Grave of the Fireflies (1988) Hotaru no haka (original title)

Director:

Isao Takahata

Writers:

Akiyuki Nosaka (novel)
Isao Takahata (written by)

Release Date:

16 April 1988 (Japan)

Genre:

Animation | Drama | War

Plot:

A tragic film covering a young boy and his little sister's struggle to survive in Japan during World War II.

Plot Keywords:

Japan | Shelter | Food | Hunger | Air Raid

Awards:

3 wins

Cast

Tsutomu Tatsumi	...	Seita (voice)
Ayano Shiraishi	...	Setsuko (voice)
Yoshiko Shinohara	...	Mother (voice)
Akemi Yamaguchi	...	Aunt (voice)
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Rhoda Chrosite	...	Setsuko (voice: English version)
Shannon Conley	...	Additional Voices (voice: English version)
Crispin Freeman	...	Additional Voices (voice: English version)
Dan Green	...	Additional Voices (voice: English version)
Amy Jones	...	Aunt (voice: English version)
George Leaver	...	Additional Voices (voice: English version)
J. Robert Spencer	...	Seita (voice: English version)
Nick Sullivan	...	Additional Voices (voice: English version)
Veronica Taylor	...	Mother (voice: English version)

Directed by
Isao Takahata

Writing credits
Akiyuki Nosaka		(novel)
Isao Takahata		(written by)

Produced by
Toru Hara	....	producer
Ryoichi Sato	....	executive producer

Original Music by
Michio Mamiya

Cinematography by
Nobuo Koyama		(director of photography)

Film Editing by
Takeshi Seyama

Production Design by
Ryoichi Sato

Art Direction by
Nizou Yamamoto

Production Management
Atsushi Kamimura	....	unit production manager
Kazuyoshi Tanaka	....	unit production manager

Second Unit Director or Assistant Director
Norihiko Sudo	....	assistant director

Art Department
Katsu Hisamura	....	assistant art director
Yuriko Kashiwakura	....	assistant character color designer
Noriko Ogawa	....	assistant character color designer
Michiyo Yasuda	....	character color designer

Sound Department
Bill Donnelly	....	mix engineer: english version
Yasuo Uragami	....	sound designer
Kiyoshi Ôhira	....	sound effects (as Noriyoshi Oohira)
Hisanori Ôshiro	....	sound mixer

Special Effects by
Kunji Tanifuji	....	special effects

Camera and Electrical Department
Masashi Abe	....	camera operator
Akitarô Daichi	....	camera operator
Shinji Ito	....	camera operator
Atsushi Kageyama	....	camera operator
Tsuguo Ozawa	....	camera operator
Naoyuki Taniguchi	....	camera operator

Animation Department
Hideaki Anno	....	animator
Yoshiyuki Hane	....	animator
Iku Ishiguro	....	animator
Kuniyuki Ishii	....	animator
Megumi Kagawa	....	animator
Hideo Kawauchi	....	animator
Masuji Kigami	....	animator
Yoshifumi Kondô	....	animation director
Yoshifumi Kondô	....	character designer
Kitaro Kosaka	....	key animator
Yoshiyuki Momose	....	layout
Noriko Moritomo	....	animator
Hiroshi Ogawa	....	animator
Toshiyasu Okada	....	animator
Reiko Okuyama	....	animator
Shunji Saida	....	animator
Akio Sakai	....	animator
Michiyo Sakurai	....	animator
Noboru Takano	....	animator
Yasuomi Umetsu	....	animator
Shôjurô Yamauchi	....	animator
Atsuko Ôtani	....	animator
Noriko Ôzeki	....	animator

Editorial Department
Hiroshi Adachi	....	assistant editor

Other crew
Peter Bavaro	....	adr director: English version
Neil Nadelman	....	translator: english version
Naoyuki Oshikiri	....	production desk
Tony Salerno	....	dubbing supervisor (as Anthony Salerno)

Production Companies

• Shinchosha Company
• Studio Ghibli

Distributors

• Toho Company (1988) (worldwide) (theatrical) (as Tôhô)
• Gkids (2013) (USA) (theatrical) (as GKIDS)
• ADV Films (2009) (USA) (DVD)
• Central Park Media (1993) (USA) (video)
• JONU Media (2003) (Spain) (DVD)
• Les Films du Paradoxe (1996) (France) (all media)
• Optimum Releasing (2004) (UK) (DVD)
• Sentai Filmworks (2012) (USA) (video)
• StudioCanal (2013) (UK) (all media)
• Universe Laser & Video Co. Ltd. (2002) (Hong Kong) (DVD)
• Walt Disney Studios Home Entertainment (2008) (Japan) (DVD) (Perfect Keepsake Edition)
• Warner Home Video (2000) (Japan) (DVD)

Other Companies

• APU Studio  sound recording studio
• Audio Planning U  post-production sound services
• Seraphim Digital  sound re-recording
• Studio Angel  cooperation
• Tokyo Laboratory Co. Ltd.  film processing

Also Known As:

"Hotaru no haka" - Japan (original title)
"Tomb of the Fireflies" - International (English title) (alternative title)

Runtime:

89 min

Country:

Japan

Language:

Japanese

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono | Dolby (as Dolby Stereo) (theatrical print)

Certification:

Argentina:13 | Australia:M | France:U | Hong Kong:IIA | New Zealand:M | Singapore:PG | Spain:13 | Sweden:11 (re-rating) | UK:12 | West Germany:6 | Canada:G (Quebec) (video rating) (1994) | Canada:PG (Manitoba) (video rating) (1993) | Canada:PG (Nova Scotia) (video rating) (2002) | Canada:PG (Ontario) (video rating) (2005) | USA:Unrated | Finland:K-11 | Portugal:M/12 | USA:TV-14 (TV rating) | Chile:14 | South Korea:All | Ireland:12A

Company:

Shinchosha Company

Trivia:

This is the only Ghibili theatrical feature film to not be part of the Disney-Tokuma deal.

Quotes:

[first lines]
Seita:September 21, 1945... that was the night I died.

Movie Connections:

Referenced in The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe (2005)

Soundtrack:

Home Sweet Home

The best movie you'll never want to see again

I had the fortune of being able to see Hotaru no Haka on the big-screen in Seattle a couple of years ago. It was truly the high-point of my film festival excursions. At the end of the movie, there was silence, absolute and total silence in the theater - and then, only an occasional sniffle until the end credits had finished rolling and the house lights came up. It would've seemed almost disrespectful to profane the silence with words.

Seeing a movie like this really changes attitudes about war - about who really suffers, and that the honor and glory is shallow comfort when you contemplate what has been lost in the struggle.

I've made the comment to my friends that if you ever see someone who isn't moved (usually to tears) by this movie, you've found someone without a soul. As difficult as it is to watch, turn off the phone, dim the lights, and immerse yourself in the film with ones you love - you will be a better person for it in the end.

There are many other reviews of this movie, and most of them are probably far more comprehensive than my own - I'll conclude by saying that this movie should required viewing at some point (as should the peace museums at Hiroshima and Nagasaki) for everyone.

When you see war and conflict in the news or read about it in the paper, think back to this movie - your perspective will probably be broadened, and your eyes opened a bit more.

I've only watched this movie about 4 times - it usually takes a year or so to "decompress" after watching it. To see it too often would lessen the impact, and that would be the worst possible thing to do to this movie.