Netflix has announced that it will exclusively stream Isao Takahata’s Grave of the Fireflies war drama anime film in 190 countries starting September 16, 2024. The streaming service released the film’s trailer on its YouTube channel and Twitter account.
The United States and Japan were previously announced by Netflix as excluded regions for the film, but a recent update no longer mentions the U.S. as an excluded region.
Grave of the Fireflies first premiered in Japan on April 16, 1988 as a double feature with Hayao Miyazaki’s My Neighbor Totoro. It is based on Akiyuki Nosaka’s semi-autobiographical short story that was first published in 1967.
In addition to directing, Takahata wrote the film’s screenplay. Other notable staff include the late Yoshifumi Kondo (Whisper of the Heart) as character designer and animation director, the late Nizo Yamamoto as art director, and Michio Mamiya (Horus, Prince of the Sun) as music composer. Studio Ghibli was the animation production company.
The film has been released several times in English in several regions outside of Japan. Central Park Media first released the film on VHS in 1993 and later dubbed it into English in 1998. ADV Films released the film on DVD in 2009, with Sentai Filmworks later rescuing the license and releasing a remastered version in 2012. GKIDS acquired the North American theatrical rights in 2012.
Netflix describes Grave of the Fireflies as:
Orphans Seita and Setsuko fight for survival in post-World War II Japan. But society is harsh, and they come to the somber conclusion that they can neither escape the hardships of war nor find enough food to survive.
Source: Netflix Official Website, Netflix Anime YouTube Channel
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