Tag: Isao Takahata
REVIEW: The Tale of The Princess Kaguya (2013)
Studio Ghibli released a second movie in 2013, this time directed by Hayao Miyazaki’s longtime associate and the studio’s co-founder, Isao Takahata. The Tale of The Princess Kaguya is based on “The Tale of the Bamboo Cutter,” an ancient Japanese fairy tale about a girl found in a bamboo stal...
Read MoreREVIEW: My Neighbors the Yamadas (1999)
NOTE: I will be skipping over Princess Mononoke in the Studio Ghibli line-up because I already have a review which you can find here. My Neighbors the Yamadas is an unusual film, both for Studio Ghibli and in general. Most of their movies tend to be either fantastical or mundane, exploring magical w...
Read MoreREVIEW: Pom Poko (1994)
Released in 1994, Pom Poko is based on a true story of urban development in 1960s Japan. The film details how the destruction of sacred forests affected tanuki, or wild Japanese raccoon dogs. Like many of Isao Takahata’s films, Pom Poko presents its story without message or judgment, leaving t...
Read MoreREVIEW: Only Yesterday (1991)
1991 saw the release of Isao Takahata’s second film for Studio Ghibli, Only Yesterday. Hayao Miyazaki was inspired by a manga of the same name, which detailed the everyday life of a little girl named Taeko. However, he didn’t think he could adapt the episodic, vignette-style comics to fe...
Read MoreREVIEW: Grave of the Fireflies (1988)
Based on a 1967 autobiographical short story of the same name, 1988’s Grave of the Fireflies would be Isao Takahata’s first film at Studio Ghibli. Hayao Miyazaki’s work often overshadows that of his late, lifelong collaborator. However, I think Takahata’s filmography is equally as impressive...
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