The Tale of the Princess Kaguya

Did You Know?

• Joe Hisaishi composed the score, the only time he scored a film directed by Isao Takahata.
• The theme song "When I Remember This Life" was written and performed by Nikaido Kazumi.
• The film was initially announced for simultaneous release with The Wind Rises in summer 2013, but was delayed to 23 November 2013.

Plot

A bamboo cutter finds a tiny girl inside a glowing bamboo shoot. He and his wife raise her as their own, calling her "Princess." She grows rapidly and is nicknamed "Takenoko" by village children; the oldest friend, Sutemaru, becomes close to her. The bamboo cutter later discovers gold and fine cloth in the grove, which he takes as signs of her divine royalty.

He moves the family to the capital, forcing the girl to leave her friends, and installs them in a mansion with servants. A governess trains her to be a noblewoman, but the girl struggles with the restraints of nobility and longs for her rural life. Upon coming of age, she is formally named Princess Kaguya. At a celebration, she overhears guests mocking her father's attempt to turn a peasant into a noble.

She flees to the mountains seeking Sutemaru and her friends, but finds they have moved away; she collapses in the snow and wakes back at the party. Five noblemen court her, and she sets impossible tasks involving mythical treasures. Later, while visiting the countryside, she sees cherry blossoms and whirls among the petals, but stumbles into a child, reminding her of her status. Returning to the capital, she spots Sutemaru stealing a chicken; she calls out to him but retreats into the carriage as he is beaten by pursuers.

Production

Takahata read The Tale of the Bamboo Cutter as a child but struggled to empathize with the protagonist. In 1960 he prepared a potential adaptation for Toei Animation, which was abandoned. After rereading the tale, he saw its potential if the audience could understand Princess Kaguya's feelings. Studio Ghibli revealed in 2008 that Takahata was working on a feature film; he announced at the 2009 Locarno International Film Festival his intention to direct an adaptation.

Takahata wanted viewers to "imagine or recall the reality deep within the drawings" rather than be distracted by realism. Osamu Tanabe handled character designs and animation, and Kazuo Oga drew watercolor backgrounds. The film uses experimental aesthetics with visible imperfections such as stray pencil lines and color bleed. Takahata cited Frédéric Back and My Neighbors the Yamadas as influences. The release was confirmed on 13 December 2012.

Themes

The film has been noted for feminist themes: Kaguya's move to the capital and her father's insistence on noble life counter her wishes, while her mother's limited role highlights lack of female agency. A dream sequence where Kaguya breaks through doors is read as a metaphor for societal and familial barriers. The film critiques Heian-period ideals of beauty and propriety; Kaguya's court etiquette training, which suppresses her emotions, is seen as a painful renunciation of humanity.

Her impossible tasks for suitors depict female resistance within a male-dominated hierarchy. Rural life is shown with muted colors and soft lines emphasizing simplicity, while the capital uses bolder hues suggesting confinement. In one sequence, Kaguya flees the palace with rapid brushstrokes expressing despair. Both rural and aristocratic life are portrayed as tragic—peasants constrained by poverty, aristocrats by class rigidity.

The ending frames earthly life as inseparable from grief and beauty; deities returning Kaguya to the Moon are bright and joyful, contrasting with Earth's sorrow. The film draws on mono no aware, the fleeting beauty of existence. The figure taking Kaguya to the Moon resembles a Buddha with attendants, evoking Pure Land tradition; her return can be interpreted as a metaphor for death and impermanence.

Reception

The film debuted at first place in its opening weekend in Japan, grossing ¥2,313,602,733 by 2 February 2014. It was the eleventh top-grossing Japanese film of 2014. In North America it grossed $703,232, with a worldwide total of $22,613,153 plus additional international earnings. The film received critical acclaim and was the first of the 2010s to achieve a 100% approval rating on the website. It placed 4th in Kinema Junpo's Best Ten and Reader's Choice Awards in February 2014. David Ehrlich of The A.V. Club gave it an A, calling it "the best animated movie of the year. Nicolas Rapold of The New York Times praised the artwork as "exquisitely drawn.