Based on the novel of the same name by Nosaka Akiyuki, Takahata Isao’s Grave of the Fireflies depicts the story of two orphans, Seita and Setsuko, struggling to survive bomb raids, hunger and malnutrition during the last few months of WWII. They lose their mother in a bomb raid and their father is a captain in the navy fi ghting a losing battle against the superior American army. The tragic events are mediated only by the siblings’ fantasies and futile hopes of a better tomorrow. Together with Otomo Katsuhiro’s Akira from the same year, the narrative force of the film challenged Western audiences’ view of which stories were apt to be told in the cartoon format. The film was well received in its time, but has since reached a greater worldwide audience as the Studio Ghibli back catalogue of films is being thoroughly explored. It’s not only a seminal animé film, it is also an important WWII film. htb

Isao Takahata (b. 1935) is a director, producer and writer of animated films. Attached to Studio Ghibli, he is also known for films such as Only Yesterday (1991), Pom Poko (1994) and My Neighbors the Yamadas (1999). Grave of the Fireflies is justifiably considered an absolute masterpiece of animated films, and is still capturing new audiences around the world today.

Original title Hotaru no haka

Year 1988

Director TAKAHATA Isao

Screenplay TAKAHATA Isao

Cinematography KOYAMA Nobuo

Producer HARA Toru

Cast TATSUMI Tsutomu, SHIRAISHI Ayano, SHINOHARA Yoshiko

Production Company Studio Ghibli, Shinchosha Company

Runtime 1h 29m

Format DVD

Links IMDb