The Tale of the Princess Kaguya

The latest feature film by Isao Takahata ("Grave of the Fireflies") - a friend, senior comrade, and long-time collaborator of Hayao Miyazaki. It is based on the oldest of Japanese folk tales. An old man finds a tiny girl in the bamboo stalks and decides to raise her as a princess. When the girl grows up, her father takes her to the capital, but in the luxurious house, the lonely Princess Kaguya begins to yearn for her beloved friend and carefree childhood.

The tender animation is created based on watercolor drawings of pastel tones inspired by traditional Japanese painting. Known for his almost Norstein-like perfectionism, Takahata wove this pastel-watercolor lace about love, happiness, age, and parting, breaking all planned deadlines and driving studio accountants to heart attacks. A folk tale in Takahata's interpretation became a story about the fleetingness of life and bidding farewell to it. While shooting "The Tale," the 78-year-old master knew that this was his last film.