Whispers of the Heart (Mimi wo sumaseba) [1995]

[miriam_e]

I watched it again last night during dinner. Oh my! I had forgotten what a wonderful movie that is. I had tears of joy at one point -- not because a scene with conflict and tension had turned out good, but because a lovely scene had turned out so utterly wonderful (the scene where the old musicians joined in).

The animation, like the scenery artwork is simply breathtaking. The story finds beauty in the everyday at each turn and breathes life into the normality of its subjects while making their hopes and dreams soar.

It is not a story without conflict or unhappiness, but it's very close. This really has to be one of the most beautiful stories I've ever seen.

Comments

[sharpblonde.livejournal.com]

I love Hayao Miyazaki. I assume you've tried to work your way through them all? I haven't seen them all, but I plan to! I think I've only seen about 5. I've gotta work on that :P

[miriam-e.livejournal.com]

:) heheh I'm embarrassed to admit I only recently realised how many there are and that they all come from more or less the same place. So far I've seen:
- My Neighbour Totoro
- Whisper of the Heart
- Nausicaa of the Valley of Wind
- Laputa
- Princess Mononoke
- Porco Rosso
- Spirited Away (though I find that one a little too disturbing)
- Grave of the Fireflies (I and everybody in the theatre left at the end with eyes streaming tears)
- The Castle of Cagliostro

Wow! That's more than I realised! I thought I'd only seen about 4.
There are quite a few more I still want to see.

I'd be delighted to send you some if you can't find them anywhere or can't afford them yet.