Whisper of the Heart
Yoshifumi Kondō died in 1998, three years after directing Whisper of the Heart. This film stands as his sole completed work as a director before his passing. Studio Ghibli had placed significant hopes on him to become the successor to Hayao Miyazaki and Isao Takahata. The studio viewed his unique style as essential for their future direction. His untimely death left a void that no other director could immediately fill. Critics often note how this single feature encapsulates his entire directorial vision.
Aoi Hiiragi serialized Mimi o Sumaseba in Shueisha's Ribon magazine between August and November 1989. A single tankōbon volume followed on the 20th of February 1990. Hayao Miyazaki adapted the source material into a feature-length screenplay for the animation. He transformed the original manga's episodic nature into a cohesive narrative structure. The story centers on Shizuku Tsukishima, a fourteen-year-old student at Mukaihara Junior High School. Her journey begins when she notices repeated library checkout cards from someone named Seiji Amasawa.
Composer Yuji Nomi created the film score while producer Toshio Suzuki's daughter Mamiko handled song translations. Hayao Miyazaki wrote supplemental lyrics for the Japanese version of John Denver's Take Me Home Country Roads. This song became Concrete Road within the film's plot, sung by Shizuku about her hometown in western Tokyo. Background art for fantasy sequences was drawn by Naohisa Inoue during production. Keisuke Miyazaki, Hayao's son and a professional engraver, created the woodcut of the imprisoned violin-maker. An opening sequence features Olivia Newton-John performing the English version of the country song.
Whisper of the Heart premiered in Japan on the 15th of July 1995, as the first domestic film to use Dolby Digital sound format. It screened alongside the music video On Your Mark by Chage and Aska. Tokuma Shoten released the movie on VHS and Laserdisc in January 1996. Buena Vista Home Entertainment Japan reissued the VHS on the 25th of July 1997, under their Ghibli ga Ippai series. Rights issues surrounding the John Denver song delayed the English dub until the 7th of March 2006. Walt Disney Studios Japan eventually released the Blu-ray edition on the 20th of July 2011.
The film earned the highest box office revenue among Japanese films domestically in 1995. Total worldwide gross reached thirty-four point nine million dollars. Rotten Tomatoes reported that ninety-five percent of critics gave positive reviews based on nineteen assessments. Time Out London included it in their Top 50 Animated Film list while Film4 placed it in their Top 25. Michael Toole from Anime News Network awarded an A-minus grade describing it as beautiful and evocative. The story inspired a spin-off film titled The Cat Returns which opened in July 2002.
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Common questions
Who directed the 1995 Japanese animated film Whisper of the Heart?
Yoshifumi Kondō directed the 1995 Japanese animated film Whisper of the Heart. This film stands as his sole completed work as a director before his passing in 1998.
When did Yoshifumi Kondō die relative to directing Whisper of the Heart?
Yoshifumi Kondō died in 1998, three years after directing Whisper of the Heart. Studio Ghibli had placed significant hopes on him to become the successor to Hayao Miyazaki and Isao Takahata.
What is the release date for the English dub of Whisper of the Heart?
Rights issues surrounding the John Denver song delayed the English dub until the 7th of March 2006. Walt Disney Studios Japan eventually released the Blu-ray edition on the 20th of July 2011.
How much money did Whisper of the Heart make worldwide?
Total worldwide gross reached thirty-four point nine million dollars. The film earned the highest box office revenue among Japanese films domestically in 1995.
Who wrote the screenplay for the anime adaptation of Mimi o Sumaseba?
Hayao Miyazaki adapted the source material into a feature-length screenplay for the animation. He transformed the original manga's episodic nature into a cohesive narrative structure.