From Up on Poppy Hill

The Walt Disney Company performed an English-language makeover (with Beau Bridges, Gillian Anderson, Jamie Lee Curtis, and Bruce Dern, among the vocal talent here) on the most recent charmer from Japan's eminent Studio Ghibli, From Up on Poppy Hill, which is a non-fantasy valentine to a simpler era, scripted by Oscar-winner Hayao Miyazaki and directed by his son Goro. The setting is Yokohama, circa 1963, where the port city is hearing calls to "modernize" like Tokyo is doing for their upcoming Olympics. Fearful of the impending demolition of their dusty old high school, local teens mobilize to clean the building and make an appeal to a distant head administrator. During this process, student-newspaper editor Shun (voiced by Anton Yelchin) meets Umi (Sarah Bolger), whose busy daily routine includes raising flags overlooking the harbor, in honor of her seaman father, who was lost in the Korean conflict. Their incipient relationship is shadowed by family secrets regarding Shun's true parentage. Although somewhat light on plot, From Up on Poppy Hill is a lovely film that is sure to appeal to Studio Ghibli's legion of fans (who will be happy that the original Japanese language version is also included on the home video release). Recommended. (C. Cassady)