Grave of the Fireflies

the long version

"Grave of the Fireflies (1988) is a Studio Ghibli masterpiece. Isao Takahata's portrait of two doomed orphans struggling under the firebombing of Japan is a deeply moving drama, which deftly weaves an intimate tragedy into the intricate moral tapestry of World War Two. The film's pioneering use of animation and nuanced treatment of its subject has earned it 'classic' status. Drawing on accounts by Ghibli staff members and untranslated Japanese sources, Alex Dudok de Wit describes the genesis of Grave of the Fireflies and profiles the key players involved in its making - including animation directors, background artists, colourists, voice actors and producers. He explains the influence of Akiyuki Nosaka's source novella and provides close readings of key scenes, spotlighting the film's sophisticated development of motifs, subtle evocation of ancient Japanese culture, and deployment of animation's language to tell a story that would have been ill-suited to live action. While Grave of the Fireflies has been widely interpreted as a anti-war film, Dudok de Wit argues that Takahata was more concerned about creating a complex portrayal of responsibility within Japanese society. His message to modern audiences was: communitarian values are still under pressure, even in peacetime, and must be upheld"--