The Tale of the Princess Kaguya

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The Tale of the Princess Kaguya

PG

In Theaters Mon Nov 25

2h 17m

Fantasy

Anime

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100%

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98 Reviews

90%

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10,000+ Ratings

A tiny nymph found inside a bamboo stalk grows into a beautiful and desirable young woman, who orders her suitors to prove their love by completing a series of near-impossible tasks.

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In Theaters Mon Nov 25

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Critics Consensus

Boasting narrative depth, frank honesty, and exquisite visual beauty, The Tale of the Princess Kaguya is a modern animated treasure with timeless appeal.

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Isao Takahata

Director

Chloë Grace Moretz

The Princess Kaguya

James Caan

The Bamboo Cutter

Mary Steenburgen

The Bamboo Cutter's Wife

Darren Criss

Sutemaru

Lucy Liu

Lady Sagami

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Mark Kermode

Observer (UK)

A poignant gem, very different in tone to the director's most celebrated works, Grave of the Fireflies and Only Yesterday, but no less worthy of praise and admiration.

Rated: 4/5

Mar 22, 2015

Full Review

Tara Brady

Irish Times

The impression is of a continuous series of watercolours, similar to the narrative scroll revealed to Kaguya in a key scene.

Rated: 4/5

Mar 20, 2015

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Andrew Osmond

Sight & Sound

While the characters feel very simplified at times, there are scenes that put great weight on performance and subtle expressions, in a way that's nearer to the classical Disney tradition than most Japanese animation.

Mar 20, 2015

Full Review

Mat Brunet

AniMat's Review (YouTube)

The Tale of the Princess Kaguya is an animated film that is as beautiful as the titular princess herself.

Rated: 9/10

Nov 8, 2024

Full Review

Brendan Cassidy

InSession Film

Leave it to the great Isao Takahata to return with not only the best animated film I’ve seen this year, not only the best overall film I’ve seen this year, but one of the most beautiful film experiences I’ve ever had...

Jun 17, 2024

Full Review

Grant Watson

Fiction Machine

This is anime-as-arthouse cinema, thoughtfully and gracefully composed.

Rated: 10/10

Nov 29, 2023

Full Review

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Joshua D

I HAVEN"T EVEN WATCHED IT AND IT LOOKS TERRIBLE!!!!!!!!!!

Rated 0.5 out of 5 stars

11/19/24

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Diptansu C

Just completed watching "The Tale of Princess Kaguya", my first ever anime film. And I was astonished by the quality of both the story as well as the animation. It's undoubtedly an extraordinary film, not only for children, but for adults as well. It portrayed some of the real-life raw emotions and I would like to thank everybody who were involved in creating this masterpiece. Just loved it.

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

10/30/24

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Josh G

the best stylized animation ever and an amazing story to go with it

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

10/29/24

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Charvine A

Stylistically very beautiful, but the sad storyline and underwhelming depiction of Buddhist "heaven" ultimately left me with a bittersweet feeling.

Rated 2.5 out of 5 stars

10/09/24

Full Review

Ant E

This is likely the best animated movie of all time. The fact this lost to BIG HERO 6 is the most shameless and scandalous robbery of all time. You would need to smash your head against the wall 4 times to come to that conclusion.

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

08/12/24

Full Review

Monster E

the only movie that has made me cry. and it did it twice.

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

06/13/24

Full Review

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Synopsis

A tiny nymph found inside a bamboo stalk grows into a beautiful and desirable young woman, who orders her suitors to prove their love by completing a series of near-impossible tasks.

Director: Isao Takahata
Producer: Yoshiaki Nishimura
Screenwriter: Isao Takahata, Riko Sakaguchi
Distributor: GKIDS
Production Co: Studio Ghibli
Rating: PG (Thematic Elements|Some Violent Action|Partial Nudity)
Genre: Fantasy, Anime
Original Language: Japanese
Release Date (Theaters): Oct 17, 2014, Limited
Rerelease Date (Theaters): Nov 25, 2024
Release Date (Streaming): Dec 14, 2019
Box Office (Gross USA): $681.1K
Runtime: 2h 17m

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