4.5/5 The Tale of the Princess Kaguya Will The LEGO Movie take home the Best Animated Feature Oscar? Will How to Train Your Dragon 2 strike gold twice in a row? Will those heavy-weights cancel each other out and give Big Hero 6 the win? These are the big questions you hear in regard to who is going to be crowned the best animated film of 2014. After seeing Isao Takahata’s ravishingly gorgeous and revelatory The Tale of the Princess Kaguya, I have been firmly reassured on just how trivial these awards really are. Any conversation about the year’s animated films that do not heavily involve Takahata’s masterpiece is simply a long meaningless stream of words amplified by some hot air. The film is based on an ancient tale of a princess born from a shining bamboo stalk who matures exceptionally fast. Beautiful and talented, the princess grows to be one of the most famed, and fabled, bachelorettes in all the land. Noble suitors, including the prince himself, travel to win her hand. Buy her hand would be a more accurate description, a truth that is not lost on the princess. All she wants is to journey back to the quaint country home in which she was raised and be reunited with her hardscrabble group of childhood friends. | Director: Isao Takahata Writer: Isao Takahata & Riko Sakaguchi |
In truth, the story is devastating, though not the teary-eyed sadness you may be thinking. Princess Kaguya will leave you emotionally shaken and stirred. I saw it two days ago and I still catch myself staring and pondering the film’s ramifications. I simply cannot get it out of my head. I urge you to embrace this challenge. If you submit, I guarantee this movie will never leave you.
I use the word “challenge” with specific intent. The film is 137 minutes long and the pacing is in no hurry. But like planting a bed of flowers, you cannot fully enjoy them until you have patiently watched them grow. Like all journeys worth taking, it takes a while and is all the better for it.
Having said that, simply sitting and watching Princess Kaguya is a treat all unto itself. All of Studio Ghibli’s films, from Spirited Away to last year’s The Wind Rises, are gorgeous and intricate. So is the case here, but it’s on a whole new level. The illustrations are drawn and painted in a style that feels hundreds of years old. With distinct, soft lines and splashed watercolors, Princess Kaguya is operating at a level of artistry far above The LEGO Movie or How to Train Your Dragon 2, which I gave a perfect 5. It simply does not come close. Pause it at any time. Each frame is a stirring work of a art.
Having only seen the Japanese version with English subtitles, I am in no place to critique the performances and fluidity of the American actors who provided their voices. Such actors include Chloë Grace Moritz, James Caan, Mary Steenburgen, Lucy Liu, Darren Criss, Beau Bridges, James Marsden, and Oliver Platt. While seeing the film in its original form contributed to the feeling of authenticity, I admit that I would have enjoyed seeing the English version, if only to fully admire the artwork’s perfection with 100% focus. Now that the film is available on video, I fully plan on taking a second dip. I do not care how long it is, nor should you. Here is a film that, once seen, will never leave you. There is something special and timeless about The Tale of the Princess Kaguya, something that should not be reduced to tiny, golden statuettes.
I use the word “challenge” with specific intent. The film is 137 minutes long and the pacing is in no hurry. But like planting a bed of flowers, you cannot fully enjoy them until you have patiently watched them grow. Like all journeys worth taking, it takes a while and is all the better for it.
Having said that, simply sitting and watching Princess Kaguya is a treat all unto itself. All of Studio Ghibli’s films, from Spirited Away to last year’s The Wind Rises, are gorgeous and intricate. So is the case here, but it’s on a whole new level. The illustrations are drawn and painted in a style that feels hundreds of years old. With distinct, soft lines and splashed watercolors, Princess Kaguya is operating at a level of artistry far above The LEGO Movie or How to Train Your Dragon 2, which I gave a perfect 5. It simply does not come close. Pause it at any time. Each frame is a stirring work of a art.
Having only seen the Japanese version with English subtitles, I am in no place to critique the performances and fluidity of the American actors who provided their voices. Such actors include Chloë Grace Moritz, James Caan, Mary Steenburgen, Lucy Liu, Darren Criss, Beau Bridges, James Marsden, and Oliver Platt. While seeing the film in its original form contributed to the feeling of authenticity, I admit that I would have enjoyed seeing the English version, if only to fully admire the artwork’s perfection with 100% focus. Now that the film is available on video, I fully plan on taking a second dip. I do not care how long it is, nor should you. Here is a film that, once seen, will never leave you. There is something special and timeless about The Tale of the Princess Kaguya, something that should not be reduced to tiny, golden statuettes.