is a 2013 Japanese animated historical fantasy drama film directed by Isao Takahata from a screenplay he co-wrote with Riko Sakaguchi. Based on The Tale of the Bamboo Cutter, a 10th-century Japanese literary tale, the film follows a bamboo cutter who works with his wife, whose life changes when he meets a living nymph that turns into a beautiful young woman. Themes of feminism, freedom, social alienation, impermanence, and responsibility are explored throughout.
It was produced by Studio Ghibli for Nippon Television Network, Dentsu, Hakuhodo DYMP, Walt Disney Japan, Mitsubishi, Toho and KDDI. The film's ensemble voice cast featured Aki Asakura, Kengo Kora, Takeo Chii, Nobuko Miyamoto, Atsuko Takahata, Tomoko Tabata, Tatekawa Shinosuke, Takaya Kamikawa, Hikaru Ijūin, Ryudo Uzaki, Nakamura Shichinosuke II, Isao Hashizume, Yukiji Asaoka (in a special appearance) and Tatsuya Nakadai. It is the final film to feature Chii, who died in June 2012, and also the final film to be directed by Takahata, who died in April 2018.
The Tale of the Princess Kaguya was released in Japan on 23 November 2013 by Toho. With a budget of US$49.3 million, it was the most expensive Japanese film. It received critical acclaim and was nominated for the Best Animated Feature at the 87th Academy Awards. Its production was the subject of the feature-length documentary Isao Takahata and His Tale of the Princess Kaguya.
Plot
A bamboo cutter discovers a small scale girl inside a glowing bamboo shoot. Believing her to be a divine presence, he and his wife decide to raise her as their own, calling her "Princess". The girl grows rapidly, earning her the nickname from the village children. , the oldest among Takenoko's friends, develops a close relationship with her.
The bamboo cutter comes upon gold and fine cloth in the bamboo grove the same way he found the Princess. He takes these as proof of her divine royalty and begins planning to make her a "noble princess". He relocates the family to the capital, forcing the girl to leave her friends behind, and the family moves into a mansion replete with servants. The girl is saddled with a governess who is tasked with taming her into a noblewoman. The girl struggles with the restraints of nobility, yearning for her prior life in the countryside.
When she comes of age, she is granted the formal name . The bamboo cutter holds a celebration, where Kaguya overhears partygoers ridiculing his attempts to turn a peasant girl into a noble through money. Kaguya flees the capital in despair and runs back to the mountains, seeking Sutemaru and her friends, but discovers that they have all moved away. She passes out in the snow and awakens back at the party.
Kaguya grows in beauty, attracting suitors. Five noblemen attempt to court her, comparing her to mythical treasures. Kaguya tells them she will only marry whoever can bring her the mythical treasure mentioned. As spring arrives, the Princess wishes to see the cherry blossoms bloom. Her mother and a handmaiden take her back to the country where a blooming tree stands not far from her old hut. Reveling in its bursting forth with life, she happily whirls amid its petals but stumbles into a child. The child's family beg for her forgiveness and leave, reminding Kaguya of her new identity and status.
Returning to the capital, the cart the group is in finds itself stuck, when a ruckus is heard outside. Kaguya notices several men running through the streets, and upon seeing one of them, recognizes Sutemaru, who is stealing a chicken. Unable to contain herself, she cries out to him, but upon realizing her station in life, quickly retreats into the carriage as it drives off. Sutemaru attempts to go after her, but is beaten by those pursuing him, as Kaguya cries.
Two suitors attempt to persuade her with counterfeits, the third abandons his quest, and the fourth gives Kaguya a flower instead of his treasure, but is found by his wife before Kaguya can accept. When the last suitor dies in his quest, Kaguya becomes depressed. The Emperor of Japan takes notice of Kaguya's beauty and tries to forcefully bring her to his palace but she convinces him to leave.
Kaguya reveals to her parents her origin. Once a resident of the Moon, she broke its laws, hoping to be exiled to Earth so that she could experience mortal life. When the Emperor made his advances, she silently begged the Moon to help her. Having heard her prayer, the Moon restored her memories and promised reclamation at the next full moon. Kaguya expresses her attachment to Earth and her reluctance to leave; the bamboo cutter swears to protect her and begins turning the mansion into a fortress.
Kaguya returns to her home village and finds Sutemaru. The two profess their love, and in their joy, they fly over the countryside, only to encounter the Moon and fall. Sutemaru wakes up alone and reunites with his wife and child, interpreting the experience as a dream.
On the night of the full moon, a procession of celestial beings led by the Buddha descends from the Moon, and the fortress is unable to stop it. An attendant offers Kaguya the robe that will erase her memories of Earth. She embraces her family one last time before the robe embraces her. They leave, and the bamboo cutter and his wife are distraught. As Kaguya looks back at Earth, tears fill her eyes.
Voice cast
Character Japanese cast English dub castThe Princess KaguyaAki AsakuraMirai Uchida Chloë Grace MoretzCaitlyn Leone SutemaruKengo KoraDarren CrissThe Bamboo CutterTakeo ChiiJames CaanThe Bamboo Cutter's Wife / The NarratorNobuko MiyamotoMary SteenburgenLady SagamiAtsuko TakahataLucy LiuMe no WarawaTomoko Tabata Hynden WalchInbe no AkitaTatekawa ShinosukeGeorge SegalPrince IshitsukuriTakaya KamikawaJames MarsdenLord Minister of the Right AbeHikaru IjūinOliver PlattGreat Counselor OtomoRyudo UzakiDaniel Dae KimThe MikadoNakamura Shichinosuke IIDean CainPrince KuramochiIsao HashizumeBeau BridgesMiddle Counselor IsonokamiTamaki KojoJohn ChoKita no Kata Yukiji AsaokaEmily BridgesSumiyaki no RoujiniTatsuya Nakadai
Production
As a child, Takahata read The Tale of the Bamboo Cutter. He recalled that he struggled to relate and sympathize with the protagonist; to him, the "heroine's transformation was enigmatic" and that it "didn't evoke any empathy from [him]". In 1960, Takahata was preparing for a potential adaptation for his employer Toei Animation, which eventually was abandoned. After rereading the tale, he realized the story's potential to be entertaining, as long as an adaptation allowed the audience to understand how Princess Kaguya felt.
Studio Ghibli revealed that Isao Takahata was working on a feature-length film in 2008. Takahata announced at the 62nd Locarno International Film Festival in 2009 that he intended to direct a film based on the anonymous Japanese literary tale The Tale of the Bamboo Cutter.
The Tale of the Princess Kaguya was financed by Nippon TV, whose late chairman, Seiichiro Ujiie, gave (approximately ) towards the project. Ujiie loved Takahata's work, and pleaded with Ghibli producer Toshio Suzuki to let Takahata make one more film. Ujiie died on 3 March 2011, but not before being able to view the script and some of the storyboards.
To make sure the audience emotionally connected with the film, it was important to Takahata that viewers were able to "imagine or recall the reality deep within the drawings", rather than be distracted by a realistic art style. He wanted to have people "recollect the realities of this life by sketching ordinary human qualities with simple props". To assist with this vision, Osamu Tanabe provided the character designs and animation, and Kazuo Oga drew the watercolor backgrounds.
The film uses more experimental animation aesthetics where "imperfections" remain in the image (such as stray pencil lines or color bleed). Takahata cited experimental French Canadian animator Frédéric Back as an influence on the film, as well as My Neighbors the Yamadas.
The release of The Tale of the Princess Kaguya was finally confirmed by Studio Ghibli and distributor Toho on 13 December 2012.
Themes
Feminism The Tale of the Princess Kaguya has been noted for its feminist themes. Kaguya's move to the capital and her father's insistence that she adopt the life of a noblewoman run counter to her wishes, while her mother's limited role in decision-making highlights the lack of female agency in the household. Yalcinkaya points to a dream sequence in which Kaguya breaks through a series of doors as a metaphor for the barriers imposed by family and society.
The film also critiques ideals of beauty and propriety during the Heian period. According to Monji, Kaguya's training in court etiquette, which required her to suppress her emotions, amounts to a painful renunciation of humanity. Her decision to set impossible tasks for her suitors has further been read as a depiction of female resistance within a male-dominated hierarchy.
Nature and freedom The contrast between rural life and the palace is a central motif. The countryside is shown through muted colors and soft lines that emphasize simplicity and joy, while the capital is rendered with bolder hues suggesting indulgence and confinement. In one sequence, Kaguya flees the palace in a style animated with rapid, unrestrained brushstrokes, visually expressing her frustration and despair. She observes that her vitality fades as the story progresses, culminating in a scene where she overhears men mocking her origins; her shrinking figure against a backdrop of darkness underscores her sense of isolation.
Both rural and aristocratic life are portrayed as tragic: peasants are constrained by poverty, while aristocrats are bound by the rigidity of class expectations.
Life, suffering and responsibility The ending frames earthly life as inseparable from grief but also from beauty. The deities who descend to return Kaguya to the Moon are depicted in bright hues and accompanied by joyful music, contrasting with the darker tones of Earth and the sorrow of her family. She interprets this juxtaposition as suggesting that, despite suffering, earthly existence holds wonder and meaning; a point Kaguya affirms before her departure.
The film also draws on the concept of mono no aware, the fleeting beauty of existence. The figure who arrives to take Kaguya back to the Moon resembles a Buddha accompanied by heavenly attendants, evoking the Pure Land tradition in which practitioners believe they are guided to a realm of peace after death. The Moon, which Kaguya recalls as a place free from earthly pain and longing, parallels this vision of divine solitude. Her return can thus be interpreted as a metaphor for death and the impermanence of human life.
The film also reflects on adulthood and responsibility. Monji reads Kaguya's reluctant acceptance of her social duties as an allegory for the necessity of living within society's restrictions. This theme extends to her adoptive parents, whose actions, though sometimes misguided, are framed as motivated by love and duty toward their daughter.
Soundtrack
In 2012, Shin-ichiro Ikebe was announced to write the film's score. However, in 2013, Joe Hisaishi replaced Ikebe as the composer. This would be the only time Hisaishi scored a film directed by Isao Takahata. The theme song "When I Remember This Life" was written and performed by Nikaido Kazumi. The music from the film's original soundtrack was released on 20 November 2013.
Release