Whisper of the Heart (1995) Mimi wo sumaseba (original title)

Director:

Yoshifumi Kondô

Writers:

Hayao Miyazaki (screenplay)
Aoi Hiiragi (comic) ...
(more)

Release Date:

15 July 1995 (Japan)

Genre:

Animation | Drama | Family | Music | Romance

Tagline:

Suki na hito ga dekimashita!

Plot:

A young girl finds that all the books she chooses in the library have been previously checked out by the same boy...

Plot Keywords:

Book | Library | Writing | Violin | Violin Maker

Cast

Youko Honna	...	Shizuku Tsukishima (voice)
Kazuo Takahashi	...	Seiji Amasawa (voice)
Takashi Tachibana	...	Seiya Tsukishima (voice)
Issei Takahashi	...	Seiji Amasawa (voice)
Shigeru Muroi	...	Asako Tsukishima (voice)
Shigeru Tsuyuguchi	...	The Baron (voice)
Keiju Kobayashi	...	Shiro Nishi (voice)
Yorie Yamashita	...	Shiho Tsukishima (voice)
Maiko Kayama	...	Yuko Harada (voice)
Yoshimi Nakajima	...	Sugimura (voice)
Minami Takayama	...	Kosaka-sensei (voice)
Mayumi Iizuka	...	Kinuyo (voice)
Mai Chiba	...	(voice)
Satoru Takahashi	...	(voice)
Akiko Sakaguchi	...	(voice)
Hiromi Yasuda	...	(voice)
Tatsuya Okada	...	(voice)
Yoshihiro Imai	...	(voice)
Naohisa Inoue	...	Tall Friend of Mr. Nishi (voice)
Suguru Egawa	...	Baseball Analyst (voice)
Shirô Kishibe	...	(voice)
Mitsuaki Ogawa	...	Baseball Announcer (voice)
Toshio Suzuki	...	(voice)
David Gallagher	...	Seiji Amasawa (voice: English version)
James Sikking	...	Seiya Tsukishima (as James B. Sikking)
Jean Smart	...	Asako Tsukishima (voice: English version)
Harold Gould	...	Shiro Nishi (voice: English version)
Courtney Thorne-Smith	...	Shiho Tsukishima (voice: English version)
Martin Spanjers	...	Sugimura (voice: English version)
Mika Boorem	...	Kinuyo (voice: English version)
Abigail Mavity	...	Nao (voice: English version)
Deanna Russo	...	High School Student (voice: English version)
Jeff Bennett	...	(voice: English version)
Corey Burton	...	(voice: English version)
Erin Chambers	...	(voice: English version)
Melissa Disney	...	(voice: English version)
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Cary Elwes	...	The Baron (voice: English version)
Brittany Snow	...	Shizuku Tsukishima (voice: English version)
Ashley Tisdale	...	Yuko Harada (voice: English version)

Directed by
Yoshifumi Kondô

Writing credits
Hayao Miyazaki		(screenplay)
Aoi Hiiragi		(comic)
Cindy Davis Hewitt		screenplay: English version
Donald H. Hewitt		screenplay: English version

Produced by
Rick Dempsey	....	executive producer
Ned Lott	....	producer
Hayao Miyazaki	....	supervising producer
Takashi Shoji	....	line producer
Toshio Suzuki	....	producer
Yasuyoshi Tokuma	....	executive producer
Seiichirô Ujiie	....	line producer

Original Music by
Yuji Nomi

Cinematography by
Kitaro Kosaka

Film Editing by
Takeshi Seyama

Casting by
Ned Lott

Art Direction by
Satoshi Kuroda

Production Management
Cory Hansen	....	post-production manager
Nozomu Takahashi	....	production manager

Second Unit Director or Assistant Director
Hiroyuki Ito	....	assistant director
Masahiko Ôtsuka	....	assistant director

Art Department
Hayao Miyazaki	....	storyboard artist
Akiko Ono	....	color key
Minako Oshiro	....	color key
Michiyo Yasuda	....	character color designer

Sound Department
Petra Bach	....	supervising adr editor
Randy Coppinger	....	adr recordist
Tom E. Dahl	....	sound re-recording mixer
Shuji Inoue	....	sound mixer
William Komar	....	adr recordist

Animation Department
Akihiko Adachi	....	inbetween animator
Masashi Ando	....	key animator
Hiroyuki Aoyama	....	key animator: Telecom Animation Film
Tsutomu Awata	....	key animator (as Tsutomu Awada)
Masaaki Endo	....	key animator
Maya Fujimori	....	inbetween animator: Telecom Animation Film
Rie Fujimura	....	inbetween animator
Yoshikazu Fukutome	....	background artist
Hiromi Furuya	....	inbetween animator
Makiko Futaki	....	key animator
Seiko Higashi	....	inbetween animator
Sayaka Hirahara	....	background artist
Kazuko Hirai	....	inbetween animator: Telecom Animation Film
Katsu Hisamura	....	background artist
Takeshi Imamura	....	key animator (as Takeshi Inamura)
Ryouko Ina	....	background artist
Hiroyuki Inoue	....	key animator
Naohisa Inoue	....	background artist: fantasy scenes
Kuniyuki Ishii	....	key animator
Shin Itagaki	....	inbetween animator: Telecom Animation Film
Yumiko Ito	....	inbetween animator
Emiko Iwayanagi	....	inbetween animator
Megumi Kagawa	....	key animator (as Ai Kagawa)
Naomi Kasugai	....	background artist
Toshio Kawaguchi	....	key animator
Hana Kikuchi	....	inbetween animator
Go Kimura	....	inbetween animator: Telecom Animation Film
Yumiko Kitajima	....	inbetween animator
Komasa	....	inbetween animator
Rie Kondou	....	inbetween animator
Ken'ichi Konishi	....	key animator
Kitaro Kosaka	....	animation director
Kitaro Kosaka	....	character designer
Misuzu Kurata	....	inbetween animator
Ikuo Kuwana	....	inbetween animator
Kiyoko Makita	....	inbetween animator
Reiko Mano	....	inbetween animator
Hisako Matsuda	....	inbetween animator
Mariko Matsuo	....	inbetween animator
Masaru Matsuse	....	key animator
Atsuko Matsushita	....	inbetween animator
Hiroko Minowa	....	key animator
Yoshiyuki Momose	....	key animator
Noriko Moritomo	....	key animator
Kyouko Naganawa	....	background artist
Yoko Nagashima	....	inbetween animator
Rie Nakagome	....	animation checker
Katsutoshi Nakamura	....	inbetween animator
Rie Niidome	....	inbetween animator
Sumie Nishido	....	inbetween animator
Takehiro Noda	....	key animator
Noriko Odaka	....	inbetween animator: Telecom Animation Film
Kazuo Oga	....	background artist
Mayumi Ohmura	....	animation checker
Kumiko Ohta	....	inbetween animator
Kazuyoshi Onoda	....	inbetween animator
Kiyomi Ota	....	background artist
Shinji Otsuka	....	key animator
Masaya Saitou	....	key animator
Masako Sakano	....	inbetween animator
Shinsaku Sasaki	....	key animator
Kuri Sawa	....	inbetween animator
Eriko Shibata	....	inbetween animator
Kazuko Shibata	....	inbetween animator
Ritsuko Shiina	....	inbetween animator
Miyoko Shikibu	....	inbetween animator: Telecom Animation Film
Masako Shinohara	....	key animator
Naoko Sugaya	....	inbetween animator: Telecom Animation Film
Makiko Suzuki	....	inbetween animator
Mariko Suzuki	....	inbetween animator
Natsuko Takahashi	....	inbetween animator: Telecom Animation Film
Hiroko Takatani	....	inbetween animator: Telecom Animation Film
Yôji Takeshige	....	background artist
Teiichi Takiguchi	....	key animator: Telecom Animation Film
Seiki Tamura	....	background artist
Atsuko Tanaka	....	key animator: Telecom Animation Film
Naoya Tanaka	....	background artist
Hitomi Tateno	....	inbetween animator
Akiko Teshima	....	animation checker
Keiko Tomizawa	....	inbetween animator
Shinobu Tsuneki	....	inbetween animator
Kôjirô Tsuruoka	....	inbetween animator (as Koujirou Tsuruoka)
Alexandra Weihrauch	....	inbetween animator
Ken'ichi Yamada	....	key animator
Akira Yamagawa	....	background artist (as Akira Yamakawa)
Eiji Yamamori	....	inbetween animator
Mayumi Yamamoto	....	inbetween animator
Nizou Yamamoto	....	background artist
Yukari Yamaura	....	inbetween animator
Yuichiro Yano	....	key animator: Telecom Animation Film
Mayu Yazawa	....	inbetween animator: Telecom Animation Film
Hisao Yokobori	....	key animator: Telecom Animation Film
Kazumi Yokoyama	....	inbetween animator
Kenichi Yoshida	....	key animator
Hideaki Yoshio	....	key animator
Keiko Yozawa	....	inbetween animator: Telecom Animation Film
Atsuko Ôtani	....	key animator

Editorial Department
Keiko Mizuta	....	assistant editor
Megumi Uchida	....	assistant editor

Music Department
Michinori Nagano	....	music producer
Hidehiko Ono	....	music mixer
Tomoyu Takagi	....	music producer

Other crew
Rick Dempsey	....	dialogue director

Production Companies

• Tokuma Shoten
• Nippon Television Network Corporation (NTV) (as Nippon Telebi Housoumou)
• Hakuhodo (as Hakuhoudou)
• Mimi wo Sumaseba Production Committee
• Studio Ghibli

Distributors

• Buena Vista Home Entertainment (2002) (Japan) (DVD) (special edition)
• Buena Vista Home Entertainment (1997) (Japan) (VHS)
• Buena Vista Home Video
• Cinema Mondo (2009) (Finland) (all media)
• Front Row Filmed Entertainment (2008) (United Arab Emirates) (all media) (Middle East)
• Intercontinental Video (2002) (Hong Kong) (DVD)
• Intercontinental Video (2011) (Hong Kong) (DVD) (Blu-ray)
• Optimum Releasing (2006) (UK) (DVD)
• RUSCICO (2008) (Russia) (all media)
• Toho Company (Japan)

Other Companies

• Anime Torotoro  cooperating animation studios
• Be Witch  casting
• Cameo Interactive  cooperation
• Chai Yukinobu Violin & Guiter Factory  cooperation
• Continental Far East  technical cooperation
• Digital Image Creating Room Flamingo  digital compositing production
• Group Donguri  cooperating animation studios
• IM Studio  animation finishing
• Imagica  developing
• Koganei City Koganei 1 Junior High School  cooperation
• Mail  music production
• Murao  technical cooperation
• NTV Program Division Art Center CG Production Department  digital compositing production
• Oh Production  cooperating animation studios
• Stack  technical cooperation
• Studio Ado  animation finishing
• Studio Cockpit  cooperating animation studios
• Studio Killy  animation finishing
• Studio Moon  audio production
• Studio OZ  animation finishing
• Studio Takuranke  cooperating animation studios
• TV Tokyo Studio  music recorded at
• Telecom Animation Film Company  in-between animation
• Telecom Animation Film Company  key animation
• Trace Studio M  animation finishing
• Yomiuri Newspaper Company  special cooperation

Also Known As:

"Mimi wo sumaseba" - Japan (original title)

Runtime:

111 min

Country:

Japan

Language:

Japanese | English

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital

Certification:

France:U | Germany:o.Al. | UK:U | USA:G | Canada:G (Nova Scotia) | Australia:PG | South Korea:All | Chile:TE | Finland:K-3 | Sweden:7 (DVD rating) | Argentina:Atp

Company:

Tokuma Shoten

Trivia:

This marked the first use by Studio Ghibli of digital composition, meaning that elements of a scene were composed using a computer. In this case, it's the flying scene with Baron within Shizuku's story. The scene contains a lot of elements moving independently, including the small "planets" and Shizuku's characters. Although all these elements were animated by tradition means, they were combined using computer technology.

Goofs:

Continuity: (At 22:56 - 23:20) When Shizuku first follows Muta the cat into Mr.Nishi's antique shop. Just as Shizuku watches Muta enter the shop - we are shown a golden pig statue sitting on the ground being used as a door stop to hold the shop door open, you can see that it's head is angled so that it is pointed/looking to it's right (to the left from our perspective.) But in the next scene we see that the Pig's head is not angled to either side at all - and is instead shown looking straight ahead.

Quotes:

Shizuku:When the afternoon air currents mix, we can even touch the stars without fear!

Movie Connections:

Featured in "JesuOtaku Anime Reviews: Whisper of the Heart (#3.17)" (2012)

Soundtrack:

Take Me Home, Country Roads

Perfect family entertainment -- great cultural insights, too

Whisper of the Heart is the perfect English title of this masterpiece.

It was such a joy to watch an animated film so effectively produced that you start to forget it is an animation. Characters become real; situations and thoughts and feelings come alive. The story is clean, decent and uplifting in every way. Plus, American viewers get an accurate glimpse into the way younger Japanese teens are viewed and view themselves.

I lived in Japan for several years as a child, and a number of the background sounds (the peculiar insects singing in the trees, the electric trains passing) and customs (bowing to elders, enjoying the wonderful soups, singular focus on school success) struck a deep chord of remembrance. This film is fashioned with such detail and consideration for artistic elements -- I just loved it. I wish my kids were still under 10 and I could have shared it with them. Nowadays, I'm afraid the older boys (over 12) would lack the patience to enjoy the film because, frankly, it bears no relation to high-action animation from Japan or the U.S.

I found this film by accident on Turner Classic Movies, and viewed it the English-dubbed version. There is also a subtitled version, but if you want to enjoy it as a family with youngsters, you'll prefer the English language version. The English voices are clear and well done.

It's a beautiful story with a timeless theme presented with loving care. This film is so good, and so insightful, that I would suggest it could be shown in schools or home-schools for its cultural content alone. And if you have an ounce of sentimentalism, sense of wonder or appreciation for creative beauty, then you'll watch it all by yourself after the kids have gone to bed.