In a Land of Pure Imagination Realistic Situations
Shizuku’s a total bookworm. She’s devouring her way through the library catalogue, but she keeps seeing the same name on the books’ checkout cards: Seiji Amasawa. The elusive Seiji Amasawa (Seiji Amasawa. SEIJI AMASAWA.*) leads Shizuku to unexpected discoveries of dreams, inspiration, … and loooooove.
*Srsly, you could make a mini drinking game from every time someone says Seiji Amasawa. (Fortch, alcohol isn’t necessary to enjoy this movie.)
Adorable Child Courtship Alert
This movie def. rocks the enemistry — aka FAVOURITE. (Although I’m not quite sure why; IRL, my enemies are never that hot.)
Clearly, the lady doth protest too much. Because there’s something there that wasn’t there beforeeeee.
And Shizuku gets to live the bookish fantasy: library flirtation!
But nothing can compare to this AMAZEBALLS jam sesh.
Lovable Anthropomorphic Sidekicks
Muta’s kind of an asshole. So obviously, I LOVE HIM.
And of course, the star of the story that Shizuku writes (AND THE STORY OF MEGAN’S OUR DREAMS) — the Baron.
Wait, WTF?
It’s been nearly a month since I watched this movie, and this song is still stuck in my head. But LOL, like that’s actually a bad thing. This song is the cat’s pajamas!
Also, it’s totally not weird to covet an animated teenager’s wardrobe, right? SHIZUKU, LET’S TRADE CLOTHES.
And not a WTF, but a giant frowny face for the tragedy behind the scenes. This was the first and last movie by director Yoshifumi Kondō, prior to his sudden death at the age of 47, likely brought on by excess work. Kondō was a rising star at Studio Ghibli, and he was expected to be the eventual successor to head honchos Hayao Miyazaki and Isao Takahata. Even though Kondō’s tenure at Studio Ghibli was brief, his legacy lives on in the brilliance and the promise that shines through Whisper of the Heart.
Famous Voices
- Brittany Snow as Shizuku
- David Gallagher (the younger brother on 7th Heaven, not Sandy Cohen, as I had initially confused them because I’m apparently an incredibly old person now) as Seiji
- Cary Elwes as the Baron
- Jean Smart as Shizuku’s mom
- James Sikking (Doogie’s dad) as Shizuku’s dad
- Courtney Thorne-Smith as Shizuku’s sister
- Ashley Tisdale as Yuko
- Harold Gould (Miles Webber on Golden Girls) as the antique shop owner
Class Superlative: Sweethearts
This movie is so sweet and full of hope. Maybe even a little too sweet, but even my cold, dark heart is willing to embrace its optimism. It also captures the gamut of emotions that is writer’s block. Like desperation:
Desolation (sans Smaug):
And occasionally, a little elation:
Exploring the Studio Ghibli Vault
