Whisper of the Heart (1995)

Whispers of the Heart

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. September 28, 2008

3.5 stars is more accurate; good but not spectacular

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". August 27, 2008

Good, but lacks the overt magical charm of other Ghibli movies.

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. August 17, 2008

Great Movie!

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! July 1, 2008

A heartwarming tale with a wonderful cast. (Volume 1: Part 10)

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. June 23, 2008

More reviews at Amazon.com ...