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From Up on Poppy Hill

From Up on Poppy Hill

2011
Drama, Animation
1h 31m
Following in his father's footsteps, anime director Goro Miyazaki sets his story of young love and student protest against the period of Japanese modernization and revitalization ahead of the 1964 Tokyo Olympics. With charm and tragedy, Miyazaki takes a nostalgic look back at a time when the preservation of the past clashed with progress for the future. (tiff.net)
Your probable score
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From Up on Poppy Hill

2011
Drama, Animation
1h 31m
Your probable score
Avg Percentile 56.52% from 748 total ratings

Ratings & Reviews

(748)
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Rated 04 Nov 2012
75
62nd
Reminds me a lot of Whisper of the Heart with its simple dramatic plot line. This movie is incredibly sweet and gorgeously produced, though it lacks the whimsy and imagination of Hayao's work. Still, it was most definitely worth watching, and the romance was very sincere.
Rated 24 Sep 2012
65
54th
It lacks the magic and wonder of his father's work, even though he co-wrote it. It's basically a high school drama. It's all very nice though. Lots of lovely and cute moments. Also some rather uncomfortable ones... But anyway, it looks absolutely gorgeous, like you'd expect. Such amazing detail in every shot. It doesn't measure up at all to the Ghibli classics, but it's a pleasant little story that I'm sure anime fans will enjoy.
Rated 28 Jun 2012
69
46th
Lacking in subtlety, laying on the Showa sentimentality a bit thick. As a high school love story it's nowhere near as good as Whisper of the Heart, either. Goro's lack of experience and/or talent is still showing through, the film suffering from uneven pacing and a weak first half. The animation is as wonderful as always from Ghibli, though, as are the environments (that clubhouse!) and characters.
Rated 28 Aug 2017
80
74th
Another charming Ghibli hit, this time planted firmly on the side of reality rather than fantasy. With these idyllic small-town backdrops and likeable characters, Miyazaki is onto a winner. Although the formula is becoming well-trodden and the story is a bit melodramatic, these teenage characters have enough life and passion within them to keep interest alive. The music is also beautiful and there are many subtle themes to explore. This is not their best or worst film, but above average.
Rated 28 Jun 2012
85
68th
A romantic drama set in the 1960s. Written by Hayou Miyazaki and directed by his son. It's a charming film with lovely animation, but it's a step below Studio Ghibli's classics. Worth your time though.
Rated 01 May 2015
75
64th
Goro Miyazaki provides us with another solid Ghibli movie, yet there is some life missing in his animation when compared to his father's. Other gripes I had is its length. I feel like another half hour providing more closure would have benefited the sweet story that much more. One of Ghibli's weaker entries, but I will love it nonetheless.
Rated 23 Feb 2014
5
42nd
I watched this after seeing Larry Clark's movie "Bully", so the almost conflict free nature of "From Up On Poppy Hill" hit a sweet spot that my starved little heart could appreciate. Sure, it feels a little odd when the central problem of the film makes you think "Shit, I hope they're not siblings so they can love each other in ways siblings can't" but eh, what can you do.
Rated 07 Oct 2013
79
47th
Another worthy entry into the Ghibli canon, this one more grounded than most but no worse for the wear. Sweet, subtle animation and a character-driven story that delivers.
Rated 28 Aug 2012
85
71st
Great, detailed animation makes up for some lackluster plot developments. The sequences of the house being redecorated are some of the best montages I've seen in years, in animation or live action.
Rated 28 Nov 2012
75
65th
Almost brilliant, but not quite up there with other Ghibli classics, including their other recent films. A beautiful, intimate and largely well-presented story, and an aesthetically gorgeous film all-round, as you'd expect. There's something missing here, but loads of promise - I predict far greater things from Goro in the future.
Rated 22 Feb 2014
7
84th
I've generally been less into Ghibli's teen dramas than their fantasy films (in fact, I'd say I pretty actively and vigorously disliked Ocean Waves), but this one was actually pretty charming and funny and warm and likable. It didn't blow my hair back at any point but I thoroughly enjoyed it.
Rated 29 Mar 2018
83
86th
A lovely movie about to students in 1960s Japan who meet while trying to preserve their school's old club house and find they might have more in common than they think. The story takes some interesting turns, and the period setting which shows the revitalizing Japanese economy and the burgeoning political interest among students makes this film stand out.
Rated 21 May 2020
85
95th
One of my favorites of all time. This time the Son Miyazaki hit from the spot. This is not a fantasty world ghibli movie. This is a simple family and slice of life movie about a young girl from the 60s Japan. Its simple , its sincere and yet its stunning and touching. Its not complex maybe but its totaly confined and beautiful.
Rated 18 Sep 2021
73
44th
While the plot and setting seem like this movie was destined to be a grand epic like "Gone With the Wind", but this movie seems like an exceedingly small slice-of-life. There's no questioning Miyazaki's pedigree and the animation is exceptional, but his movie lacks his father's fantastical wonder, and in the end I felt like nothing really happened.
Rated 12 Feb 2014
67
26th
It is a strange plot, organized in a way that leaves this American viewer mystified, but the combination of the film's lovely artwork and the main characters' sweet relationship is enough to override its weird storytelling priorities, and I found myself sighing with sweet pleasure as the closing credits rolled. The only thing keeping me from rating it higher than the upper end of average is a story that might work for younger audiences but fails the believability test on a grown-up level.
Rated 30 Jul 2013
73
44th
Beautiful, fun, happy tale... But corny singing ruined the impact.
Rated 02 May 2013
65
65th
Oh no, it's incest!
Rated 20 Sep 2013
79
70th
Adorable and touching.
Rated 24 Apr 2021
78
69th
Very nice, sweet teen romance story set against the social tensions in 1964. It's most reminiscent of Whisper of the Heart.
Rated 06 Jun 2013
86
62nd
My first Ghibli film, which I quite enjoyed overall. Magnificent visuals as promised and a nice musical score as well. It is, however, very nostalgic with a fairly simple and predictable plot. Certainly a case of style overshadowing the plot itself.
Rated 21 Aug 2013
53
41st
Ghibli are stuck in a rut. I loved the totally feel-good, nearly conflict-less nature of Totoro and Kiki, but by this point they've overplayed it, losing the imagination. Poppy Hill feels kind of like another Whisper of the Heart... (spoiler coming) ...I'd have liked it much better if they'd gone all the way with the incest problem instead of solving it so easily and predictably. And the "issue" of modernization vs. preservation is nothing but a wallpaper.
Rated 13 Oct 2013
85
79th
I really appreciate the way that the film links the general appreciation for the past and tradition to the girl's deep need to keep the connection with her family's past alive. With gentle pacing and exquisite animation of nature and other surroundings, the film injects a bit of intelligence and real pathos into a film about young adults.
Rated 27 Aug 2013
3
65th
Sweet story, missed the usual Miyazaki imagination, though. - Good.
Rated 12 Sep 2013
88
98th
While not up there with his father's best works, I did enjoy this more than quite a few of them including the much loved Kiki's Delivery Service, Ponyo, and Porco Rosso to name a few.
Rated 11 Feb 2017
72
40th
B
Rated 25 May 2013
86
77th
Yet another winner from Studio Ghibli. Young Umi hoists signal flags in front of her home as a tribute to her late father, but when it appears someone is responding to them, it may mean the first stirrings of love. A gentle, heartfelt slice of life, touching on themes of urban renewal, civic pride, the effect of the past on the present--and even (SPOILERS) incest. It's frequently funny, and just as frequently touching, marred only by a mildly convoluted subplot. Typically lovely animation.
Rated 08 Feb 2015
60
35th
Goro Miyazaki's work just isn't on par with his father's, and though this is wildly better than his other effort (Tales of Earthsea), I found this pretty dull until the third act (despite a great musical score). It's too bad, too, because if the rest of the movie had featured a storyline anywhere near as touching as Umi and Shun's romance and family history, this could have been a minor classic.
Rated 15 Dec 2013
26
6th
I was pretty bored, but then, this film isn't really meant for me.
Rated 22 Dec 2013
60
40th
A lovely but minor addition to the Studio Ghibli canon.
Rated 11 Jul 2015
97
99th
Some underrank it, but this movie is a fantastic piece of historic restoration and peacekeeping. The students fought hard for their clubhouse that meant a lot for the school and was great, then you had the romance that, coupled with a great soundtrack made such a cute little shift between 'it's forbidden' to learning every truth about their family history.
Rated 09 Jun 2019
100
99th
Miyazaki Goro was clearly more comfortable with this more realistic subject matter than the high-fantasy disappointment Gedo Senki. All the characters seem real and alive with natural dialog and sometimes subtle expressions, against the 1960s port city backdrop that leaps off the screen and embraces the viewer in its vibrant youthful optimism. As we have come to expect from Ghibli, the scenery is absolutely gorgeous scenery and the soundtrack great.
Rated 25 Jul 2019
70
53rd
Buddingschoolromance+hersailordadneverfound-shestillraisesflagseveryday+heseesherdadpicthenconfirmswithdadherdadwashisrealdad+andhegotkindacoldwithher+hetellsher/havetobefriends+gototokyotogetchairmentocomeseebuildingtoreconsiderdestroying+mydadcantcomesoithinkhesentyou-iknowwecantdoanythingaboutitbutiloveyou-iloveyoutoo+momsayherdadtookinorphanfromshipmateetc-surenotdad's?-lookslikehim?-mhm/cries+savebuilding+seacaptain/3rdguyinpictellsthembouttheirdiffdads
Rated 12 Jun 2020
75
56th
Very slight and forgettable, but incredibly charming.
Rated 27 Jun 2020
80
79th
While it's a subtle addition to a delightful and colourful tale of friendship and hard work, the romance is cute, but as soon as it twists it sucks life from the rest (just call him nii-san and get over it!), and its resolution is unsatisfying. Luckily the rest, in the moving reveal of the restored clubhouse, also gets its resolution. The first hour is pure delight, the pseudo-incest a minor stumble in an otherwise lovely film.
Rated 22 Jul 2020
80
68th
beautiful!
Rated 31 Jul 2020
65
46th
hits my soft spot for academic romanticism + i hope the next gen of ghibli films go all out psychosexual
Rated 19 Oct 2020
61
39th
It was fun.
Rated 21 Feb 2021
83
57th
pero Shun no podemos, somos siblings
Rated 13 Apr 2022
3
45th
I was overjoyed by this film's gentle evocations of first love and youthful political engagement in a quaint seaside location. A potentially challenging wrinkle is introduced in the middle act, merely to be squandered as a trashy melodramatic trick which is rather safely resolved. It sours this initially very sweet film quite a bit.
Rated 12 Jun 2021
98
96th
Pleasantly surprised by this one.
Rated 06 Aug 2021
60
18th
????????????????????????
Rated 19 Sep 2021
81
63rd
There's a lot of interest and texture to this world, but the overall structure feels a bit unfocused, perhaps due to it being adapted from a serialized manga.
Rated 26 Dec 2022
75
78th
Very cute and lovely, the soundtrack is the best anime ive heard. It was a great story but the ending should have been a lot more romantic
Rated 08 Jan 2022
49
6th
This felt boring, predictable and generic. Couldn't get into it and did not finish watching.
Rated 12 Jun 2022
72
84th
Probably not the most memorable entry in the Ghibli library but as it’s quite reminiscent of Whisper of the Heart, which is my personal favorite from Ghibli, I loved this. It’s a slow burn slice of life and definitely not for the youngest viewers of the family due to the slow pacing but highly recommended viewing for those who enjoy period dramas.
Rated 17 Mar 2023
40
36th
don't remember it
Rated 14 May 2023
61
17th
Fine and touching at times, but predictable and lacking the familiar Ghibli magic. Not great messages on gender roles; it may well have been accurate for the setting, but I'd expect better from a film this recent.

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