From Up on Poppy Hill is the combined effort of legendary animator Hayao Miyazaki, who co-wrote the film, and his son Goro Miyazaki, who directed. The film is a love story between Umi and a young boy, but it’s also a story about the first generation of the new Japan that sprung to life after World War II. We get a small taste of that in this clip: High school students using (presumably) Ham radios to communicate outside their borders, discovering literature, and — in the case of Umi (Sarah Bolger) and Sora (Isabelle Fuhrman) — going into a building threatened with demolition to get the autograph of Shun, who happens to be the rock star editor of the school newspaper. It’s a subtle, quiet moment, but rendered in classic Studio Ghibli style it’s also gorgeous.
Initially released in 2011 in Japan, From Up on Poppy Hill got a roster of amazing voice talent for its English-language version including Gillian Anderson, Christina Hendricks, Parks and Recreation’s Aubrey Plaza, and Ron Howard. The film will hit New York on March 15, followed by Los Angeles on March 22 and Chicago, the San Francisco Bay Area, Boston, Seattle, Minneapolis, and San Diego on March 29.
