The celebrated animated feature The Tale of the Princess Kaguya will be on everyone’s minds this weekend, as even audiences who know little about anime will be watching the Academy Awards and wondering what exactly this spectacle of a film really is. It is a beautifully hand-drawn motion picture about a woodcutter who finds a little girl inside a flower, and decides to raise her as the princess he knows, in his heart, that she really is. Never mind what she wants.
But The Tale of the Princess Kaguya, now available on Blu-ray, isn’t about the stereotypical princess conflict seen so often in western animation. It’s about something simpler, and as a result much more complex than that. Our film critic Brian Formo put it much more beautifully in his rave review. You can take his word for it, or you can see the film for yourself, which is now available on DVD and Blu-ray.
Either way, we hope you enjoy this exclusive scene from the marvelous Tale of the Princess Kaguya, featuring one of the most exciting and memorable moments of this film from master animation director Isao Takahata (Grave of the Fireflies).
Announced today as an Academy Award® nominee for Best Animated Feature, The Tale of The Princess Kaguya is a critically praised film that features the best of Japanese folklore and artful animation. Legendary Studio Ghibli cofounder Isao Takahata revisits Japan’s most famous folktale in this gorgeous, hand-drawn masterwork featuring an all-star cast including Chloë Grace Moretz, James Caan, Mary Steenburgen, Darren Criss, and Lucy Liu. The 3-disc Blu-ray™ includes the film on Blu-ray™ and DVD as well as a separate DVD with a feature length documentary on the making of the film, titled Isao Takahata and His Tale of The Princess Kaguya. Certified 100% Fresh on Rotten Tomatoes and called “Gorgeous and magical!” by The Washington Post, The Tale of The Princess Kaguya, is available to own on DVD and Blu-ray™ with DVD as well as On Demand on February 17, 2015 from Universal Pictures Home Entertainment, in partnership with GKIDS.
Found inside a shining stalk of bamboo by an old bamboo cutter (James Caan) and his wife (Mary Steenburgen), a tiny girl grows rapidly into an exquisite young lady (Chloë Grace Moretz). The mysterious young princess enthralls all who encounter her – but ultimately she must confront her fate, the punishment for her crime. From Studio Ghibli, the studio that brought you Spirited Away, My Neighbor Totoro, and The Wind Rises comes a powerful and sweeping epic that redefines the limits of animated storytelling and marks a triumphant highpoint within an extraordinary career in filmmaking for director Isao Takahata.
The Tale of The Princess Kaguya will be available on DVD and Blu-ray™ with DVD.
• Blu-ray™ unleashes the power of your HDTV and is the best way to watch movies at home, featuring 6X the picture resolution of DVD, exclusive extras and theater-quality surround sound.
• DVD offers the flexibility and convenience of playing movies in more places, both at home and away.
Bonus Features on DVD and Blu-ray™
• “Isao Takahata and His Tale of The Princess Kaguya” – 86-minute documentary on the making of The Tale of The Princess Kaguya
