When the divine Princess Kaguya took earthly form after being born inside a lotus flower, she probably wanted something more out of mortal existence than a marriage conundrum.
She doesn’t remember why she chose to live as a human, but Kaguya’s life is suddenly threatened by the king, who demands that she marry him or face death for disobeying a royal. Voiced by Chloe Grace Moretz, Kaguya declares that she’d rather die than bend to the king’s will, but she doesn’t want to disappoint or get in trouble the humble woodcutter who adopted her as a daughter, either.
Based on the 10th-century Japanese folktale “The Tale of the Bamboo Cutter,” Studio Ghibli’s The Tale of the Princess Kaguya appears as though it will hew close to its source origins, both in narrative and its elegantly spare visuals, which recall watercolors and charcoal drawings.
The Tale of the Princess Kaguya opens October 17.
