Studio Ghibli and Isao Takahata films hit the cinemas: the release schedule

The masterpieces of the Studio Ghibli are ready to return as protagonists on the big screen in Italy. Fresh from the extraordinary success of The boy and the heron Of Hayao Miyazaki and having already concluded the review dedicated to the Japanese Master, the label Lucky Red has organized new appointments with ‘A world of animated dreams’.

This year the exhibition will be dedicated to the maestro Isao Takahataanother big name and co-founder of Studio Ghibli, for years a partner of Hayao Miyazaki, Toshio Suzuki e Yasuyoshi Tokuma. Now, fans of the acclaimed The Tomb of the Fireflies will be able to see or re-see his most famous films on the big screen in Italy.

‘A World of Animated Dreams’ 2024 Calendar

Rain of memories – 4/10 July

We will leave from 4th to 10th July 2024 con Rain of memories, a blockbuster film in Japan in 1991 which arrives in Italy for the first time. It puts the life of an almost thirty-year-old woman at the center of the story, thus accomplishing a revolution in the animated cinema of the time, usually destined for adventures with younger protagonists. The story of the protagonist and her introspective journey are still very relevant today and present the viewer with existential dilemmas that are more vivid than ever. Arrives in Italy for the first time absolutely and this is the official synopsis:

Tokyo, 1982. Taeko is a twenty-seven-year-old office worker in a Japan racing towards social modernization. Tired of modern lifestyles and the weight of social conventions, she decides to take a short vacation to return to the countryside, to Yamagata. Here, childhood memories will resurface, leading her to question her life choices.

On the occasion of the arrival at the cinema of Rain of Memories, the illustrator Veronica Ruffato dedicated an artwork to the film, which you can find below.

Pom Poko – July 11-17

We will then continue with Pom Poko, a 1994 film which tells of the tanuki’s struggle to reconquer Tama Hill, near Tokyo. The film benefits from numerous inspirations, in particular the childhood literature of Kenji Miyazawa. In Italy it was released on home video only in 2013 thanks again to Lucky Red, while in Japan it was the highest grosser of that year, in addition to triumphing at Annecy International Animated Film Festival in the best feature film category. The synopsis:

Japan is in the midst of an economic renaissance: residential areas are constantly being built and neighborhoods are expanding out of all proportion. Due to the great urbanization, the poor taniki, small raccoon dogs, find their territory devastated. As it becomes increasingly difficult to find food and shelter, these animals must use their magical abilities to try to save their natural environment and fight against human greed.

My neighbors Yamada – 18/24 July

Then there is space for the title by Isao Takahata produced by Studio Ghibli in 1999. Released in theaters two years later Princess Mononokein Italy it was distributed only in 2016 on home video. It is composed of a series of scenes of daily life of a “normal” Japanese family, the Yamada family, composed of Takashi and Matsuko (husband and wife), Shige (Matsuko’s mother), Noboru (about 13 years old, the son), Nonoko (about 7 years old, the daughter) and Pochi (the family dog). Each of the scenes is preceded by a title and represents typical daily scenes, such as household chores, the relationships between father and son or husband and wife, the meeting with the first girlfriend and many others. The synopsis:

The Yamadas are a typical middle-class family living in the Japanese metropolis of Tokyo. Their daily life is characterized by a succession of different emotions, from joy to despair, passing through small quarrels and complicated problems.

The story of the Shining Princess – 25/31 July

The exhibition ‘A world of animated dreams’ will then close with nominated for the Academy Award for Best Animated Featurereleased in 2013, 14 years after My neighbors Yamada and Isao Takahata’s last film, namely The Story of the Shining Princess. Presented at the Directors’ Fortnight of the Cannes Film Festival 2014in Italy it was presented as a national preview at Lucca Comics & Games 2014 and distributed theatrically by Lucky Red. The official synopsis reads:

One spring day, Okina, an old bamboo cutter, finds a luminous creature resembling a princess in the bud of a plant. Brought home by the gardener, it transforms into a baby girl, who is immediately adopted. The little girl grows very quickly, while the man constantly finds gold nuggets and clothes in the same field.