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The Tale of The Princess Kaguya (Kaguyahime no monogatari)

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  • Trailer for The Tale Of Princess Kaguya
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Movie Info & Cast

Director:

Isao Takahata

Producer:

Yoshiaki Nishimura, Seiichirô Ujiie, Geoffrey Wexler

Writer:

Riko Sakaguchi

Runtime:

2hr 17m

Synopsis

Kaguya is a beautiful young woman coveted by five nobles. To try to avoid marrying a stranger she doesn't love, she sends her suitors on seemingly impossible tasks. But she will have to face her fate and punishment for her choices.

Cast

  • Aki Asakura
  • Kengo Kôra
  • Takeo Chii
  • Nobuko Miyamoto
  • Atsuko Takahata
  • Tomoko Tabata
  • Chloë Grace Moretz
  • James Caan
  • Mary Steenburgen
  • James Marsden

Letterboxd User Reviews

4.3
438.9K
132.1K
163.3K
RATINGS 12.4K FANS
4.3

  • I didn't even know movies could be this good.

    4.9K Likes
    James (Schaffrillas)
    James (Schaffrillas)
    Nov 27, 2024

    With you, Sutemaru, I might have been happy. Absurd that Isao Takahata's name does not carry the same level of reverence and awe from the general populace as Hayao Miyazaki's. I suppose it comes down to his masterpieces being fewer in number and far less marketable.…

    4.0K Likes
    James (Schaffrillas)
    James (Schaffrillas)
    Nov 2, 2014

    Dying isn't a tragedy, not living is.

    3.3K Likes
    Joe
    Joe
  •
    Sep 5, 2014

    top tier Ghibli. Takahata's devastatingly great watercolor and charcoal folklore feels at once both ancient and alive. a little bit of flab in the middle (though it suits the fable-esque nature), but the last 20 minutes make up for the screechy first 20 and any pockets of…

    3.1K Likes
    davidehrlich
    davidehrlich

    This movie is pure beauty. The scene where she runs away in the middle of the night is one of the most stunning pieces of animation I have seen in my entire life. Perfect from beginning to end. Some of My Favorite Movies

    2.5K Likes
    Felipe F.
    Felipe F.
    Sep 18, 2019

    oh to be a princess from another world having a mental breakdown

    2.5K Likes
    👽 Zara 👽
    👽 Zara 👽
  •
    Jan 1, 2024

    all she wanted to do was live freely but men had to ruin everything

    1.8K Likes
    theyo theyo
    theyo theyo
    May 27, 2020

    "All this happiness that you wished for me has been very hard to bear." An absolute knockout of a film. Beautiful to the extent that I got chills at multiple points just from the images alone. Every frame feels so lovingly drawn, and the details in the character's eyes…

    1.7K Likes
    Jacob
    Jacob
    Oct 24, 2014

    As a parent, I'm dreading the day my daughter grows up and ascends to the moon on a chariot of clouds. Isao Takahata's watercolor and sketch animation is so consistently beautiful it threatens to become mundane (ho hum, another gorgeously composed and colored shot) and…

    1.6K Likes
    Sean Gilman
    Sean Gilman
See All Reviews on Letterboxd.com

Queue Community Reviews

92%
Community 9,764
❤️ LOVE
28%
👍 LIKE
64%
😐 MEH
6%
👎 DISLIKE
2%
Top Reviews
  • Jasmin
    Jasmin loved
    The Tale of The Princess Kaguya

    OH MY GOD this is so beautiful. The animation and story are stunning, I have no words to describe this

    🔥 👀 2 7M
    Utot Ka
    Utot Ka liked
    The Tale of The Princess Kaguya

    This movie, if you remove the fantasy aspect, is a realistic portrayal of life before and even nowadays. Its themes are very evident in the movie, feminism, women restriction, greediness, etc. A good movie overall, the art style can be subjective though.

    🔥 1 2Y
    Emma FONDON
    Emma FONDON loved
    The Tale of The Princess Kaguya

    Watched it a hundred times and it is always so magical and appeasing

    🔥 1 10M
  • Noah March
    Noah March is "meh" on
    The Tale of The Princess Kaguya

    🫎🫎🫎1/2 My 11th film for my Studio Ghibli class. This was a tough one whether I was going to put it in “like” or “meh” but in the last 45 minutes I was waiting for the film to be over. It was just too long for what it was. The story was interesting at first. I really like the commentary on…

    3M
    Obihulk
    Obihulk loved
    The Tale of The Princess Kaguya

    All that pain,that sorrow,joy and love and the sense of belonging. After finishing it at 12:08 pm I want to experience this story for the first time all over again so I can experience that flow of a surprise case of unknown grief. The hand drawn animation is incredibly fluid

    3Y
    Arjun
    Arjun loved
    The Tale of The Princess Kaguya

    I love this movie. After I finished it, i felt empty for a while. “Birds, bugs, beast, grass, tree, flowers. Teach me how to feel, if I hear that you pine for me, I will want to return to you.” This movie was so beautifully made. I love everything about this movie.

    4Y
  • Bart van Tilburg
    Bart van Tilburg loved
    The Tale of The Princess Kaguya

    Beautiful Anime Movie, Now I finally know the Story of prinses Kaguya, the famous fairytale from Japan that I have heard so much about. Now I can finally understand what everyone's talking about when they bring up this Beautiful Story.

    1Y
    Michaela Jindrova
    Michaela Jindrova loved
    The Tale of The Princess Kaguya

    ABSOLUTE PEAK. the symbolics in every frame and great historical references are on point. Animation immaculate, it shines with every move. I cried during this movie and i love how the plot unfolds.

    6M
    Runes
    Runes loved
    The Tale of The Princess Kaguya

    I immediately watched the start of the movie after finishing it, I could not handle the end😭 so good and not what I expected (in a good way), so go watch it right now🤗

    1Y
View More Popular The Tale of The Princess Kaguya Reviews on Queue

Atom Users Reviews

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Metacritic

89
metacritic
Based on 28 Critics
8.5

USER SCORE (253)

Universal acclaim based on 253 Reviews
75
Dec 4, 2014

It’s the beautiful and breathtaking animation that gives The Tale of the Princess Kaguya a luster that is both simple and sophisticated. Once again the visionary Takahata and Studio Ghibli prove that great animation is not just for kids, but can be universal in its reach.

View full review
Metacritic review by Mary Houlihan
Mary Houlihan
Chicago Sun-Times
60
Sep 10, 2014

Taking Eastern watercolours as inspiration, the aesthetic is impressionistic and painterly with a fluidity that imbues the piece with an intrinsic magic.

View full review
Metacritic review by Ben Nicholson
Ben Nicholson
CineVue
See All Critic Reviews on Metacritic.com

Frequently Asked Questions

Is The Tale of The Princess Kaguya (Kaguyahime no monogatari) family-friendly?
The movie has been rated as PG (Parental Guidance Suggested). It's generally considered a family-friendly movie.
How long is The Tale of The Princess Kaguya (Kaguyahime no monogatari)?
The movie is 2hr 17min long.
What's The Tale of The Princess Kaguya (Kaguyahime no monogatari) about?
Kaguya is a beautiful young woman coveted by five nobles. To try to avoid marrying a stranger she doesn't love, she sends her suitors on seemingly impossible tasks. But she will have to face her fate and punishment for her choices.
Who's the cast of The Tale of The Princess Kaguya (Kaguyahime no monogatari)?
  • Aki Asakura as Kaguya hime, Jokan
  • Kengo Kôra as Sutemaru
  • Takeo Chii as Okina
  • Nobuko Miyamoto as Ôna, Narration
  • Atsuko Takahata as Sagami
  • Tomoko Tabata as Menowarawa
  • Chloë Grace Moretz as The Princess Kaguya
  • James Caan as The Bamboo Cutter
  • Mary Steenburgen as The Bamboo Cutter's Wife, Narrator
  • James Marsden as Prince Ishitsukuri
Who's the director behind The Tale of The Princess Kaguya (Kaguyahime no monogatari)?
Isao Takahata directed The Tale of The Princess Kaguya (Kaguyahime no monogatari).
Who produced The Tale of The Princess Kaguya (Kaguyahime no monogatari)?
Yoshiaki Nishimura, Seiichirô Ujiie and Geoffrey Wexler produced The Tale of The Princess Kaguya (Kaguyahime no monogatari).