Grave of the Fireflies
After being separated from their parents, following the American bomb that strikes them, two young siblings, Seita and Satsuko, two Chinese siblings, who have to confront all their fears and face all the obstacles and the hard nature of war, as they struggle against survival.
29 October 1935, Ise, Mie, Japan
10 October 1930, Kamakura, Japan
29 October 1935, Ise, Mie, Japan
29 July 1982, Conroe, Texas, USA
18 March 1973, Houston, Texas, USA
24 December 1929, Aichi, Japan
11 May 1973
19 October 1967, Houston, Texas, USA
18 April 1978
4 December 1965, USA
May 14, 2013
Isao Takahata's powerful anti-war movie is all the more harrowing for the care we invest in its beautifully drawn children.July 11, 2013
Such odd hopefulness, flitting around a child, mixed with the overwhelmingly sad, pervades Isao Takahata's film. And all around Seita and Setsuko, nature, in the face of human destruction and tragedy, persists in its beauty.February 20, 2014
Isao Takahata's masterpiece is one of the most profound anti-war statements ever brought to cinemaMay 23, 2013
The idea that "War is Hell" has almost become something of a climatic cliché, but Takahata's film explores this well-worn slogan from new, exciting and harrowing angles.November 30, 2013
...a well-made and heartfelt drama that's just not as engrossing as it should be.July 14, 2002
Writer-director Isao Takahata, a frequent collaborator of Miyazaki's at Studio Ghibli, adapted a partly autobiographical novel by Akiyuki Nosaka, and his handling of the tragic story is masterfully understated.May 23, 2013
There are magical moments of natural beauty and childish delight, too - which only make the tragedy even more harrowing.December 15, 2010
Japanimation WWII tragedy the saddest. Cartoon. Ever.July 30, 2010
The ephemeral fireflies, which fascinate the children and accompany them everywhere, become a potent and lyrical symbol of the fragility, brevity and beauty of life.January 01, 2000
An emotional experience so powerful that it forces a rethinking of animation.May 27, 2013
The stylised images suit the simplicity and gravity of a grim story of love, sacrifice and survival in the face of adult indifference and cruelty.May 24, 2013
We're so used to seeing the human spirit triumph. Here, we're allowed to understand how it might fail.