An orphaned brother and sister struggle to survive after their city is bombed during World War II.
Based on a semi-autobiographical novel by Japanese writer Akiyuki Nosaka, Grave of the Fireflies dramatizes the firebombing of Kobe and its aftermath. These types of attacks are often overshadowed historically by the atomic bomb detonations in Hiroshima and Nagasaki. In fact, the firebombing of various Japanese cities by the U.S. military resulted in far more deaths and destruction in the short-term, with 650,000 people in Kobe alone left homeless after the attack.
Writer-director Isao Takahata was a long-time television animator who teamed up with former collaborator Hayao Miyazaki to form Studio Ghibli in the mid 1980's. A deal was made to fund both Grave of the Fireflies and Miyazaki's film My Neighbor Totoro, which the studio produced simultaneously. In addition, the films were released into theatres together as a double-feature.
The film's stark naturalism is a contrast to the fantasy found in most Ghibli releases, though two of Takahata's other features also share a more grounded narrative. Takahata has listed the Italian neorealist films of the 1940's and 50's as a major influence, while still leaving room for expressionism in his own style.
While the double-bill wasn't an initial hit at the Japanese box office, Grave of the Fireflies is now regarded not just as a high watermark for animated films, but as one of the greatest anti-war films ever made, finding champions in established critics such as Roger Ebert (who has spoken at great length of the film's merits) as well as fellow filmmakers both in the animation field and cinema at large.
Running time is approx. 90 minutes.
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