Grave of the Fireflies (1988) ( Hotaru no haka ) ( Tombstone for Fireflies )

Grave of the Fireflies (1988) (Blu-Ray) (*)

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Original Title: Hotaru no haka
Alternate Title: Tombstone for Fireflies
Screened, competed or awarded at:
Other Film Festival Awards

Language Selections:
English ( Dolby Digital 2.0 )
English ( Dolby Linear PCM )
English ( Subtitles )
Japanese ( Dolby Digital 2.0 )
Japanese ( Dolby Linear PCM )

Product Origin/Format:
Australia ( Blu-Ray/Region B )

Running Time:
88 min

Aspect Ratio:
Widescreen (1.78:1)

Special Features:
Alternative Footage
Commentary
Deleted Scenes
Interactive Menu
Scene Access
Storyboards
Trailer(s)

Movie filmed in 1988 and produced in:
Japan ( India, Eastern Asia )

Directed By:
Isao Takahata

Written By:
Akiyuki Nosaka
Isao Takahata

Actors:
Tsutomu Tatsumi ..... Seita (voice)
Ayano Shiraishi ..... Setsuko (voice)
Yoshiko Shinohara ..... Mother (voice)
Akemi Yamaguchi ..... Aunt (voice)
Rhoda Chrosite ..... Setsuko (voice: English version)
Shannon Conley ..... Additional Voices (voice: English version)
Crispin Freeman ..... Additional Voices (voice: English version)
Dan Green ..... Additional Voices (voice: English version)
Amy Jones ..... Aunt (voice: English version)
George Leaver ..... Additional Voices (voice: English version)
J. Robert Spencer ..... Seita (voice: English version)
Nick Sullivan ..... Additional Voices (voice: English version)
Veronica Taylor ..... Mother (voice: English version)

Synopsis:

A Japanese boy of 14 and his 4 year old sister, attempt to seek refuge from the atrocities of World War II in the small city of Kobe. In post-World War II Japan, a janitor finds a metal sweet container beside a deathly ill boy. The janitor tosses the canister into the night, unwittingly beginning a most unusual tale of survival amid war. Brother and sister Seita and Setsuko, flee their disheveled home and deceased parents to make their bid for a new life. Before American troops begin to occupy their country, the children resort to dwelling in an abandoned bomb shelter in the countryside. Though these siblings later get a sense of safety, they realize necessities such as food and water will not be easy to come by. This stunning and emotional film comes from the studio that made SPIRITED AWAY.

Grave of the Fireflies opens on an evening in 1945, after Japan's surrender at the end of World War II; and in a train station, the young Seita dies alone. The rest of the movie tells us, in flashback, how things have come to this. Seita and Setsuko are two young Japanese children growing up in the waning days of World War II. Much to Seita's pride, their father is in the Japanese navy, and they live fairly content lives in Kobe despite rationing and the other privations of war. When their mother dies from burns suffered during an American fire-bombing raid, a distant aunt takes them in -- and conflict eventually forces the children to try to survive on their own. At first, Seita and his little sister enjoy their idyllic lives in the country, but harsh reality eventually settles in as Seita begins to understand the difficulties of taking care of a young child when both food and compassion are scarce.

In the aftermath of World War II bombing, two orphaned children struggle to survive in the Japanese countryside. To Seita and his four-year old sister, the helplessness and indifference of their countrymen is even more painful than the enemy raids. Through desperation, hunger and grief, these children's lives are as heartbreakingly fragile as their spirit and love is inspiring. 'Grave Of The Fireflies' is a tale of the true tragedy of war and innocence lost, not only of the abandoned young, but of an entire nation. Isao Takahata's rightly revered and thought-provoking anime was winner of a special award at the 1989 Blue Ribbon awards and the Adult's Jury award at the 1994 Chicago International Children's Film Festival.

This product was added to our catalog on Friday 21 March, 2025.