It was only a couple of months ago that we saw the first (english-subtitled) trailer for the new Studio Ghibli film, “From Up On Poppy Hill.” The film is written by Hayao Miyazaki and directed by his son, Goro Miyazaki (“Tales From Earthsea”) and the voice cast for the English-language dub has been revealed.
While the Miyazaki films from the past decade have been released stateside by the Mouse House, the newest film will be released through the same company that handled the release of the Oscar-nominated “A Cat In Paris,” GKIDS. For their first release they’ve rounded up an interesting group of people for the voice cast that will be led by Anton Yelchin and Sarah Bolger (Showtime series “The Tudors”), and include Gillian Anderson, Aubrey Plaza, Christina Hendricks, Beau Bridges, Jamie Lee Curtis, Bruce Dern, Ron Howard, Jeff Dunham, Isabelle Fuhrman, Chris Noth, Emily Osment, Charlie Saxton and Alex Wolff.
Based on a popular manga of the same name, the film will follow a group of teens that attempt to stop a local business developer from demolishing their school clubhouse. “From Up On Poppy Hill” will be released theatrically next year on March 15th, 2013. Check out the official synopsis and trailer below.
From the legendary and highly celebrated Studio Ghibli (Spirited Away, Ponyo, and The Secret World of Arrietty) comes From Up on Poppy Hill, the uniquely inspired and highly anticipated coming-of-age story from Goro Miyazaki and Hayao Miyazaki. Set in Yokohama in 1963, this lovingly hand-drawn film centers on Umi (voiced by Sarah Bolger) and Shun (voiced by Anton Yelchin) and the budding romance that develops as they join forces to save their high school’s ramshackle clubhouse from demolition. The top-grossing Japanese film of 2011 and winner of the Japan Academy Prize for Animation, From Up on Poppy Hill captures the innocence of new love as well as the beauty of Yokohama’s harbor and lush surroundings. With its rich color palette, stunning exteriors, sun-drenched gardens, bustling cityscapes and painterly detail, From Up on Poppy Hill provides a pure, sincere, and nuanced evocation of the past, and marks yet another creative triumph for Studio Ghibli.