"A rich and astonishing swan song for Takahata, whose love of mischief and tender, expressionistic style have been essential steering forces at Studio Ghibli." – The Telegraph

Based on a famous 10th century Japanese legend, The Tale of Princess Kaguya follows an old bamboo cutter named Okina, who discovers a tiny girl inside a bamboo stalk. He brings the girl home to his wife, where the two raise her, discovering that she is actually a princess with an important destiny, and a mind of her own.

A close collaborator with the legendary Hayao Miyazaki, award-winning filmmaker Isao Takahata is best known for his seminal 1988 animation Grave of the Fireflies (MIFF 1997). A passion project Takahata first attempted to bring to the screen 50 years ago, The Tale of Princess Kaguya combines modern animations techniques with a beautifully classical hand-drawn style.

"An amazingly beautiful film, animated as if it were made with nothing but coloured pencils and water-colours … a joy to watch." – Kotaku