One of the Best Animated Films I've Ever Seen

Rating: 10/10 (20 April 2003)

This is no knock on "The Lion King", "Beauty and the Beast", "Fantasia" or "Snow White and Seven Dwarfs", but "Grave of the Fireflies" has done something very few, if any animated features (I feel) have ever done. The film has an emotional power, which is drawn from its serious topic of war and the human spirit. Plus "Grave of the Fireflies" is rich in animated detail and human feeling, which towers this film above most animated films.
Perhaps one of animation's few downfalls is its simplicity. Animation for the most part is viewed as a child's medium. There are many reasons for this, but "Grave of the Fireflies" proves without a doubt that this is a falsity. Director Isao Takahata shows that animation has all the capabilities of approaching difficult issues (like war and its consequences) with a personal heart and creative touch.
The story is about a brother (Seita) and a sister (Setsuko) who deal with a great tragedy and struggle after a bombing during World War II. Yet this film has so many moments of beauty to respond to the moments of horror. The moments of Seita and Setsuko swimming or of Setsuko burying the fireflies are absolutely wonderful in their subtlety. There's not a ton of action going on in those scenes but they're so richly detailed in the animation and narrative that your eyes stay glued to the screen.
This film is a testament to the human spirit and living life to the fullest. I will not lie, this film is fairly hard to swallow, it deals with difficult issues. Yet it is because of this challenge that this film stands above about every other animated films. It proves that animation is not just for children, but for everyone. This film made me smile and almost brought me to tears at the same time. "Grave of the Fireflies" is truly one of the greatest animated films of all-time. A 10 out of 10.