The Tale of Princess Kaguya is out in UK cinemas from Friday 20th March and the good folk at Studiocanal have made available a clip from one of the film’s best moments.
Possibly the final movie from legendary Japanese animation house Studio Ghibli, it harks back 1,000 years into Japanese folklore for its enchanting story. A bamboo cutter discovers the Thumbelina-like Princess Kaguya in a bamboo tree and he and his kindly wife adopt her. Bestowed with riches from the magical forest, the bamboo cutter vows to provide Kaguya with a life fit for a princess, moving her into a palatial home and inviting seemingly the best of society to woo her.
But, like the best Ghibli heroines, the headstrong and independent Kaguya fights against society’s constraints. In this clip, she flees the gilded cage of her coming out party, where boorish noblemen linger for a glimpse of her beauty.
The Tale of Princess Kaguya is already becoming renowned for its striking water colour animation, and this clip showcases the film’s inventive, bold style. As Kaguya runs from her life, the world about her begins to reflect the chaos and emotion within her, becoming a riot of brushstrokes and loose, liquid movement as she fears losing who she is.
A stunning moment in Ghibli’s history, watch this clip and then run, Kaguya style, to check out the full breathtaking sequence in the wonderful movie.
