animated or not.
Going through the film is a unique experience. The pencil strokes make it a story we are following. Takashata was right. It never gets overwhelmed by the art. The story is moving & timeless. The viewer remains with the ‘Princess’ & her story.
Asian Entertainment 