The Tale of the Princess Kaguya

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The Tale of the Princess Kaguya

PG

Released Oct 17, 2014

2h 17m

Fantasy

Anime

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100%

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97 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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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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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

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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

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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

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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

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Grant Watson

Fiction Machine

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

Rated: 10/10

Nov 29, 2023

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Radiant

This movie is like a stroll along a path that winds its way through a beautiful glen. Along the way there are the colorful pops of flowers and the sharpness of thorns, but we see that both reveal to the main character (and to us) the deeper meaning of the story: that life if meant to be lived, each moment present, and that we are meant to feel: the good, the bad, the ugly, the hard, and the joyous. As my walk through the glen came to a close, I found myself stopping to look back and ponder the trail from which I had just come. I stood there for a long time.

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

06/23/25

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Stephen C

2 hours and 17 minutes of anime fantasy. Rated PG for Thematic Elements, Some Violent Action, and Partial Nudity!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

05/14/25

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Tom F

Beautifully haunting folk tale.

Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars

05/09/25

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Lucas O

Rating: 87%. This was truly a beautiful story, and props to the writers because I do not know how they come up with this stuff. Very unique. I will say the animation threw me off at first because I was thinking of Spirited Away Animation, but this was like a pastel drawing or a watercolor style animation. I didn't like that as much, but it was still beautiful and had some signature Studio Ghibli animation aspects, such as the movement and character styles. There were so many themes and deeper meanings. I did find myself on the edge of confusion at times, but eventually it became clearer. I also enjoyed the voice acting and music, as they both were done beautifully.

Rated 4.5 out of 5 stars

05/05/25

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Fer S

It is very good, it just gets slow around the middle, but the story hooked me enough to keep watching and I think it was worth it.

Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars

05/03/25

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Daniel B

I feel like this story has basically been told before, where objects have to be brought.

Rated 1 out of 5 stars

04/12/25

Full Review

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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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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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