From Up on Poppy Hill (2011)
"Kokuriko-zaka kara" (original title)

A group of Yokohama teens look to save their school's clubhouse from the wrecking ball in preparations for the 1964 Tokyo Olympics.

Director:

Goro Miyazaki

Writers:

Tetsurô Sayama (original story), Hayao Miyazaki (screenplay),

Stars:

Sarah Bolger, Anton Yelchin, Christina Hendricks

2 wins & 2 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Masami Nagasawa	...	Umi Matsuzaki (voice)
Jun'ichi Okada	...	Shun Kazama (voice)
Keiko Takeshita	...	Hana Matsuzaki (voice)
Yuriko Ishida	...	Miki Hokuto (voice)
Rumi Hiiragi	...	Sachiko Hirokôji (voice)
Jun Fubuki	...	Ryoko Matsuzaki (voice)
Takashi Naitô	...	Yoshio Onodera (voice)
Shunsuke Kazama	...	Shirô Mizunuma (voice)
Nao Ohmori	...	Akio Kazama (voice) (as Nao Ômori)
Teruyuki Kagawa	...	Tokumaru rijichô (voice)
Haruka Shiraishi	...	Sora Matsuzaki (voice)
Tsubasa Kobayashi	...	Riku Matsuzaki (voice)
Aoi Teshima	...	Nobuko Yokoyama (voice)
Goro Miyazaki	...	World History Teacher (voice)
Sarah Bolger	...	Umi Matsuzaki (voice)

Storyline

A group of Yokohama teens look to save their school's clubhouse from the wrecking ball in preparations for the 1964 Tokyo Olympics.

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Plot Keywords:

olympic games

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Genres:

Animation | Drama | Family

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated PG for mild thematic elements and some incidental smoking images

Details

Official Sites:

Official site [jp]

Country:

Japan

Language:

Japanese

Release Date:

29 March 2013 (USA)

Also Known As:

From Up on Poppy Hill

Box Office

Opening Weekend:

$57,585 (USA) (15 March 2013)

Gross:

$897,111 (USA) (10 May 2013)

Company Credits

Production Co:

Studio Ghibli, Nippon Television Network Corporation (NTV), Dentsu

Technical Specs

Runtime:

91 min

Sound Mix:

DTS Dolby Digital

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

When Umi Matsuzaki and Shun Kazama are embarking on the prodigious ship, there is a sign at the bottom of the wheel house (bridge) which says "Ghibli", the studio which made the film.

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Connections

Referenced in Two People (2011)

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Soundtracks

"Sayonara no Natsu: Kokuriko Saka Kara"
Music by Kôichi Sakata
Arranged by Satoshi Takebe
Lyrics by Yukiko Marimura
Performed by Aoi Teshima

User Reviews

Not quite one of Studio Ghibli's finest, but still a charming film

I always have been a big fan of Studio Ghibli and of anime. From Up on Poppy Hill is not quite one of Ghibli's finest like Spirited Away, Princess Mononoke, Grave of the Fireflies, Castle in the Sky and My Neighbour Totoro, but it is better than PomPoko and Tales from Earthsea(both are worth watching, but I only consider them decent movies). Even with the rushed ending and a twist that is a touch too cheesy, From Up on Poppy Hill is still a charming film. As to expect, the animation is fantastic, with the beautiful colours and ethereal backgrounds still evident. The music is also wonderful, it does have a pleasant lilt to it and at times reminds me of the score from Kiki's Delivery Service. The song Summer of Farewells is one of my favourite theme songs of any Ghibli. The story is one of the studio's most realistic, and it still has the heart and charm you'd expect from a Ghibli film, especially in the middle, if not quite the depth of Grave of the Fireflies for example. The script has a nice balance of humour and poignancy, it doesn't have My Neighbour Totoro's whimsy but again From Up on Poppy Hill didn't strike me as the kind of film Totoro was, and the characters are likable and engaging throughout. Overall, charming, heartfelt and very likable, Studio Ghibli may have done better but to me seeing as I have enjoyed and most of the time loved their films I don't take that as a bad thing. 8/10 Bethany Cox