The Tale of the Princess Kaguya, Isao Takahata, Studio Ghibli

The Tale of the Princess Kaguya is a Japanese animation directed by Isao Takahata. The screenplay was co-written by Takahata and Riko Sakaguchi. It was originally released in 2013. The story is based on the folktale of The Tale of the Bamboo Cutter. Princess Kaguya received critical acclaim and was nominated for an Academy award for Best Animated Feature.

The animation starts with a bamboo cutter called Sanuki no Miyatsuko out cutting bamboo. He sees a glowing bamboo shoot with a miniature girl inside. From her dress he assumes her to be a princess. He takes her back to his wife where she starts to grow rapidly. She is brought up by the bamboo cutter and his wife. The “Princess”, as she is called by the bamboo cutter, enjoys a carefree existence with the local children who call her “Little Bamboo”. One day though the bamboo cutter starts to find gold and fine clothes as he cuts the bamboo and decides that this is meant for the Princess and they must move to the city so she can start living like a Princess.

The thing that always intrigues me about Takahata is his use of line. He is prepared to change the style of drawing in his animations more than Miyazaki. Compare the Yamadas, Pom Poko and Princess Kaguya. You can see it’s the same director but they are all different. The flow of lines in Princess Kaguya is quite stunning. The scene of the Princess running away across the countryside is breathtaking as she throws of her precious kimono and everything is brought down to its basic components. In the end you are left almost with a flash of red representing the Princess. Great work.