Studio Ghibli, the Japanese animation studio behind films such as My Neighbor Totoro, Spirited Away and the recent Ponyo, has announced that co-founder and director Isao Takahata (Grave of the Fireflies) will be directing The Tale of the Bamboo Cutter, based on an ancient folktale. It will be Takahata’s first film in 10 years.
According to asianmoviepulse.com, the story has particular historical storytelling relevance in Japanese culture:
“The story is considered to be the oldest surviving example of Japanese narrative, and every Japanese person knows this story. A little baby is found inside the stalk of a glowing plant by a bamboo cutter. He takes her home, and raises her with his wife as their own daughter, and they give her the name Kaguya-Hime (radiant-night princess). She grows into a beautiful adult woman, with many suitors, even the Emperor of Japan – and she rebuffs them all. Then, things become even more complicated as her true lineage becomes revealed, and her special relationship with the moon.”
Sounds like the perfect recipe for a visionary Studio Ghibli fantasy film, if you ask me.
In further Studio Ghibli news, Spirited Away and Howl’s Moving Castle director Hayao Miyazaki has signed on to direct two more feature-length films with the company in the next three years. Hot off the heels of Ponyo, Miyazaki is an incredibly busy man with a vision that never falters under pressure. Keep your eyes posted to AtomicPopcorn.net for updates on the details of these Studio Ghibli films!
