From the official Facebook page, the theatrical listings for the hotly anticipated From Up On Poppy Hill by Studio Ghibli and Goro Miyazaki, son of legendary filmmaker Hayao Miyazaki, have been announced. Distributed by GKids (also distributing Wolf Children for theatrical release), the current listing detail 12 venues around the country where it can be screened, and more theaters are to be announced in the coming future.
The theaters are as listed below:
MARCH 15
New York – IFC Center
New York – Film Society of Lincoln Center
MARCH 22
Los Angeles – The Landmark
MARCH 29
Chicago – Landmark’s Century Centre Cinema
San Francisco – Embarcadero Center Cinema
Palo Alto – CineArts @ Palo Alto Square
Berkeley – Shattuck Cinemas
Boston – Kendall Square Cinema
Seattle – Harvard Exit Theatre
Minneapolis – Uptown Theater
San Diego – Landmark’s Hillcrest Cinemas
Long Island – Cinema Arts Centre
As said before, this is not a complete listing of available venues, and more dates and locations are to be announced. So definitely keep on the lookout for future references. As for those who live around one of these areas, it would be worthwhile to attend the screenings. From Up On Poppy Hill has received incredibly favorable reception among critics and film festivals alike.
Winner of the Japanese Academy Price, and an Official Selection for the Toronto International Film Festival, the film is lauded by critics “beautifully artful, wistfully nostalgic” (Twitch), and “a gem of classical 2D imagery that stands out in a world turned upside down by the digital revolution” (Screen International).
You can watch the trailer below:
The last comment by Screen International is very interesting, as the film’s narrative appears reflexive to Studio Ghibli and the Miyazakis’ commitment to stay true to the philosophies of traditional cel animation. Drawing by hand, painting on plastic sheets, and printing on 35mm film stock are all too familiar to the raising of flags and the romanticizing of an older world at the face of industrialization and modernity. The imagery in the animations illicit a nostalgic presence behind the meticulous details of the periodical setting.
The film looks like an incredibly promising improvement by Goro Miyazaki after the critically underwhelming performance by his previous directorial outing, Tales of Earthsea.
From Up On Poppy Hill should be an exciting new film for animation buffs and Studio Ghibli fans alike, as this father-son collaboration — Hayao Miyazaki’s screenwriting and Goro Miyazaki’s directing — will be the most personal film by the studio yet. Expect to see it when it hits a theater near you.
Also, filmmaker Ron Howard (A Beautiful Mind, Frost/Nixon) is included in the dub credits. Well, how about that?
