From Up on Poppy Hill Blu-ray Movie

Rating summary

Movie		4.5
Video		4.5
Audio		5.0
Extras		4.0
Overall		4.5

From Up on Poppy Hill Blu-ray Movie Review

An exceptional anime classic from Studio Ghibli (Spirited Away, Howl's Moving Castle).

From Up on Poppy Hill is an enchanting anime gem based on an original story by Tetsuro Sayama. Directed by Goro Miyazaki (Tales from Earthsea, Earwig and the Witch), Hayao Miyazaki's son, audiences won't be able to resist the charming tale. A must-see modern classic.

Set in 1963, From Up on Poppy Hill follows the journey of high-school girl Umi Matsuzaki (Masami Nagasawa) while she lives in a quiet boarding house. When Umi meets Shun Kazuma (Jun'ichi Okada), who works as one of the leaders of the newspaper club, the duo become close friends and begin to work together to clean up the school clubhouse and make the club a better environment for all. Though a greedy businessman seeks to demolish the clubhouse and use it for the 1964 Tokyo Olympics, Umi and Shun will stop at nothing to save it from demolition. Can the clubhouse be restored to its former glory?

Featuring art direction by Kamon Oba, Yohei Takamatsu, Noboru Yoshida, and Takashi Omori, From Up on Poppy Hill is a beautiful work of art from Studio Ghibli (Spirited Away, My Neighbor Totoro). The animation is superb throughout the entire production. The background art is vivid and detailed throughout. The character designs are unique and full of personality. The art work is as stunning as classic paintings: every frame looks beautiful to behold (and to marvel in). The cinematography by Atsushi Okui (Spirited Away, Porco Rosso) helps give the production even more visual splendor.

A quiet gem. A must-see modern classic.

The score composed by Satoshi Takebe (After the Flowers, Over Time) is simply majestic. The music is a different type of effort compared to the usual works of Joe Hisaishi (Spirited Away, Kiki's Delivery Service) but the score gives unique life to the animation. The score sounds tranquil and mesmerizing.

The screenplay by Hayao Miyazaki (Spirited Away, My Neighbor Totoro) and Keiko Niwa (When Marnie Was There, Ocean Waves) is one of the greatest assets of From Up on Poppy Hill. With contributions by Hayao Miyazaki, the storytelling is every-bit as good as a usual Studio Ghibli production. Characters are well rounded. The story is full of charm.

Goro Miyazaki capably directed From Up on Poppy Hill. Comparisons to his father, Hayao Miyazaki, are unavoidable. Yet Goro gives the filmmaking a distinctive style while showing the influence of his father. The end-results are impressive. From Up on Poppy Hill is entertaining, beautiful, and fun. Studio Ghibli fans won't be able to resist.

From Up on Poppy Hill Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Arriving on Blu-ray from GKids (in collaboration with Shout Factory), From Up on Poppy Hill is presented in 1080p MPEG-4 AVC encoded high-definition. The film is presented in the original theatrical aspect ratio of 1.85:1. For additional information on the picture-quality, please refer to the review by my colleague Jeffrey Kauffman.

From Up on Poppy Hill Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

The release is presented in Japanese DTS-HD Master Audio 5.0 and English DTS-HD Master Audio 5.0. The release does not include a discreet LFE channel (as intended). For additional information regarding the audio-quality, please refer to the review by my colleague Jeffrey Kauffman.

From Up on Poppy Hill Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

The collectors edition comes in collectible steelbook packaging. The steelbook design is beautiful in its simplistic elegance. The cover-art showcases an iconic image from the feature-film against a light blue background. The steelbook has a nice minimalism and looks beautiful in person. The inside-art has a nice image from the film. The release includes a booklet with selections of writing on From Up on Poppy Hill. The release includes a Blu-ray and DVD.

On-disc supplements remain the same as the standard-edition. For additional information on these extras, please refer to the review by my colleague Jeffrey Kauffman.

From Up on Poppy Hill Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

From Up on Poppy Hill is an enchanting gem which wears its heart on its sleeve: the production is beautiful from start-to-finish. The animation is stunning and the storytelling is enchanting. With the involvement of Hayao Miyazaki (Spirited Away), Goro Miyazaki's anime gem is another must-see from the masters at Studio Ghibli. The Blu-ray release features an impressive video-audio presentation and a nice selection of extras. The collectors edition includes beautiful steelbook packaging. The release is a must-own for Ghibli enthusiasts. Highly recommended.