The Tale of the Princess Kaguya | Rotten Tomatoes (2025)

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What to Know Cast & Crew Critics Reviews Audience Reviews My Rating Related Movie News Photos The Tale of the Princess Kaguya

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A tiny nymph found inside a bamboo stalk grows into a beautiful and desirable young woman, who orders her suitors to prove their love by completing a series of near-impossible tasks.

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The Tale of the Princess Kaguya

What to Know

Critics Consensus

Boasting narrative depth, frank honesty, and exquisite visual beauty, The Tale of the Princess Kaguya is a modern animated treasure with timeless appeal.

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Cast & Crew

Isao Takahata Director Chloë Grace Moretz The Princess Kaguya James Caan The Bamboo Cutter Mary Steenburgen The Bamboo Cutter's Wife Darren Criss Sutemaru Lucy Liu Lady Sagami

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Critics Reviews

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The Tale of the Princess Kaguya | Rotten Tomatoes (1)

Mark Kermode

Observer (UK)

A poignant gem, very different in tone to the director's most celebrated works, Grave of the Fireflies and Only Yesterday, but no less worthy of praise and admiration.

Rated: 4/5

Mar 22, 2015

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The Tale of the Princess Kaguya | Rotten Tomatoes (2)

Tara Brady

Irish Times

The impression is of a continuous series of watercolours, similar to the narrative scroll revealed to Kaguya in a key scene.

Rated: 4/5

Mar 20, 2015

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The Tale of the Princess Kaguya | Rotten Tomatoes (3)

Andrew Osmond

Sight & Sound

While the characters feel very simplified at times, there are scenes that put great weight on performance and subtle expressions, in a way that's nearer to the classical Disney tradition than most Japanese animation.

Mar 20, 2015

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The Tale of the Princess Kaguya | Rotten Tomatoes (4)

Brendan Cassidy

InSession Film

Leave it to the great Isao Takahata to return with not only the best animated film I’ve seen this year, not only the best overall film I’ve seen this year, but one of the most beautiful film experiences I’ve ever had...

Jun 17, 2024

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The Tale of the Princess Kaguya | Rotten Tomatoes (5)

Grant Watson

Fiction Machine

This is anime-as-arthouse cinema, thoughtfully and gracefully composed.

Rated: 10/10

Nov 29, 2023

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The Tale of the Princess Kaguya | Rotten Tomatoes (6)

Jordan Brooks

Vague Visages

As in many Studio Ghibli films before it, the male director is speaking directly to his male audience, pleading with them to treat the women in their lives with the respect and equality they deserve.

Aug 1, 2023

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Audience Reviews

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Charvine A Stylistically very beautiful, but the sad storyline and underwhelming depiction of Buddhist "heaven" ultimately left me with a bittersweet feeling. Rated 2.5/5 Stars • Rated 2.5 out of 5 stars 10/09/24 Full Review Ant E This is likely the best animated movie of all time. The fact this lost to BIG HERO 6 is the most shameless and scandalous robbery of all time. You would need to smash your head against the wall 4 times to come to that conclusion. Rated 5/5 Stars • Rated 5 out of 5 stars 08/12/24 Full Review Monster E the only movie that has made me cry. and it did it twice. Rated 5/5 Stars • Rated 5 out of 5 stars 06/13/24 Full Review lillo p GOD, the tale of the princess kaguya changed the chemistry of my brain! Rated 5/5 Stars • Rated 5 out of 5 stars 05/17/24 Full Review Chase C This whole movie is super super powerful, especially the ending Rated 4.5/5 Stars • Rated 4.5 out of 5 stars 03/17/24 Full Review butterfly2507 it's a lovely movie but her father annoyed me so much at time lmao Rated 3.5/5 Stars • Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars 03/10/24 Full Review Read all reviews

The Tale of the Princess Kaguya

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The Tale of the Princess Kaguya

The Tale of the Princess Kaguya (2013)

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Synopsis A tiny nymph found inside a bamboo stalk grows into a beautiful and desirable young woman, who orders her suitors to prove their love by completing a series of near-impossible tasks.

Director: Isao Takahata
Producer: Yoshiaki Nishimura
Screenwriter: Isao Takahata, Riko Sakaguchi
Distributor: GKIDS
Production Co: Studio Ghibli
Rating: PG (Thematic Elements|Some Violent Action|Partial Nudity)
Genre: Fantasy, Anime
Original Language: Japanese
Release Date (Theaters): Oct 17, 2014, Limited
Rerelease Date (Theaters): Nov 25, 2024
Release Date (Streaming): Dec 14, 2019
Box Office (Gross USA): $681.1K
Runtime: 2h 17m