"Gorgeous and magical" - Michael O’Sullivan, The Washington Post

"A Staggering Masterpiece" - Glenn Kenny, RogerEbert.com

From Studio Ghibli, the studio that brought you the Academy Award^® winning Spirited Away, My Neighbor Totoro, and The Wind Rises, comes a powerful and seeping epic that redefines animated storytelling and marks a triumphant highpoint within an extraordinary filmmaking career for director Isao Takahata. Found inside a shining stalk of bamboo by an old bamboo cutter and his wife, a tiny girl grows rapidly into an exquisite young lady. The mysterious young princess enthralls all who encounter her – but ultimately she must confront her fate, the punishment for her crime.