Whisper of the Heart
by Yoshifumi Kondo
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DVD details
Actor: Kazuo Takahashi, Shigeru Muroi, Shigeru Tsuyuguchi, Takashi Tachibana, Youko HonnaDirector: Yoshifumi Kondo
Brand: Disney
Producer: Hayao Miyazaki
Writer: Hayao Miyazaki
Producer: Ned Lott
Producer: Rick Dempsey
Writer: Aoi H?ragi
Writer: Cindy Davis Hewitt
Writer: Donald H. Hewitt
DVD: Region Code 1
Audio: English (Original Language), Dolby Digital 5.1; Japanese (Original Language), Dolby Digital 5.1; English (Subtitled)
Format: AC-3, Animated, Closed-captioned, Color, Dolby, DVD, NTSC, Widescreen
Picture Format: 1.85:1
Running Time: 111 minutes
DVD Release Date: 2006-03-07
Audience Rating: G (General Audience)
Studio: Walt Disney Home Entertainment
DVD Reviews of Whisper of the Heart
DVD Review: pretty good
Summary: 4 Stars
this movie reminded me slightly of kiki's delivery service. kiki's delivery service was made before it though, and i'd have to say that it was a better story of self discovery. but as whisper of the heart is alos from studio ghibli, the fact that it pales in comparison to kiki in no way makes it a bad film.
whisper of the heart is the story of a girl who is at odds with herself. she has no direction and doesn't know what she will do in the future. she meets a boy who loves music and is inspired by his passion, so decides to write a novel. there isn't a lot of action in the movie, but watching shizuku struggle with her frustration at discovering what she enjoys and what she should do with her life, and then the passion and effort she puts into attempting to fulfill that endears her to the audience. she struggles with some conventions that the young people of today are encouraged to participate in. i won't say exactly what so as not to spoil anything, but suffice it to say that she resisted this convention because didn't see the use of participating and later returned to it when she saw the use.
at the end of the movie, shizuku finds her beginning, and i have to say that the story she is writing bears more than a resemblance to the cat returns, another ghibli film created after this one.
overall a sweet film, but kiki does a better job of it on the whole.
DVD Review: A Wonderful Film
Summary: 5 Stars
Miyazaki, the master filmmaker behind Studio Ghibli, has produced another fine film with "Whisper of the Heart." This movie, like his others, can be enjoyed by younger audiences and adults. Children will see it as a boy meets girl movie, but older viewers will admire both the story and the exquisite scenery provided by Studio Ghibli. We have yet to be disappointed by any of Mizazaki's works, and this film is a fine blend of story and art, and of the world we live in and the fantasy that awaits us just around the corner. This is an excellent and beautiful movie from the master of Japanese animated cinema.DVD Review: Guaranteed to Leave a Smile on your Face
Summary: 5 Stars
I was sure when I heard "Country Road" at the beginning of Whisper to the Heart that somebody had turned on the radio. But no, the song is a very present element to this wonderful animated movie. It's a distinct film in Studio Ghibli's repertoire, given that it's not a tangent fantasy and the setting of Tokyo is never really abandoned. It instead explores the subject of magic in other forms; just what is magic, and where can one find it? The first and only film directed by the late Yoshifumi Kondo, it is a heart-warming movie that explores the magic of life, and what it means to find yourself. It's something many can relate to, including yours truly.
Shizuku is a well-meaning but insecure junior high school student in Japan. Pressure is high on her year as they need good grades if they are to get into a good education. Shizuku, however, is restless and spends most of her time helping out other people, particularly with adopting English language songs into Japanese for her friends. Still, she longs for a direction. Her kind-meaning but demanding family don't help her there.
A series of events, however, lead Shizuku to meet Seiji, a boy from her year who wants to be a violin-maker. The two set up a warm, believable friendship. Inspired by Seiji's belief in his dream, Shizuku realises that to find herself, she has to follow her heart. Seiji's uncle, who runs an antique store (one of the items there is the Baron Cat featured in The Cat Returns), helps her in looking inside herself. Shizuku realises she wants to be a writer. But should she stay in school, or quit like Seiji and follow her dream? Can she find the courage?
John Denver's "Country Road" is a solid backbone to Whisper of the Heart, which is a beautiful piece of filmwork - written and storyboarded by Hayao Myazaki, it's a deep film with a profound, human insight. It's possibly even more distinct for the visual style of Shizuku's fantasy world, visualised by established artist Naohisa Inoue, whom Myazaki approached for the film. Though copyright issues may have led to its late US-release, Whisper of the Heart is a different kind of gem from Ghibli - a thoughtful revelation on what it means to not only look inside yourself and find out who you are, but what it means to act on it. It is an animated movie to be cherished, beautiful both visually and philosophically.
DVD Review: Charming and Heartwarming. Think "A Little Romance", NOT "Spirited Away"
Summary: 4 Stars
Lets start off by saying, if you're experience with Ghibli studios is Monokoke, Naussica, Spirited Away and Howle's Moving Castle, and that is what you are looking for, this is NOT your movie.
'Whisper of the Heart' is a touching, heartwarming story of a young Jr. High girl trying to discover who she is and where she is going. It reminded me a bit of a Japanese version of the 1979 film "A Little Romance" with Sir. Laurence Olivier and Diane Lane. The heart is incredible, the characters around her are supportive and wise, and she and her friends are passionate, insecure and trying to figure out love, life, career, future and how to grow up.
This is a movie you want to watch if you want a 'feel good' movie, and you can appreciate art- things like the lead reaching up to turn her lamp off, but it takes her a second or two to find the switch. Very realistic and artsy (to the point where at times it seems possibly a little dragged out, but as a filmmaker myself I really appreciate the realism that is the Miyazaki/Yakahada style).
This movie can not compare to movies such as Porko Rosso and Naussica, it's a completely different type of film. You could compare this to Miyazaki's "Grave of the Fireflies". This film is NOT a high flying imagination adventure, it is a heartwarming, laid back, touching look into the life of a young tween trying to find her calling.
DVD Review: Whisper of the Heart DVD
Summary: 4 Stars
Purchased item for a Hayao Miyazaki fan. Went over very well. Recipient appreciated addition their collection.
Description of Whisper of the Heart
From the creators of the Academy Award(R)-winning SPIRITED AWAY (Best Animated Feature Film, 2002) comes a tale based on the screenplay from the legendary animator Hayao Miyazaki. During summer vacation, a schoolgirl named Shizuku, who longs to discover her true talents, observes an ordinary-looking cat riding by himself on the train. Intrigued, she decides to follow him. This chance encounter leads her to the mysterious Seiji, a boy who is determined to follow his dreams, and The Baron, a magical cat figurine who helps her listen to the whispers in her heart. Soon, Shizuku's exciting adventures carry her far beyond the boundaries of her imagination. Featuring extraordinary storytelling, enchanting animation, and an all-star voice cast, this 2-disc set will inspire dreams and warm hearts of all ages. (c) 1995 Aoi Hiiragi/Shueisha . Nibariki . GNHBased on a manga by Aoi Hiiragi, the gentle coming-of-age story Whisper of the Heart (1995) was scripted and storyboarded by Hayao Miyazaki, and directed by the late Yoshifumi Kondo. Shizuku Tsukishima is an absent-minded, insecure junior high school student who reads book after book of fairy tales, helps her friends, and does most of her chores, but remains dissatisfied. When she encounters a wonderfully supercilious cat on the train, she follows him and meets Seiji Amasawa, a student in her class who hopes to become a violin maker. Seiji's commitment to his dream helps Shizuku find her voice, literally and figuratively: she realizes she wants to become a writer. A statue of a cat in the antique store of Seiji's kindly grandfather inspires her first story, "Whisper of the Heart."
Shizuku and Seiji exhibit believable strengths and flaws: their warm humanity contrasts markedly with the shabby superficiality of the characters in many American animated films. The lively performances of Brittany Snow and David Gallagher transcend the geographic limits of the story to make Shizuku and Seiji the kids the viewer wishes lived next door. Miyazaki's script suggests that a sense of magic can exist, even in everyday Tokyo. Whisper of the Heart was the only film Yoshifumi Kondo directed before his untimely death at age 47, but its understated charm stands as a monument to his talent. (Rated G, suitable for ages 10 and older: tobacco use) --Charles Solomon
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