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List Price: $29.99 | | Label: Walt Disney Home Entertainment
Salesrank: 4919
Released: March 7, 2006 |
| Our Price: $21.18 |
| Used Price: $18.95 |
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MPAA Rating: G (General Audience)
Media: DVD |
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Editorial Review:
From the creators of the Academy Award(R)-winning SPIRITED AWAY (Best Animated Feature Film 2002) comes a tale based on the screenplay from the legendary animator Hayao Miyazaki. During summer vacation a schoolgirl named Shizuku who longs to discover her true talents observes an ordinary-looking cat riding by himself on the train. Intrigued she decides to follow him. This chance encounter leads her to the mysterious Seiji a boy who is determined to follow his dreams and The Baron a magical cat figurine who helps her listen to the whispers in her heart. Soon Shizuku's exciting adventures carry her far beyond the boundaries of her imagination. Featuring extraordinary storytelling enchanting animation and an all-star voice cast this 2-disc set will inspire dreams and warm hearts of all ages. System Requirements:Running Time 111Format: DVD MOVIE Genre: DRAMA Rating: G UPC: 786936175318 Manufacturer No: 02535000
Description of Whisper of the Heart:
Based on a manga by Aoi Hiiragi, the gentle coming-of-age story Whisper of the Heart (1995) was scripted and storyboarded by Hayao Miyazaki, and directed by the late Yoshifumi Kondo. Shizuku Tsukishima is an absent-minded, insecure junior high school student who reads book after book of fairy tales, helps her friends, and does most of her chores, but remains dissatisfied. When she encounters a wonderfully supercilious cat on the train, she follows him and meets Seiji Amasawa, a student in her class who hopes to become a violin maker. Seiji's commitment to his dream helps Shizuku find her voice, literally and figuratively: she realizes she wants to become a writer. A statue of a cat in the antique store of Seiji's kindly grandfather inspires her first story, "Whisper of the Heart."
Shizuku and Seiji exhibit believable strengths and flaws: their warm humanity contrasts markedly with the shabby superficiality of the characters in many American animated films. The lively performances of Brittany Snow and David Gallagher transcend the geographic limits of the story to make Shizuku and Seiji the kids the viewer wishes lived next door. Miyazaki's script suggests that a sense of magic can exist, even in everyday Tokyo. Whisper of the Heart was the only film Yoshifumi Kondo directed before his untimely death at age 47, but its understated charm stands as a monument to his talent. (Rated G, suitable for ages 10 and older: tobacco use) --Charles Solomon
Whisper of the Heart Reviews:
Whispers of the Heart 
2008-09-28 - Wow, another great film from Studio Ghibli. This is a wonderful story of a young girl who follows a cat and ends up following her dreams. A great story for all.
3.5 stars is more accurate; good but not spectacular 
2008-08-27 - After seeing "The Cat Returns" I just had to see the inspiration behind that fantastic movie. I was prepared from reading previous reviews that "whisper of the Heart" would not be a fantasy laden tale. That being said, I must still say that I did enjoy it. I must also say that it is a bit slow. I think they could've cut out about 1 hour's worth of filler (numerous scenes of the girl just walking or the entire first portion of the movie that's nothing but her running errands) and still conveyed their message. Compared to other Studio Ghibli films this was just somewhat boring (most of their films are slow, but this was really slow). Also, I felt the choice of "Country Roads" as a theme song was very out of place in this film. As soon as you hear the words "Virginia and Mountain Mama" you start to wonder why they ever chose the song. I laughed everytime I heard it because it sounded so out of place in Tokyo. Other than that, the movie is a very touching coming of age story, although the ending was a bit unbelievable. Overall, it was worth watching at least once to see the origin of "The Cat Returns" and I'm glad I did. I do recommend seeing this at least once if you are a fan of Studio Ghibli or of "The Cat Returns".
Good, but lacks the overt magical charm of other Ghibli movies.
2008-08-17 - I don't know... this is a good movie, but a bit slow and
kiddy" for me. I love the dream sequences and Carey Elwes does a good job in the English dub, but this is no Spirited Away.
Great Movie!
2008-07-01 - I loved this movie!
It's been tough finding quality movies lately that are okay for my kids to watch but the treasure trove of movies from Ghibli continues to impress.
We recently bought Porco Rosso as well and I loved it too!
A heartwarming tale with a wonderful cast. (Volume 1: Part 10)
2008-06-23 - When you watch a Studio Ghibli film you expect certain things. A fantastic cast of characters, an origional story line and moments that tug at all human emotions. 'Whisper of Heart' directed by Yoshifumi Kondo brings it all out in a heartwaming coming of age story.
Shazuku is a young 14 year old who is growing up following motions of ordinary life. Though she craves to live in the worlds of magic and fairytales, she always keeps brining herself back down to earth thinking she can never be her own person. Then with all the worries about getting into high school and helping her friends as they develop intrests in boys, her dreams are further from her reach than ever. Then one day she notices the same name showing up in all the library books she checked out and wonders who this mystery boy is who shares all these same intrests as her. Not realizing it's him at first she meets Saiji a guy with big ambitions and trying to find his own way to become a professional violin maker. Their friendship blossoms into a beautiful story like Shazukus' fairy tales and soon she is able to follow her dreams with the help of some unlikly friends.
'Whisper of the Heart' is such a warm movie that shows the togetherness of family, friendship and love. It is a movie that will whisk you away and melt your heart as you see a young girl realize that there is a place for her in the big world. All she has to do is listen to her heart.
