From Up on Poppy Hill

Dir: Gorō Miyazaki

2011

***

From Up on Poppy Hill is a sweet and more straight-laced Studio Ghibli film that follows the likes of Only Yesterday and Whisper of the Heart in temperament and style. Personally I like the Ghibli films that are based on Japanese folk law that have talking animals and bonkers characters but I do like them both. This is only Gorō Miyazaki's second Ghibli feature, his first being one of my least favorites; Tales From Earthsea. He has big shoes to fill but I think he'll do well as his Father's replacement. From Up on Poppy Hill is just as uplifting as you'd expect from the studio, I was concerned when the unexpected issue of incest popped up but rest assured, in Ghibli you can trust. Hayao Miyazaki co-wrote the script and is influence in the project is clear, not that everything Ghibli has to be all about him but I think above all else, he gets the serious issues right. Miyazaki takes influence from the films of the great Yasujirô Ozu and also of his own past, his father's involvement in the war and his own accounts of student activism. I'm sure it was quite special to see his own son take on what I'm sure was an important film for him. It's almost a total mix of Only Yesterday and Whisper of the Heart, dealing with war, it's aftermath and nostalgia although I don't think it has the impact of either. The animation is stunning as always, I loved the music and the story, there was just something not quite Ghibli about it. Maybe it's because the story has its roots in a MANGA story that was the problem but it didn't hold me as much as their films usually do. Still, their lesser films are still much better then most people's and From Up on Poppy Hill is still a wonderful addition to the studios collection.