“From Up on Poppy Hill” written by Hayao Miyazaki, directed by his son Goro Miyazaki, opens at the Loft Cinema, 3233 E. Speedway on April 12. Winner: Japan Academy Prize 2011, Animation of the Year. The Loft just hosted a Hayao Miyazaki film series of 8 animated films in January. This is the latest film.

From the iconic and highly celebrated Studio Ghibli (Spirited Away, My Neighbor Totoro) comes From Up on Poppy Hill, written by legendary studio founder and Oscar-winner Hayao Miyazaki and directed by Goro Miyazaki. This uniquely inspired and highly anticipated coming-of-age story marks the first feature film collaboration between father and son, and the results are stunning.

Set in Yokohama in 1963, this lovingly hand-drawn film centers on Umi (voiced by Sarah Bolger) and Shun (voiced by Anton Yelchin) and the budding romance that develops as they join forces to save their high school’s ramshackle clubhouse from demolition. The top-grossing Japanese film of 2011 and winner of the Japan Academy Prize for Animation, From Up on Poppy Hill captures the innocence of new love as well as the beauty of Yokohama’s harbor and lush surroundings. With its rich color palette, stunning exteriors, sun-drenched gardens, bustling cityscapes and painterly detail, From Up on Poppy Hill provides a pure, sincere, and nuanced evocation of the past (buoyed by an upbeat soundtrack of period pop music), and marks yet another creative triumph for Studio Ghibli.

The star-filled voice cast also includes Jamie Lee Curtis, Christina Hendricks and Ron Howard, among many others. (Dir. by Goro Miyazaki, 2011, Japan, dubbed in English & subtitled in English 2011, 91 min) Digital.

I’ve seen most of Miyazaki’s animated films, so I’m looking forward to seeing this new one as well.

Miyazaki: The Studio Ghibli Collection

My Neighbor Totoro

All through the month of January, The Loft Cinema is proud to present a nationally-touring retrospective series celebrating the work of legendary, Oscar-winning filmmaker Hayao Miyazaki, featuring newly struck 35mm prints of the director’s feature films from Japan’s famed Studio Ghibli animation house. Don’t miss your chance to see such Miyazaki favorites as Princess Mononoke, Spirited Away, My Neighbor Totoro and more on the big screen in this smash-hit collection that has wowed audiences across the country – and now it’s here at The Loft! Most films in the series will be presented in both subtitled and English dubbed versions.

Presented by GKIDS.

Individual Films: $8.00 general admission • $6.00 Loft members & children 12 and under.
Series Passes: $55 general admission • $40 members & children 12 and under.
Series Passes are available at the box office or by calling (520)795-0844 between 11am and 10pm

Nausicaa of the Valley of the Wind / Miyazaki: The Studio Ghibli Collection
Starts on Thursday, Jan 3rd 2013
The debut film from Hayao Miyazaki, Nausicaa is considered by many to be his masterwork — and there are few films, animated or otherwise, of such sweeping scope and grandeur.

Castle in the Sky / Miyazaki: The Studio Ghibli Collection
Starts on Sunday, Jan 6th 2013
Castle in the Sky is an early masterpiece of storytelling and filmmaking whose imaginative and ornately detailed vision presaged later Miyazaki films like Princess Mononoke and Spirited Away.

My Neighbor Totoro / Miyazaki: The Studio Ghibli Collection
Starts on Thursday, Jan 10th 2013
One of the most endearing and internationally renowned family films of all time, a film that Roger Ebert called “one of the five best movies” ever made for children. At its core My Neighbor Totoro is about human-kind’s relationship to the Earth, and viewers are left with a sense of wonder at the beauty, mystery and preciousness of the world around us.

Kiki’s Delivery Service / Miyazaki: The Studio Ghibli Collection
Starts on Sunday, Jan 13th 2013
Miyazaki’s first big US success tells the story of a resourceful young witch who uses her broom to create a delivery service, only to lose her gift of flight in a moment of self-doubt.

Princess Mononoke / Miyazaki: The Studio Ghibli Collection
Starts on Thursday, Jan 17th 2013
Princess Mononoke is a landmark of animation and a film of unsurpassed power and beauty. An epic story of conflict between humans, gods, and nature, the film has been universally acclaimed by critics and embraced by audiences, breaking box office records upon its original release in Japan.

Porco Rosso / Miyazaki: The Studio Ghibli Collection
Starts on Sunday, Jan 20th 2013
This relatively unsung treasure from Miyazaki nestles a tale of morality and identity inside a soaring airborne adventure — a tribute to early aviation and the reckless flyboys whose home was the open sky.

Spirited Away / Miyazaki: The Studio Ghibli Collection
Starts on Thursday, Jan 24th 2013
Miyazaki’s stunning, Academy Award-winning masterpiece Spirited Away was the biggest box office hit of all-time in Japan, as well as a film that helped redefine the possibilities of animation for American audiences and a generation of new filmmakers.

Howl’s Moving Castle / Miyazaki: The Studio Ghibli Collection
Starts on Sunday, Jan 27th 2013
Infused with wondrous beauty and a compelling narrative driven by dream logic, Howl’s Moving Castle was the second Studio Ghibli film to be nominated for the Best Animated Feature Academy Award.

For the trailers & more info about each movie, click here at the Loft website. I’ve seen most of these charming, clever animated films which are for children of all ages. Eight fantastic animated films all will be showing at the Loft Cinema. This is Japanese animation at its best.