Overview
A breathtaking journey through Japanese folklore unfolds as a bamboo cutter discovers a tiny princess.
Ember's analysis
- Pacing
- Measured
- Intensity
- Strong
- Complexity
- Layered
- Violence
- None
- wistful
- melancholic
- dreamy
- quiet evening
- family movie night
What critics said
Critics broadly regard the film as a visually exquisite and emotionally profound Studio Ghibli achievement that transforms folklore into mature, deeply affecting cinema.
What sets it apart
May contain story progression spoilers
The animation uses watercolor delicacy and brisk, visibly alive pencil strokes to convey movement, emotion, and the natural world.
Kaguya’s extraordinary life is shaped by transient joy, changing identity, and the painful limits placed on earthly experience.
Kaguya is pressured to become a proper aristocratic bride and is judged according to the expectations of prestigious families and the emperor.
The film expands the Japanese bamboo-cutter folktale into an intimate, psychologically vivid account of freedom, family, and social constraint.
Films like The Tale of The Princess Kaguya, and why
Spirited Away
hand-drawn Japanese fantasy, folklore-inspired storytelling, emotional coming-of-age themes, and a profound sense of wonder
Princess Mononoke
Studio Ghibli fantasy centered on a young heroine, ecological and social themes, lyrical animation, and bittersweet emotional depth
Song of the Sea
delicate animated fantasy, transformation, impermanence, and a wistful meditation on human desire
Wolf Children
mythic animation, painterly visual design, family bonds, and an emotionally devastating treatment of fate
Movie Details
- Director
- Isao Takahata
- Release Date
- 2013-11-23
- Runtime
- 137 min
- Rating
- 8.1 / 10 (2054)
Cast
- Aki Asakura
- Takeo Chii
- Nobuko Miyamoto
- Kengo Kora
- Atsuko Takahata
- Tomoko Tabata
- Shinosuke Tatekawa
- Takaya Kamikawa
- Hikaru Ijūin
- Ryudo Uzaki
Where to watch in United States
- Streaming
- HBO Max Amazon Channel, HBO Max
- Rent
- Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home
- Buy
- Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home
Streaming options come from TMDB and change over time.
Common questions
- What is The Tale of The Princess Kaguya about?
- A bamboo-born princess discovers that aristocratic luxury cannot reconcile her longing for freedom with the demands of earthly life.
- What is The Tale of The Princess Kaguya like to watch?
- Ember's analysis rates the pacing of The Tale of The Princess Kaguya as measured, its intensity as strong and its storytelling as layered.
- Is The Tale of The Princess Kaguya violent?
- No — Ember's analysis finds no violence in The Tale of The Princess Kaguya.
- What did critics think of The Tale of The Princess Kaguya?
- Critics broadly regard the film as a visually exquisite and emotionally profound Studio Ghibli achievement that transforms folklore into mature, deeply affecting cinema.
- Which films are like The Tale of The Princess Kaguya?
- Films with a similar feel include Spirited Away, Princess Mononoke, Song of the Sea, and Wolf Children.
- How long is The Tale of The Princess Kaguya?
- The Tale of The Princess Kaguya runs 137 minutes.
- Where can I watch The Tale of The Princess Kaguya?
- In United States, The Tale of The Princess Kaguya streams on HBO Max Amazon Channel, HBO Max.
