Legendary animator Hayao Miyazaki has helmed such awe-inspiring efforts as My Neighbor Totoro, Spirited Away and Ponyo. But recently, he's been handing the reins of Studio Ghibli to a new generation of filmmakers. Last year saw the release of The Secret World of Arrietty, which Miyazaki scripted, but Hiromasa Yonebayashi directed. Next up, Studio Ghibli is unveiling From Up On Poppy Hill, a coming of age tale penned in part by Hayao Miyazaki, and helmed his son Goro Miyazaki. This will be Goro's second feature, the first being 2006's Tales from Earthsea.
Check outFrom Up On Poppy Hill's charming trailer below, or in hi-res at Apple:
Set in Japan in 1963, From Up On Poppy Hill is nested in a time of renewal for the Eastern nation. World War II is in the country's rearview and hosting duties for the 1964 Olympics lie ahead. It is in this era of transformation that two teens meet and fall in love.
16-year-old Umi helps her busy mother oversee the running of the family's boarding house, and each morning she raises a set of flags to signal a prayer for the safe voyage of those who sail by her beloved seaside town. This ritual wins the attention of Shun, a schoolmate and poet, who urges Umi to join him in his efforts to save their school's clubhouse from destruction.
For the film's English-language release, GKids has round up a voice cast that includes Once Upon a Time's Sarah Bolger, Anton Yelchin, Gillian Anderson, Jamie Lee Curtis, Beau Bridges, Isabelle Fuhrman, Christina Hendricks, and Aubrey Plaza.
From Up On Poppy Hill opens March 29th.
