From Up on Poppy Hill

Studio Ghibli is the Japanese equivalent of Disney, an animation studio that has produced some of the greatest animated features ever, including Spirited Away, Princess Mononoke and Howl’s Moving Castle. The studio’s latest effort, From Up On Poppy Hill, is set in Japan just prior to Tokyo’s hosting of the Summer Olympics. In the movie, a girl on Poppy Hill raises two flags each morning, an effort to get information from the ships in the harbor below about her dad who has been missing at sea for years. Her actions capture the attention of an intriguing boy who’s trying to save his school’s clubhouse from demolition.

ClearPlay In Action!

Poppy Hill received a PG rating for some thematic elements. ClearPlay cuts some language, boys urinating and a scene of a woman breastfeeding. An image of a ship exploding might be too intense for some young audience members, and there is a twist on the usual romance that might be found in movies like this, but Poppy Hill is appropriate for most family members.

Is Poppy Hill a peak or a valley for Studio Ghibli?…

From Up On Poppy Hill is beautifully animated, but the story lacks the magic and fantasy of most Ghibli productions. If you’re looking for spectacle, you’re looking in the wrong place here. But if you gear your expectations toward a sweet, heartfelt story, Poppy Hill puts you in the right neighborhood.

Marty Nabhan — ClearPlay Anime Fan

Rated PG for mild thematic elements and some incidental smoking images; 91 min; Directed by Goro Miyazaki