From Up on Poppy Hill Review

From Up on Poppy Hill is a 2011 Japanese anime produced by the world famous Studio Ghibli. Chances are you will probably have seen films produced by the movie studio without realising it even if you are not an anime fan (thinks Spirited Away, Howl’s Moving Castle, Ponyo).

I’m not a big anime fan myself but like previous movies by the studio, From Up on Poppy Hill has a way of connecting with audiences the world over despite cultural differences. The movie is set in the Pork of Yokohama, in 1960s Japan and tells the story of the blossoming romance between 16-year-old Umi and classmate, Shun.

The story is very gentle and is a departure from previous works by Studio Ghibli which all include some form of magic, spirits or monsters. From Up on Poppy Hill features none of this magic that made the studio famous, opting to tell a simple love story instead. While a little slow in places the film is visually stunning. It’s drawn in the same colourful and detailed style as its predecessors and is a treat to the eye. In an age where most cartoon films are drawn entirely on computer, the artists at Studio Ghibli have shown they can still surpass this with a traditional, entirely hand-drawn movie.

Also rather uniquely to a Studio Ghibli film From Up on Poppy Hill has some musical numbers thrown into the mix as well. I was not keen on this myself but then I am not a big fan of musicals anyway, but it is nice to see the studio try new things.

I give it 6/10.