The English-language dub version of Studio Ghibli’s 2011 film From Up on Poppy Hill opens today in New York and will expand to Los Angeles and other select U.S. cities later this month. The official theater list and current U.S. release schedule is available on the film’s Facebook page. The English-speaking voice cast includes Jamie Lee Curtis, Gillian Anderson, Bruce Dern, Christina Hendricks, Aubrey Plaza and Beau Bridges. The film is being distributed in the U.S. by GKIDS Films.
Directed by Goro Miyazaki, the film was the top-grossing film in Japan in 2011 and was also the winner of the Japan Academy Prize for Animation. Set in 1963 in Yokohama, Japan, the coming-of-age story follows the relationship of Umi and Shun, two teenagers whose lives parallel what Japan itself was facing—the continued devastation and recovery from World War II along with the optimism and hope of the future. Animated in the trademark Studio Ghibli style, the film looks stunning and we at Animation Fascination can’t wait to get a chance to see it.
An interesting interview with Goro Miyazaki is on The Daily Beast website. Here, Goro talks more about the film, his relationship with his father (who is beloved animation director Hayao Miyazaki), and his perspective on 2D vs. 3D animation. So will you be seeing the film this weekend? Let us know in the comments below.
Animation Fascination 
Pingback: Disney to Distribute ‘The Wind Rises’ | Animation Fascination