Grave of the Fireflies (Hotaru no haka) (1988)
98%RT Audience Score: 95%
Awards & Nominations: 3 wins
An achingly sad anti-war film, Grave of the Fireflies is one of Studio Ghibli’s most profoundly beautiful, haunting works.
If you’re in the mood for a good cry, then Grave of the Fireflies is the movie for you. This anti-war flick from Studio Ghibli is seriously beautiful and haunting. It’s the kind of movie that will stick with you long after the credits roll. But fair warning, you might need a box of tissues handy.
Production Company(ies)
Shinchosha Company, Studio Ghibli,
Distributor
NA
Release Type
Filming Location(s)
MPAA / Certificate
Not Rated
Year of Release
1989
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Color:Color
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Sound mix:Dolby Stereo
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Aspect ratio:1.85 : 1
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Runtime:NA
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Language(s):Japanese
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Country of origin:Japan
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Release date:Release Date (Streaming): Mar 11, 2017
Genre(s)
Drama/War
Keyword(s)
Grave of the Fireflies, drama, war, anime, J Robert Spencer, Rhoda Chrosite, Isao Takahata, Toru Hara, written by Isao Takahata, directed by Isao Takahata, produced by Toru Hara, reviewed by Glenn Kenny, Chris Cabin, James Berardinelli, Larushka Ivan-Zadeh, Charlotte O’Sullivan, Steve Rose, Richard Propes, Sergio Benítez, Charles Webb, Christopher Runyon, David Nusair, Brian Gibson, 100% Tomatometer, 95% audience score, box office performance, budget, MPAA rating, anti-war film, Studio Ghibli, haunting, survival, tragedy, natural beauty, human spirit, childhood, Allied firebombing, World War II, teenager, younger sister, care, mother, aunt
Worldwide gross: $516,962
Worldwide gross (inflation-adjusted): $1,259,719
Worldwide gross ranking (inflation-adjusted): 2,542
Worldwide tickets sold (est.): 137,374
US/Canada gross: $516,962
US/Canada gross (inflation-adjusted): $1,259,719
US/Canada gross ranking (inflation-adjusted): 2,130
US/Canada opening weekend: $158,101
US/Canada opening weekend (inflation-adjusted): $385,256
US/Canada opening weekend ranking (inflation-adjusted): 1,467
Budget and Earnings Details
Production budget (est.): $3,700,000
Production budget (inflation-adjusted): $9,016,056
Production budget ranking: 1,714
Marketing and distribution budget (inflation-adjusted est.): $4,855,146
Box office net earnings to date (inflation-adjusted est.): -$12,611,484
ROI to date (est.): -91%
ROI ranking: 1,966
Rhoda Chrosite – Setsuko (Voice)
Amy Jones – Aunt (Voice)
Kathleen McInerney – Mother (Voice)
Isao Takahata – Director, Screenwriter
Director(s)
Isao Takahata
Writer(s)
Isao Takahata
Producer(s)
Toru Hara
Film Festivals
Awards & Nominations
3 wins
Academy Awards
All Critics (40) | Top Critics (11) | Fresh (40)
One of the most startling and moving animated films ever.
January 3, 2019
Glenn Kenny
New York Times
TOP CRITIC
Isao Takahata makes survival the thematic core of the story, but he never degrades his characters or fetishizes their suffering.
December 30, 2018 | Rating: 3.5/4
Chris Cabin
Slant Magazine
TOP CRITIC
Some movies are such singular achievements that they deserve to be seen at least once by everyone who considers himself or herself to be a lover of film. Grave of the Fireflies falls into that exclusive category.
December 28, 2018 | Rating: 4/4
James Berardinelli
ReelViews
TOP CRITIC
Once seen, this is seared in your heart, deep as your worst relationship break-up.
September 5, 2017 | Rating: 5/5
Larushka Ivan-Zadeh
metro.co.uk
TOP CRITIC
We’re so used to seeing the human spirit triumph. Here, we’re allowed to understand how it might fail.
May 24, 2013 | Rating: 5/5
Charlotte O’Sullivan
London Evening Standard
TOP CRITIC
There are magical moments of natural beauty and childish delight, too – which only make the tragedy even more harrowing.
May 23, 2013 | Rating: 5/5
Steve Rose
Guardian
TOP CRITIC
There is no aspect of this film that doesn’t work beautifully.
September 9, 2020 | Rating: 4.0/4.0
Richard Propes
TheIndependentCritic.com
It is not difficult to assume the qualification of Masterpiece that deserves one of the best films ever filmed about the war. [Full Review in Spanish]
August 29, 2019
Sergio Benítez
Espinof
This film isn’t easy to watch but it’s essential viewing among the great works of animation–or really of all film, for that matter.
July 3, 2018
Charles Webb
MTV
Isao Takahata’s masterpiece is one of the most profound anti-war statements ever brought to cinema
February 20, 2014 | Rating: A+
Christopher Runyon
Movie Mezzanine
…a well-made and heartfelt drama that’s just not as engrossing as it should be.
November 30, 2013 | Rating: 2.5/4
David Nusair
Reel Film Reviews
Such odd hopefulness, flitting around a child, mixed with the overwhelmingly sad, pervades Isao Takahata’s film. And all around Seita and Setsuko, nature, in the face of human destruction and tragedy, persists in its beauty.
July 11, 2013
Brian Gibson
Vue Weekly (Edmonton, Alberta)…
Plot
Grave of the Fireflies follows a teenager who must care for his younger sister after their home is destroyed and their mother is killed during an Allied firebombing in World War II.
Trivia
Goofs / Tidbits
The film features the voice talents of J. Robert Spencer and Rhoda Chrosite.
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