For decades, Studio Ghibli has reigned supreme over other animation studies worldwide because of their beautiful-illustrated animated films. One of their popular films, Grave of the Fireflies, was released on July 26th, 1989. It separates itself from other Ghibli films as it does away with its renowned magic and fantasy elements to tell a serious and thought-provoking story.
The Emotional Story of Grave of the Fireflies
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What’s sad about Grave of the Fireflies is that it’s based on a real-life story. Indeed, the Ghibli film was inspired by the award-winning autobiographical short story written of the same name by Akiyuki Nosaka. Using his personal experiences, Nosaka told a deeply emotional story of war’s effect on civilians. Not to leave audiences in suspense, the film reveals its heartbreaking story by showing the death of its main character at the very start. From there, the story follows the orphaned teenage boy, Seita, through flashbacks portraying events that eventually lead to his death. Overall, the plot follows Seita and his little sister, Setsuko, who must fight to survive after a firebombing raid destroys his home.
Following the success of his book, Nosaka would be approached with numerous offers to adapt his story into a live-action film. However, the author would decline these offers for various reasons. He believed studios couldn’t capture the barren wasteland setting, where his story took place, and that children wouldn’t make convincing characters. Nevertheless, when an animated film was mentioned, Nosaka became more intrigued. But what truly made Nosaka interested was seeing the film’s storyboards. He would later conclude that animation was the best way to portray his story as it perfectly depicted its setting and characters.
The Main Characters
What’s more? Director, Isao Takahata, received praise for this tragic story. Specifically, fans and critics alike most appreciated Takahata’s somber approach to showing the consequences of war from the eyes of civilian children. Takahata felt compelled to adapt the film because of his intrigue with the short story’s main character, Seita. Mainly, he liked that Saita was written as a typical ninth grader trying to survive during wartimes. When seeing the character, Takahata felt that Nosaka captured the essence of youth.
From his perspective, war movies tended to portray young people in a way that would make them feel inferior and unconnected. To his credit, Takahata did well showing that war movies could leave a positive impression on the youth. He accomplished this goal with his portrayal of Seita, who showed great bravery and strength while fighting against overwhelming odds.
Besides Seita, he sibling’s bond provides the film’s emotional cue as Seita does everything he can to protect Setsuko from the tragedies of war. Despite Seita’s efforts to provide for his sister, it isn’t enough as their worsening situation becomes too much for either sibling to handle. Ultimately, Grave of the Fireflies is a depressing film that shows the tragedies of war without shying away from it – even at the end.
Netflix’s International Library
Decades after its release, this Ghibli film continues to win and break the hearts of millions worldwide due to its moving and heart-wrenching story. before the end of World War 2. Not only is Grave of the Fireflies critically acclaimed worldwide, but is arguably Ghibli’s best animated movie ever. To this day, animation studios everywhere have tried to capture and torture the hearts of their audiences with stunning imagery and emotional stories to varying levels of success.
Regarding the Netflix announcement, it’s unclear if Warner Bros. Discovery’s streaming network, MAX, will also stream Grave of the Fireflies. Earlier in the year, Warner Bros renewed their licensing agreement for Studio Ghibli’s catalog alongside GKIDS. Moreover, Ghibli films have been streamed exclusively on MAX for American audiences since it launched. With that said, long-term Ghibli fans can rejoice as Grave in the Fireflies will officially stream on Netflix starting September 16th, 2024. By joining Netflix’s International Library, this war drama will stream along with 22 other Ghibli films such as Spirited Away, My Neighbor Tororo, Kiki’s Delivery Service, and much more.
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