The Tale of the Princess Kaguya (2014)
95%RT Audience Score: 90%
Awards & Nominations: Nominated for 1 Oscar
13 wins & 38 nominations total
Boasting narrative depth, frank honesty, and exquisite visual beauty, The Tale of the Princess Kaguya is a modern animated treasure with timeless appeal.
The Tale of the Princess Kaguya is a stunning masterpiece that will leave you in awe. The animation is so beautiful that you’ll feel like you’re watching a watercolor painting come to life. The story is both heartwarming and heartbreaking, and the characters are so well-developed that you’ll feel like you know them personally. It’s a must-watch for anyone who loves animation, folklore, or just a good story. Plus, who doesn’t love a strong and sassy princess who knows what she wants?
Production Company(ies)
Studio Ghibli, Dentsu Hakuhodo D Y Media, Partners
Distributor
GKIDS
Release Type
Theatrical, Theatrical (Limited)
Filming Location(s)
MPAA / Certificate
Rated PG for thematic elements, some violent action and partial nudity
Year of Release
2013
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Color:Color
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Sound mix:Datasat Dolby Digital
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Aspect ratio:1.85 : 1
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Runtime:2h 17m
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Language(s):Japanese
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Country of origin:Japan
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Release date:Release Date (Theaters): Oct 17, 2014 Limited
Release Date (Streaming): Feb 17, 2015
Genre(s)
Fantasy/Anime
Keyword(s)
The Tale of the Princess Kaguya, PG, Fantasy, Anime, Isao Takahata, Geoffrey Wexler, Seiichirô Ujiie, Isao Takahata, Riko Sakaguchi, Chloë Grace Moretz, James Caan, Mary Steenburgen, Darren Criss, Lucy Liu, James Marsden, reviewed by Mark Kermode, Tara Brady, Andrew Osmond, Charlotte O’Sullivan, Leslie Felperin, Wendy Ide, Kanishk Devgan, Pieter-Jan Van Haecke, MaryAnn Johanson, Nicholas Bell, Sergio Benítez, box office gross $681.1K
Worldwide gross: $24,706,166
Worldwide gross (inflation-adjusted): $31,385,429
Worldwide gross ranking (inflation-adjusted): 1,529
Worldwide tickets sold (est.): 3,422,620
US/Canada gross: $974,913
US/Canada gross (inflation-adjusted): $1,238,479
US/Canada gross ranking (inflation-adjusted): 2,134
US/Canada opening weekend: $54,915
US/Canada opening weekend (inflation-adjusted): $69,761
US/Canada opening weekend ranking (inflation-adjusted): 2,083
Budget and Earnings Details
Production budget (est.): ¥5,000,000,000
Production budget (inflation-adjusted): NA
Production budget ranking: NA
Marketing and distribution budget (inflation-adjusted est.): NA
Box office net earnings to date (inflation-adjusted est.): NA
ROI to date (est.): NA
ROI ranking: NA
James Caan – The Bamboo Cutter – Voice
Mary Steenburgen – The Bamboo Cutter’s Wife, Narrator – Voice
Darren Criss – Sutemaru – Voice
Lucy Liu – Lady Sagami – Voice
James Marsden – Prince Ishitsukuri – Voice
Director(s)
Isao Takahata
Writer(s)
Isao Takahata, Riko Sakaguchi
Producer(s)
Geoffrey Wexler, Seiichirô Ujiie
Film Festivals
Cannes, Toronto
Awards & Nominations
Nominated for 1 Oscar
13 wins & 38 nominations total
Academy Awards
Oscar Nominees
All Critics (96) | Top Critics (41) | Fresh (96)
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.
March 22, 2015 | Rating: 4/5
Mark Kermode
Observer (UK)
TOP CRITIC
The impression is of a continuous series of watercolours, similar to the narrative scroll revealed to Kaguya in a key scene.
March 20, 2015 | Rating: 4/5
Tara Brady
Irish Times
TOP CRITIC
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.
March 20, 2015
Andrew Osmond
Sight & Sound
TOP CRITIC
As you’d expect from the co-founder of Studio Ghibli, Takahata has created a ravishing, technically perfect product and the hand-drawn, watercolour images explode with tender, humorous details.
March 20, 2015 | Rating: 4/5
Charlotte O’Sullivan
London Evening Standard
TOP CRITIC
Be prepared for a melancholy denouement that’s not suitable for younger children, but which grown-ups and older kids may find heartbreaking.
March 19, 2015 | Rating: 3/5
Leslie Felperin
Radio Times
TOP CRITIC
The latest film from the esteemed Japanese animation company Studio Ghibli.
March 19, 2015 | Rating: 4/5
Wendy Ide
Times (UK)
TOP CRITIC
The film holds a timeless, magical quality, along with being thematically heavy and looking absolutely marvelous. Go in blank, let it unfold.
March 29, 2021
Kanishk Devgan
Film Companion
In every aspect of the narrative, we feel the work of an exceptional craftsman. A phenomenal masterpiece that we should accept and give, cradled in own palms, to our friends and family.
December 15, 2020
Pieter-Jan Van Haecke
Psychocinematography
With gorgeously expressive animation reminiscent of Japanese scrolls and an irrepressible heroine who is full of life and joy and humor, this is an ancient folktale fresh with immediacy and relevance.
October 25, 2020
MaryAnn Johanson
Flick Filosopher
A hand-drawn masterwork.
September 6, 2019 | Rating: 3.5/5
Nicholas Bell
IONCINEMA.com
Everything in it exudes a special magic that emanates in a slow and leisurely narrative rhythm, that transports us unfailingly to another time. [Full Review in Spanish]
August 27, 2019
Sergio Benítez
Espinof
The result is a pleasing, if bloated and simplistic, experience destined to be overpraised because of its lauded creative team.
August 6, 2019 | Rating: B-
Ryan Syrek
The Reader (Omaha, NE)…
Plot
An old man makes a living by selling bamboo. One day, he finds a princess in a bamboo. The princess is only the size of a finger. Her name is Kaguya. When Kaguya grows up, 5 men from prestigious families propose to her. Kaguya asks the men to find memorable marriage gifts for her, but the 5 men are unable to find what Kaguya wants. Then, the Emperor of Japan proposes to her.
Trivia
Goofs / Tidbits
Mary Steenburgen voices both The Bamboo Cutter’s Wife and the Narrator in The Tale of the Princess Kaguya.
Isao-Takahata.jpg
