Studio Ghibli’s Isao Takahata (Grave of the Fireflies) transforms an ancient Japanese folktale into a dazzling animated fantasy.

Found inside a shining stalk of bamboo, a tiny girl grows into an exquisite young lady, raised by an old bamboo cutter and his wife.

From the countryside to the grand capital city, even unseen she enthralls all who encounter her, including five noble suitors. Ultimately she must face her fate, the punishment for her crime. Based on the classic Japanese folktale, The Tale of The Bamboo Cutter, The Tale of The Princess Kaguya is the newest film from Studio Ghibli and the strikingly beautiful culmination of decades of contemplation by its director, Studio Ghibli co-founder Isao Takahata.

Based on a tenth-century folk tale familiar to many Japanese people, this is not uniquely a children's film. It exhibits the finest qualities of myth, engagingly simple on the surface but containing profound lessons as well. And Takahata's imagery is breathtaking: individually drawn, hand-coloured frames that flow like a river of delicate, detailed watercolour paintings. Like Miyazaki's recent The Wind Rises, The Tale of The Princess Kaguya is an extraordinary work of art.