Episode 22 – The Tale of the Princess Kaguya (2013)

It's 2013. The top-grossing film of the year is Disney's Frozen, but that's not the only important fairy-tale based animated film released this year. In Japan, Studio Ghibli released The Tale of the Princess Kaguya, a beautiful, compelling retelling of the Japanese folk tale, "The Tale of the Bamboo Cutter." It's a film that lets us experience Japanese history, Japanese animation, and the creative ability of Studio Ghibli co-founder Isao Takahata. What The Tale of the Princess Kaguya offers casual movie fans who have always meant to watch classic movies: beautiful, water-color-inspired art; a thematically rich retelling of a popular folk tale; scenes of beauty, melancholy, and longing; and a 100% Rotten Tomatoes rating, even after 10 years and 97 reviews. Show Notes