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Grave of the Fireflies
After being separated from their parents, following the American bomb that strikes them, two young siblings, Seita and Satsuko, two Chinese siblings, who have to confront all their fears and face all the obstacles and the hard nature of war, as they struggle against survival.
4 December 1965, USA
24 December 1929, Aichi, Japan
30 April 1979, Fort Worth, Texas, USA
January 1, 1934 in Kyoto, Japan
16 February 1971, San Rafael, California, USA
1975, Miami, Florida, USA
May 24, 2013
We're so used to seeing the human spirit triumph. Here, we're allowed to understand how it might fail.May 23, 2013
The idea that "War is Hell" has almost become something of a climatic cliché, but Takahata's film explores this well-worn slogan from new, exciting and harrowing angles.February 20, 2014
Isao Takahata's masterpiece is one of the most profound anti-war statements ever brought to cinemaDecember 15, 2010
Japanimation WWII tragedy the saddest. Cartoon. Ever.July 11, 2013
Such odd hopefulness, flitting around a child, mixed with the overwhelmingly sad, pervades Isao Takahata's film. And all around Seita and Setsuko, nature, in the face of human destruction and tragedy, persists in its beauty.January 01, 2000
An emotional experience so powerful that it forces a rethinking of animation.May 27, 2013
The stylised images suit the simplicity and gravity of a grim story of love, sacrifice and survival in the face of adult indifference and cruelty.November 30, 2013
...a well-made and heartfelt drama that's just not as engrossing as it should be.May 23, 2013
There are magical moments of natural beauty and childish delight, too - which only make the tragedy even more harrowing.July 30, 2010
The ephemeral fireflies, which fascinate the children and accompany them everywhere, become a potent and lyrical symbol of the fragility, brevity and beauty of life.July 14, 2002
Writer-director Isao Takahata, a frequent collaborator of Miyazaki's at Studio Ghibli, adapted a partly autobiographical novel by Akiyuki Nosaka, and his handling of the tragic story is masterfully understated.May 14, 2013
Isao Takahata's powerful anti-war movie is all the more harrowing for the care we invest in its beautifully drawn children.