Hotaru no haka (1988)

User Rating:

8.2/10   

Director:

Isao Takahata

Writers:

Akiyuki Nosaka (novel)
Isao Takahata (written by)

Release Date:

16 April 1988 (Japan)

Genre:

Animation | Drama | War

Plot:

A tragic film covering a young boy and his little sister's struggle to survive in Japan during World War II.

Plot Keywords:

Hunger | Aunt | Firefly | Air Raid | Beach

Awards:

3 wins

Cast

Tsutomu Tatsumi	...	Seita (voice)
Ayano Shiraishi	...	Setsuko (voice)
Yoshiko Shinohara	...	Mother (voice)
Akemi Yamaguchi	...	Aunt (voice)
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Rhoda Chrosite	...	Setsuko (voice: English version)
Shannon Conley	...	Additional Voices (voice: English version)
Crispin Freeman	...	Additional Voices (voice: English version)
Dan Green	...	Additional Voices (voice: English version)
Amy Jones	...	Aunt (voice: English version)
George Leaver	...	Additional Voices (voice: English version)
J. Robert Spencer	...	Seita (voice: English version)
Nick Sullivan	...	Additional Voices (voice: English version)
Veronica Taylor	...	Mother (voice: English version)

Directed by
Isao Takahata

Writing credits
Akiyuki Nosaka		(novel)
Isao Takahata		(written by)

Produced by
Tohru Hara	....	producer
Ryoichi Sato	....	executive producer

Original Music by
Michio Mamiya

Cinematography by
Nobuo Koyama		(director of photography)

Film Editing by
Takeshi Seyama

Production Design by
Ryoichi Sato

Art Direction by
Nizou Yamamoto

Second Unit Director or Assistant Director
Norihiko Sudo	....	assistant director

Art Department
Katsu Hisamura	....	assistant art director
Yuriko Kashiwakura	....	assistant character color designer
Noriko Ogawa	....	assistant character color designer
Michiyo Yasuda	....	character color designer

Sound Department
Noriyoshi Oohira	....	sound effects
Hisanori Ooshiro	....	sound mixer
Yasuo Uragami	....	sound designer

Special Effects by
Kunji Tanifuji	....	special effects

Animation Department
Hideaki Anno	....	animator
Yoshiyuki Hane	....	animator
Kuniyuki Ishii	....	animator
Sodatsu Ishikuro	....	animator
Megumi Kagawa	....	animator
Hideo Kawauchi	....	animator
Masuji Kigami	....	animator
Yoshifumi Kondo	....	animation director
Yoshifumi Kondo	....	character designer
Kitaro Kosaka	....	key animator
Noriko Moritomo	....	animator
Hiroshi Ogawa	....	animator
Toshiyasu Okada	....	animator
Reiko Okuyama	....	animator
Atsuko Ôtani	....	animator
Noriko Ôzeki	....	animator
Shunji Saida	....	animator
Akio Sakai	....	animator
Michiyo Sakurai	....	animator
Noboru Takano	....	animator
Yasuomi Umetsu	....	animator
Shôjurô Yamauchi	....	animator

Other crew
Peter Bavaro	....	voice director

Production Companies

• Shinchosha Company
• Studio Ghibli

Distributors

• Toho Company (1988) (Japan) (theatrical)
• ADV Films (2009) (USA) (all media) (re-issue)
• Central Park Media Corporation (I) (II)
• JONU Media (2003) (Spain) (DVD)
• Optimum Releasing (2004) (UK) (DVD)
• Universe Laser & Video Co. Ltd. (2002) (Hong Kong) (DVD)

Other Companies

• APU Studio  sound recording studio
• Audio Planning U  post-production sound services
• Studio Angel  cooperation
• Tokyo Laboratory Co. Ltd.  film processing

Also Known As:

Grave of the Fireflies (UK) (USA)
Tombstone for Fireflies (USA)
Tombstone for the Fireflies (Australia) (dubbed version)
Das Grab der Leuchtkäfer (West Germany) [de]
Die letzten Glühwürmchen (Germany) (DVD title) [de]
Die letzten Leuchtkäfer (West Germany) [de]
Eldflugornas grav (Sweden) [sv]
Grobowiec swietlików (Poland) [pl]
Hrob svetlusek (Czech Republic) (festival title) [cs]
Jaanimardikate haud (Estonia) (festival title) [et]
La tumba de las luciérnagas (Spain) [es]
Le tombeau des lucioles (France) [fr]
O Túmulo dos Pirilampos (Portugal) [pt]
Túmulo dos Vagalumes (Brazil) [pt]
Tulikärpästen hauta (Finland) [fi]
Una tomba per le lucciole (Italy) [it]

Runtime:

89 min | Germany:85 min (DVD version)

Country:

Japan

Language:

English | German | Italian | Spanish | Japanese

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono

Certification:

Canada:G (Quebec) (video rating) (1994) | Canada:PG (Ontario) (video rating) (2005) | Canada:PG (Nova Scotia) (video rating) (2002) | Canada:PG (Manitoba) (video rating) (1993) | USA:Unrated | Finland:K-11 | Portugal:M/12 | USA:TV-14 (TV rating) | Chile:14 | South Korea:All | Argentina:13 | Australia:M | France:U | Hong Kong:IIA | New Zealand:M | Singapore:PG | Spain:13 | Sweden:15 | UK:PG | West Germany:6

Company:

Shinchosha Company

Trivia:

The movie was originally intended as a sort of front act of another Ghibli movie, Tonari no Totoro (1988). Ghibli's parent company reasoned that Totoro's tie-in with a movie with more educational merit would guarantee its inclusion in the list of summer's recommended movies for school children.

Quotes:

[first lines]
Seita: September 21, 1945... that was the night I died.

Movie Connections:

Referenced in Kill Bill: Vol. 1 (2003)

Soundtrack:

Home Sweet Home

More moving than you could ever expect

This film is utterly emotionally draining whilst being rewarding at the same time.

The animation is both realistic and stylized but that's not the point, the main focus of this film is the character development of the brother and sister protagonists. Their relationship is nothing short of beautiful and touching.

And without spoiling anything I have to say that this film touched me in a way no other film has ever touched me in my adult life. One or two films have upset me and reduced me to watery eyes but Grave of the Fireflies had me in fits of sobbing despair. I was a mess! I'm talking total emotional breakdown. Couldn't talk without sobbing! One of the best films I have EVER seen, animated or not.