From Up on Poppy Hill (2011)

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

Director:

Gorô Miyazaki

Writers:

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

Stars:

Sarah Bolger, Chris Noth, Anton Yelchin

6 wins & 11 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Masami Nagasawa	...	Umi Matsuzaki (voice)
Jun'ichi Okada	...	Shun Kazama / Yuichiro Sawamura (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 / Hiroshi Tachibana (voice)
Nao Ohmori	...	Akio Kazama (voice) (as Nao Ômori)
Teruyuki Kagawa	...	Tokumaru Rijichô (voice)
Haruka Shiraishi	...	Sora Matsuzaki (voice)
Tsubasa Kobayashi	...	Riku Matsuzaki (voice)
Alex Wolff	...	Riku Matsuzaki (voice)
Bridget Hoffman	...	Yuko (voice)
Aoi Teshima	...	Yuko (voice)

Storyline

A group of Yokohama students fight to save their school's clubhouse from the wrecking ball during preparations for the 1964 Tokyo Olympic Games. While working there, Umi and Shun gradually attract each other, but face a sudden trial. Even so, they keep going without fleeing the difficulties of reality.

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Plot Keywords:

singing | studio ghibli | 1960s | loss of father | five word title | 

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Genres:

Animation | Drama | Family | Romance

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated PG for mild thematic elements and some incidental smoking images

Did You Know?

Trivia

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

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Goofs

Although the movie takes place in the early 1960s, the "Coke" sign over the store (at around 6 mins) has a swoosh. That didn't become part of the Coca-Cola logo until 1969.

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Quotes

Shun Kazama: There's no future for people who worship the future, and forget the past.

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Crazy Credits

On the philosophy two non Japanese quotes can be seen. In German "What is life without love glamour" from Friedrich Schiller is engraved. In french "I think, therefore I am" from René Descartes is show.

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Alternate Versions

The American version of the film has an additional tag for the end credits, listing the creators of the English dub. The style is completely different from the rest of the credits and the music is an English version of "The Indigo Waves", the choral song from the end of the film.

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Connections

Referenced in AniMat's Crazy Cartoon Cast: Barney's Big Blockbuster (2019)

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Soundtracks

Sayonara no Natsu ~Kokuriko-zaka kara~
("Summer of Goodbyes ~From up on Poppy Hill~")
(1976)
Lyrics by Yukiko Marimura
Composed by Kôichi Sakata
Arranged by Satoshi Takebe
Sung by Aoi Teshima

User Reviews

Miyazaki replaces fantasy with realism in deeply moving film

From the moment "Up on Poppy Hill" opens, scans its world in photographic panorama, and takes you into an ordinary Japanese kitchen where early-teen Umi is preparing a meal, you sense that this will not be like any Miyazaki film that you have ever seen. Still present is the flawless Studio Ghibli animation, but all traces of fantasy are gone. Instead the film grabs your heartstrings and won't let go. It's a simple enough story, neither harrowing nor heartbreaking, but its telling is so rich and enveloping that you're quickly as close to it as if you were on the back of a careening bicycle with Umi. // Young children will be entertained by the wonderful animation and may have questions to ask about the differences between how Umi lives her daily life in 1963 Japan and how they themselves live. Anyone older than about nine will grasp the full depth of the story and will enter it through its richness and detail. If you are empathetic at all your eyes will be wet from recognition, and, often enough, from joy. See this film and hope for more like it from the new Miyazaki generation. (Note: This review is for the English-dubbed, non-subtitled version that opened in Los Angeles in late March, 2013.)

Details

Official Sites:

Official site [Japan]

Country:

Japan USA

Language:

Japanese

Release Date:

16 July 2011 (Japan)

Also Known As:

From Up on Poppy Hill

Box Office

Budget:

$22,000,000 (estimated)

Opening Weekend USA:

$57,585, 17 March 2013

Gross USA:

$1,002,895

Cumulative Worldwide Gross:

$61,487,846

Company Credits

Production Co:

Studio Ghibli, Nippon Television Network (NTV), Dentsu

Technical Specs

Runtime:

91 min

Sound Mix:

DTS Dolby Digital

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1