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) (Japan) (theatrical)
• Gkids (2013) (USA) (theatrical)
• ADV Films (2009) (USA) (all media) (re-issue)
• Central Park Media Corporation (I) (II)
• JONU Media (2003) (Spain) (DVD)
• Les Films du Paradoxe (1996) (France) (all media)
• Optimum Releasing (2004) (UK) (DVD)
• Section 23 Films (2013) (USA) (DVD)
• Sentai Filmworks (2012) (USA) (DVD)
• 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:

Produced concurrently with My Neighbor Totoro (1988). Many of the animators had trouble remembering which film they were animating.

Quotes:

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

Movie Connections:

Featured in "Anime Abandon: Grave of the Fireflies (#2.10)" (2012)

Soundtrack:

Home Sweet Home

A powerful film that shows the true cost of war

"Grave of the Fireflies" is one of the most ambitious, depressing, and quite frankly, best films that I've ever seen. I was nearly moved to tears by this film's brave treatment of such critical subject matter. Yes, it's an Anime' piece, but surprisingly, it came out in 1988, during a time where most Japanese animation films were either relentless bloodbaths, borderline pornography, or both.

As a fan of the Anime' genre of film-making, many great pieces have achieved some sort of cult status here in America, yet none have really reached mainstream success. Some have broken through the barrier and have gained acceptance with American critics, like Katsuhiro Otomo's "Akira," or "Princess Mononoke," or "Spirited Away" (both films directed by Hayao Miyazaki). One that I've seen and has been barely mentioned by most critics is "Grave of the Fireflies."

What we have with "Grave of the Fireflies," is a story of innocence lost and two children who ultimately face a losing battle with trying to survive in a small Japanese village in the closing days of World War II. WWII was the costliest conflict in world history, with millions dead and thousands left to pick up the pieces.

In the center of it, are the aforementioned two children, who are pretty much left to fend for themselves after their mother is killed in a bombing raid. Because their father is off fighting in the war and they have no way of contacting any other family, they're sent to live with their aunt, who is at first warm and welcoming to them, but eventually becomes very cruel and the children are forced to live in a nearby bomb shelter. From that point on, the two children embark on a journey that is every bit as unpleasant and difficult as the grim realities of the world around them.

Very easily one of the best Anime' films that I've ever seen (or any animated film for that matter), I find it difficult to believe just how truly overlooked "Grave of the Fireflies" is. The animation is beautiful, though certainly not dated by any means (even though Japanese animation has progressed well since this film was made).

We get a sense of the dread of the two lead characters, who watch as the world around them crumbles into heaps of ashes, and aircraft loom ominously overhead, dropping their deadly, incendiary cargo on unsuspecting Japanese villagers.

The director, Isao Takahata, obviously has a special resentment of the war, but manages to avoid condemning it outright. The director instead lets us focus in on the conflict as seen through the eyes of the two children, who watch unflinchingly as the realities of their world begin to falter before them.

"Grave of the Fireflies" is a bold statement on the condition of the human soul during conflict. I probably shouldn't say this but I am anyways, but this film has to be the "Schindler's List" of animated pieces. It's brave, it's not overly sentimental, but it is relentless in its dramatization of a dangerous reality. It should be required viewing in any high school world history class.

A beautiful film; not to be missed by anyone.