Whisper of the Heart

Name: Whisper of the Heart
Genre: Drama, Romance, Music, Animation, Family
Released: December 13, 1996
Duration: 111 min
Rating: 75
Cast: Issei Takahashi, Keiju Kobayashi, Maiko Kayama, Minami Takayama, Shigeru Muroi

1996

METASCORE

Generally favorable reviews based on 4 Critic Reviews

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USER SCORE

Universal acclaim based on 12 Ratings

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8.6

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8.6	User Score Universal acclaim based on 12 Ratings

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Whisper of the Heart

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Movie Details & Credits

GKIDS | Release Date: December 13, 1996 | G

Starring: Issei Takahashi, Keiju Kobayashi, Maiko Kayama, Minami Takayama, Shigeru Muroi, Shigeru Tsuyuguchi, Takashi Tachibana, Yorie Yamashita, Yoshimi Nakajima, Youko Honna

Summary: A chance encounter with a mysterious cat sends Shizuku, a quiet schoolgirl, on a quest for her true talent. Together with Seiji, a boy determined to follow his dreams, and enchanted by The Baron, a magical cat figurine who helps her listen to the whispers of her heart, Shizuku embarks on a life-changing adventure that takes her beyond theA chance encounter with a mysterious cat sends Shizuku, a quiet schoolgirl, on a quest for her true talent. Together with Seiji, a boy determined to follow his dreams, and enchanted by The Baron, a magical cat figurine who helps her listen to the whispers of her heart, Shizuku embarks on a life-changing adventure that takes her beyond the boundaries of her imagination. … Expand

Director: Yoshifumi Kondô

Genre(s): Drama, Romance, Music, Animation, Family

Rating: G

Runtime: 111 min

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Critic Reviews

James Berardinelli

An affecting and endearing collaboration between Miyazaki and Kondo, it weds a coming-of-age story with a flight of fancy to good effect. Although often overshadowed by more popular titles in the Studio Ghibli catalog, this is as deserving as any 1990s Japanese animated film to be seen and enjoyed. Read full review

Noel Murray

Studio Ghibli productions have always been adept at making the fantastic seem real, but with Whisper Of The Heart, Kondo and Miyazaki focus so intensely on the everyday that they make the real seem fantastic. Read full review

Patrick Gamble

A lovingly crafted and well observed story about adolescent self discovery – and to this day remains one of the most remarkable films produced by Studio Ghibli. Read full review

Mike Hale

Mr. Miyazaki wrote the screenplay for a love story about a shy girl and an aspiring violin maker (and a talking cat), but the result looks like a lot of non-Ghibli anime. Read full review

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8.6

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User Reviews

MICKticken

May 17, 2020

It's a love story that makes sense. The characters and world don't force their emotions or act with the signature overacting of Anime. Instead, this movie is enough to let the viewer experience the late 90's Tokyo and 2 characters who honestly love each other. Just a truly lovely film.

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alejandro970

Dec 28, 2019

A young brother of the Ghibli's big shots, this is a no despicable young romance story of how to listen the language of the heart with the help of poetry, cats and fiddle. For Ghibli red bone fans, check an easter egg on the grandfather clock.

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Haydnengel

May 6, 2020

Real rating: 78/100
DE: This film has a sad asterisk next to it. It is the only feature-length film directed by Kondô Yoshifumi, who was said to be Miyazaki's successor in regards to directing Ghilbi films. Kondô sadly never got the chance to take up that mantle as he died three years laterReal rating: 78/100
DE: This film has a sad asterisk next to it. It is the only feature-length film directed by Kondô Yoshifumi, who was said to be Miyazaki's successor in regards to directing Ghilbi films. Kondô sadly never got the chance to take up that mantle as he died three years later in 1998 and from what we see on-screen we may have never gotten "Spirited Away", but we would have still had a studio left in competent hands, and it is a shame that we will never get to see the films that could have been. On a quick note in editing, they could have easily shaved 5 minutes off of this film and still had it keep the slow pacing they were going for.

W: There is no writer in film that has a more successful batting average than Miyazaki Hayao. Paul Thomas Anderson is the only other figure as consistent as Miyazaki. However, the head of Ghilibi has written almost double the number of films as Anderson, and we can praise Hiiragi Aoi's source material if we wish, but I do not. Source material can be tremendous, but Shawshank Redemption and Oldboy are two films with weak source material and look at how they turned out. It is the writing and the dialogue that hold this movie together, however, the ending hurts the overall film. It feels rushed, and while I can see the merit in a Kawabatta-esque wabi-sabi ending. It feels unearned as if the writer had no idea how to continue rather than chose not to continue.

C: I bet you have no idea who Okui Atsushi is and that is fine. I understand. However, you should as Okui might very well be one of the greatest cinematographers to ever exist, and that is no hyperbole either. Please look up their works and be amazed. Their use of the camera is excellent, and in this film, we see a consistent side-on approach to the characters that gives depth to what should ultimately be a flat shot. We then couple that with the angles that we get during exterior shots and we can feel that juxtaposition more so, thus allowing us to see these characters in a different light.

A: The four principal actors are Honna Yoko as Tsukishima **** Takahashi Issey as Amasawa Seiji, Tachibana Takashi as Tsukishima Seiya, and Muroi Shigeru as Tsukishima Asako. Their performances are average, which in a way gives the characters more authenticity in terms of presenting them as ordinary humans, but it feels like you could have gotten this effect without weakening the overall performance of the piece.

S: Nomi Yûji was in charge of the music for Whisper of the Heart and while their efforts were decent. It is actually the absence of sound that often drives this work. From that awkward silence of two characters who have blurted out unreciprocated emotions punctuated by the chirping of the cicadas to the dull hum of the headphones that suggest our main character is lost in her own literary world. It is the banality that allows the story to feel more natural and give further depth to the main characters..

PD: The storyboard artist for this film was Miyazaki Hayao that alone says everything that you need to hear. The sets as they were and the buildings have a life of their own. They are lived in, to the point that you can smell the must wafting off of the books within the Tsukishima's apartment.

BA: The costume design throughout the film is uninspired and at times, feels off. Like in the section where the old man is remembering his time in Germany, and he and seemingly, everyone else appears to be wearing Zoot Suits. The SFX are weak given that this a Studio Ghlibi who is on the verge of producing Princess Mononoke and that the SFX artist is Tanifuji Kaoru who two years prior was running the SFX on the incredibly violent Ninja Scrolls.

EVO: In terms of entertainment Whisper of the Heart is a touching tale that does not rely on the fantastical whimsy that most of Studio Ghibli's films use with astute aplomb. Though this works in the movie's favour. It can give you that sense of a fairy tale within the uncompromising brick walls of reality. That said if you are looking for that other world/Alice in Wonderland feel. I have bad news for you, you may find yourself being forcibly dragged through the intentionally slow pacing.

Notes: I would like to say that I hate some of the promotional posters for this film, they feels exploitative as if the marketing team went "Hey this is a Miyazaki film, and people are going to anticipate wonder and magic." The reality is, you should not. This is not that film, this is a measured and slow-paced work that relies on us the viewer building a relationship with the main character. Please do not think this is the perfect film to plop a small child down in front of, it is more for the artsy types who wish to be inspired. Or for a more thoughtful approach to the old follow your dreams cliche. Also, I can see why many people did not watch this film as that trailer was awful and in no way gives you a sense of the world they are building.… Expand

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