
For his first film in fourteen years, animation director Isao Takahata embarked on a visually sumptuous adaptation of The Tale of the Bamboo-Cutter. A dream project for the director that would hopefully establish the recently formed Ghibli Studio 7, created to meet the demands of a new type of modern animation process. But, almost immediately, the epic production is faced with difficulties and falls dramatically behind schedule. In this compelling and insightful documentary, we follow Isao Takahata and his dedicated team of artists as they frantically strive against adversity to make their vision a reality and bring Studio Ghibli into a new era.
Cast

Isao Takahata
Self
Kazuo Oga
Self

Joe Hisaishi
Self

Toshio Suzuki
Self

Yoshiaki Nishimura
Self

Hayao Miyazaki
Self
Shigeo Akahori
Self

Aki Asakura
Self
Naoko Asari
Self

Takeo Chii
Self

Isao Hashizume
Self

Hikaru Ijūin
Self
Yukiko Kakita
Self
Shigeru Kimishima
Self

Tamaki Kojo
Self

Kengo Kora
Self

Nobuko Miyamoto
Self

Tatsuya Nakadai
Self

Shichinosuke Nakamura
Self
Kazumi Nikaido
Self

Tomoko Tabata
Self

Atsuko Takahata
Self
Osamu Tanabe
Self

Hiroshi Tsuchida
Narrator (voice)

Ryudo Uzaki
Self
Akiko Yamaguchi
Self
Toshio Yoshikawa
Self
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