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

When Umi and Shun board the ship to find out the truth about their parentage, there is a shot that shows a red sign saying "Ghibli" on the front of the ship.

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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: The Sega Smol Boi (2020)

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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

It's no Spirited Away, but still good

From up on Poppy Hill is a deserving addition to the Ghibli library. It's sweet, small and relatable. The manga-based script is written by Hayao Miyazaki himself, while his son Goro is directing this time.

Poppy Hill is slightly different from the more known Ghibli films in the fact that it takes place completely in the real world and there's not even the slightest hint of anything supernatural. It makes it a different kind of film, so I would recommend placing your expectations outside the Totoro/Ponyo/Spirited Away territory.

Once you settle into the setting, the movie offers a good time: the characters are colourful (especially the philosophy guy, he was hilarious!) and relatable and the simplicity and down to earth feel of the story prevents the film from getting out of hand. The romance doesn't feel forced in any way and there are many heartwarming moments. By the end I was just smiling and left the theater with a warm feel inside.

The movie has some issues that keep it outside of greatness status. The animation isn't bad, but certainly not the level we've come to expect (this might be partly because the film was in production when the 2011 tsunami hit, so it's understandable). The story takes a while to get going, and also I found the music almost interrupting at times. I wonder how the sound mixing went because at times the music felt almost too loud.

But in the end Poppy Hill is a very enjoyable film. It takes a while to get going, but it gives it the advantage of getting better and better as it progresses.

Recommendation: For Ghibli fans and newcomers alike From up on Poppy Hill offers a heartwarming feel-good film that will bring a smile to your face. Definitely worth seeing

Details

Official Sites:

Official site [Japan]

Country:

Japan

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