Chloe Grace Moretz Voices New U.S. Trailer for Studio Ghibli's 'The Tale of Princess Kaguya'

Not even the great films of Studio Ghibli are exempt from American audience refusal to read subtitles. When their movies hit the U.S. they are typically dubbed over in English using some pretty big names, and the studio's latest film The Tale of Princess Kaguya of a is no different. A new U.S. trailer has been released that features the voices of Chloe Grace Moretz, Lucy Liu, Mary Steenburgen, Darren Criss, Beau Bridges, Daniel Dae Kim, James Marsden, Oliver Platt, John Cho, George Segal and Dean Cain.

Written and directed by Studio Ghibli co-founder Isao Takahata (Grave of the Fireflies), the film is based on the classic Japanese folk story, The Tale of the Bamboo Cutter, about a young princess who is discovered by an old man inside a bamboo plant. He raises Kaguya into a proper young woman but the truth of her mysterious origin continues to weigh on her.

The Tale of Princess Kaguya opens in the U.S. on October 17th.


The Tale of Princess Kaguya Official US Release Trailer #1 (2014) - Studio Ghibli Film HD. by TrailerNow

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Gorgeous Trailer for Studio Ghibli's 'The Tale of Princess Kaguya'

The legendary animators at Studio Ghibli may not be producing as many feature films as they used to, but at least they aren't going away for good like many thought. They'll still be around producing animated classics, and the next one to hit U.S. shores is The Tale of Princess Kaguya, and a beautiful new trailer for its U.S. premiere has been released.

Directed by Isao Takahata in an intriguing style reminiscent of Japanese picture scrolls, the film is based on the folk legend "The Tale of the Bamboo Cutter." Chloe Moretz, James Caan, Mary Steenburgen, Darren Criss, Lucy Liu, Beau Bridges and James Marsden lend their voices to the film about a young girl found in a bamboo stalk who "grows into an exquisite young lady, raised by an old bamboo cutter and his wife. From the countryside to the grand capital city, even unseen she enthralls all who encounter her, including five noble suitors.  Ultimately she must face her fate, punishment for her crime."

The American translation is a little vague but essentially there are two version of the 'Bamboo Cutter' story. One has Kaguya sent to Earth as punishment for a crime she committed, while another has her escaping from a war in the Heavens. Based on the synopsis it sounds like the former version is what Studio Ghibli has decided to go with.

The Tale of Princess Kaguya opens on October 17th.

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Hayao Miyazaki May Be Coming Out of "Retirement"

Lovers of great animated movies were justifiably upset a few days ago when Studio Ghibli producer Toshio Suzuki seemed to imply the studio would be closing its doors. That story has since been walked back a little bit thanks to better translating that said they were simply working off a different production model. The reason for the restructuring is simple: things haven't been quite the same since Hayao Miyazaki retired after directing The Wind Rises, but what if the legendary animator came back?

Suzuki spoke with Variety and revealed Miyazaki could come back to make a short film for the Ghibli Museum in Tokyo....

Suzuki: “This is my guess, but I’m thinking it will be something short.”

He says Miyazaki approached him about the short film but there were no additional details offered. This is nothing new as Miyazaki said last year he hoped to make a series of short films for the museum, and now he's acting on it. Still, it's good to see that Miyazaki is sticking around, even if it's only for smaller projects such as this. And as for the state of  Ghibli, Suzuki reiterated the studio needs a new system for how they make movies...

Suzuki: “We’re changing the way we make [animation]. We wanted to make a dream company. We thought we would make what suited us and not make what didn’t suit us. We were able to realize (that dream) to some extent and we’re very happy about that. But now we’re at a point where we’ve got to think about what we’ll do next.”

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*UPDATE* Studio Ghibli May Cease Making Feature Films

 *UPDATE* So now Anime News Network is reporting Studio Ghibli general manager Toshio Suzuki is saying the company may "restructure" rather than shut down outright. Either way, some serious changes are in the works for the legendary animation house. *

Over the last couple of years there has been a quiet rumor that simply wouldn't go away, suggesting that legendary animation house Studio Ghibli would cease making movies at some point. With co-founder Hayao Miyazaki retiring last year after completing The Wind Rises, those rumors started to gain a little bit of traction even though many hoped they would turn out to be false. Unfortunately, general manager Toshio Suzukihas announced on Japanese television that Studio Ghibli will cease production of feature films.

The animation house won't be shutting its doors for good, instead maintaining a small staff to manage Miyazaki's many trademarked properties. They've also left the door open to doing some freelance work so we may see a Ghibli project somewhere down the line. Their final movie will be When Marnie Was There, a ghost story released in Japan last month and with no current plans for a U.S. run.

Studio Ghibli has produced some of the most cherished animated films in cinematic history, always preferring story and rich characters to flashy animation. But despite numerous classics such as Princess Mononoke, Howl's Moving Castle, and Spirited Away, the studio has been struggling to make ends meet with their most recent slate. This comes at a time when their films have actually been performing better here in the U.S., thanks to a distribution deal with Disney. What it sounds like is the loss of Miyazaki has had such a dramatic impact it has forced the company to revert back to their old freelance system, which is what they were doing before Porco Rosso became such a huge hit.

This is incredibly sad news. It's safe to say that Studio Ghibli was one of the few studios that treated animated movies with a certain level of maturity, while also keeping them fun for all ages to enjoy. Only Pixar comes close to matching them in that regard, and now there is a huge gulf of such films that will need to be filled. Hopefully the staff that Studio Ghibli will be forced to cut can begin something new and keep producing such films. [Catsuka]

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Haunting Trailer for Studio Ghibli's 'When Marnie Was There'

Although legendary storyteller Hayao Miyazaki may be retired, or semi-retired or whatever it actually is, Studio Ghibli is still in very good hands. And they're smart enough to pay attention to every single word Miyazaki has ever said, which includes his list of the 50 best children's novels. One of the movies on that list was Joan G. Robinson's 1981 book, When Marnie Was There, and the studio has just released the first trailer for their adaptation of it.

Beautifully rendered and poetic, the film bears the hallmarks of director Hiromasa Yonebayashi, who did an excellent job on The Secret World of Arrietty, the studio's highest grossing U.S. release ever. A lonely young girl named Anna is at the center of this ghost story, with Marnie the mysterious and strange new friend she meets one day. Then Marnie suddenly vanishes and Anna learns some interesting truths about who, or what, she really was.  Not that you can tell any of that from the trailer which offers nothing in the way of plot, but the emotions are clear and Ghibli  may have another animated classic on their hands.

We'll be sure to update you when a U.S. date is nailed down.


When Marnie Was There - bande annonce 1 [VO] by Filmosphere

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'The Simpsons' Pays Tribute to Hayazo Miyazaki and Studio Ghibli

It's been a lot of years since I've watched The Simpsons regularly, but one of the things I've always admired is that it always gives the best tributes. In most cases these are for people who don't always have much to do with the animation field, but this Sunday's episode titled "Married to the Blob" honors the legendary animator Hayao Miyazaki and Studio Ghibli. A clip of the tribute sequence has been released and it has Homer and Japanese man drinking too much snake wine and drifting into an altered reality populated by Simpsons versions of Miyazaki's most cherished characters. You won't have to look hard to see references to Spirited Away, Princess Mononoke, Kiki's Delivery Service, and many more.

Miyazaki's "final" film The Wind Rises opens February 21st, and personally I feel like it may be his finest work.


Les Simpson rendent hommage à Hayao Miyazaki by CHANNEL'BUZZ

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Studio Ghibli's Next Film is Ghost Story 'When Marnie Was There'

Legendary animator Hayao Miyazaki may be "retired" from feature films, but Studio Ghibli is still paying heed to his words very closely. Miyazaki released a list of 50 recommended novels for children, and one that featured prominently was Joan G. Robinson's 1981 classic, When Marnie Was There, and now the famed studio has announced it as their next project.

Hiromasa Yonebayashi, who last helmed the studio's highest-grossing U.S. hit The Secret World of Arrietty, will co-write and direct the film described as "an atmospheric ghost story" which centers on a lonely girl named Emma who finds her first friend when she meets Marnie. Only the mysterious Marnie isn't all she seems, and Emma seeks to find out the truth when Marnie suddenly disappears.

The film will feature character designs by the talented folks behind Goro Miyazaki's From Up on Poppy Hill and Hayao's Princess Mononoke, and if it looks anything like the above teaser art this should be gorgeous. When Marnie Was There is expected to be released next summer. [ANN]

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Studio Ghibli's Hayao Miyazaki Announces His Retirement

Shortly after the release of Princess Mononoke in 1997, revered Studio Ghibli filmmaker Hayao Miyazaki retired from the profession he had helped define since 1961, stating at the time "I think that 'Princess Mononoke' will be the last (feature-length) movie that I make in this way."

Much to our benefit, he kept right on going, coming back in 2001 with Spirited Away, which many see as a highlight of his stellar career. He followed it up three years later with Howl's Moving Castle, and while he's periodically mentioned the idea of retiring for good, Miyazaki has kept right on producing more animated gems. As his latest film The Wind Rises was premiering at the Venice International Film Festival, Studio Ghibli president  Koju Hoshino revealed that the 72-year-old Miyazaki is once again hanging it up, saying simply “He wants to say goodbye to all of you.” 

The announcement comes as Miyazaki is facing critical backlash for the supposed anti-war stance of The Wind Rises, which details the story of  Jiro Horikoshi, the aeronautical engineer who designed the Zero Fighter plane Japan used in WWII.  Miyazaki's films often depict the causes he champions, in particular environmentalism and world peace, which have left him open to political attack. It's unlikely this has anything to do with his latest decision, and there's always the possibility he continues to work in the arena of short films rather than features.

Whether this retirement sticks or not, Miyazaki's contributions to cinema, not just animation, will go down as legendary. The Wind Rises will be released in the U.S. at a later date by Disney, just as they've done with The Secret World of Arrietty and Ponyo. 

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