If you've had the pleasure of heading to see Studio Ghibli's witchy classic Kiki's Delivery Service in the last week or so — or have a trip to your l
If you’ve had the pleasure of heading to see Studio Ghibli’s witchy classic Kiki’s Delivery Service in the last week or so — or have a trip to your local multiplex planned imminently for Hayao Miyazaki’s anime classic — then you have the legendary Japanese animation studio’s novel UK distributor, GKIDS, to thank for that. And, as promised back in July, there’s plenty more where that came from on its way. Today, GKIDS has confirmed that unsung Ghibli classic Whisper Of The Heart, one of the all-time great coming of age movies, is heading for IMAX screens on 16 September ahead of a wide cinema release of Yoshifumi Kondō fantasy-lite gem on 18 September. Check out the trailer below;
Sorry not sorry for planting the Japanese ‘Take Me Home, Country Roads’ earworm in your heads by sharing that trailer, folks — it’s worth it! Sure, Studio Ghibli has more than its fair share of memorable coming-of-age yarns (the above-mentioned Kiki’s Delivery Service, Spirited Away, The Boy And The Heron to name but a few), but Whisper Of The Heart is just different. Sadly the only Ghibli film veteran animator Yoshifumi Kondō directed before his untimely passing at the age of just 48, Whisper is singular in Ghibli’s catalogue as one of the studio’s few films that eschews fantasy entirely to face the growing pains of adolescence head-on. The film, set in then-contemporary Tokyo (actually 1995), not only depicts 14-year-old budding author Shizuku falling for Seiji – a boy who checked out all the same library books as her – but also takes the time to explore its protagonist’s discovery and pursuit of her passion, too. It’s a tale of discovering purpose, of committing to your craft and coming into your own, that remains massively underseen if not underrated (everyone who has seen it near-unanimously agrees it’s a banger.)
And with this swish novel 4K restoration and IMAX cinema release also comes, of course, a gorgeous novel poster for Kondō’s classic — which you can see below;
Set to screen in both its original Japanese form with subtitles and in English dub, this novel restoration of Whisper Of The Heart is sure to be a must-see for dyed-in-the-wool Ghibliheads and anime newcomers alike when it hits cinemas in mid-September. And with more Ghibli classics — including up-to-date fave The Secret World Of Arrietty — still on their way, we can look forward to (re)discovering more Ghibli gems in the weeks and months to come. No complaints here! *Alexa, play ”Country Roads’… Shizuku’s Version*
