PG | 91 minutes | 2004 | 8/10
Here is the trailer:
(Also, currently if you press the snowflake button, snow starts falling and I think it actually really works with the video. So cool!)
In case anyone was wondering, the Japanese title for this movie directly translates into "Beyond the Clouds, the Promised Place".
So, I just finished watching this movie a few minutes ago and I thought it to be worthy of a review.
This movie is supposed to take place after a World War 2 Japan, only the American military has taken over most of the country, leaving the Island of Hokkaido (called "Ezo" in the film) to the Japanese. The American's built a very tall tower that reaches into the sky and its existence is kind of mysterious.
The story starts off with three 3rd year middle school Japanese kids, Hiroki, Takuya, and Sayuri, who are working on building a plane (they are incredibly smart) called Velaciela. They promise each other that one day they will fly to Ezo to visit the tower (hence the "Promised Place") however, Sayuri (the girl) falls ill and disappears. The boys stop working on their project and go on with their lives, separating to go to different highschools.
We meet up with them in the film three years later, where the story begins to pick up again.
***
This movie is another rather melancholy one, with bits of science fiction and life drama thrown in. The story and art is absolutely beautiful and I can see why it won Best Animated Film in 2004 (Mainichi Film Awards).
Voice Actors: (8/10) Personally, for this film I did not know any of the voice actors. However, this does not effect the rating in anyway. What I noticed about the voices (especially in the case of Sayuri) is that thy seem very detached. I watched the English version, so that may be why, but Sayuri's voice was very thick and kind of seemed very off for the character, for one, it's like the actor tried to make her voice seem way too young. The boy's voices were a little better, but they still just didn't seem right.
Story: (9/10) At some places, I must admit that the story really didn't make sense. For one, how could you not try to find a girl that disappeared for three years? Overall though, the story was so beautiful. The characters grew up alongside each other and you could really see their connections and their conflicts and all the struggles they were going through. I felt like I could reach out and touch their hopes and dreams. The conclusion was wonderful and I feel it did a good job of summing up the movie.
Art: (10/10) Whoever did the art for this movie really put their heart and soul into it. The people were your basic animated cartoons, but the scenery was absolutely stunning. The tower looked like it would go up into the sky forever and the fields looked so beautiful. It was realistic for an animated film, which can sometimes be very hard to do. The sunsets, the country, the city, even the explosions - they were all done with such heart, I loved it!
Music: (10/10) Throughout the movie, there is obvious symbolism through the violin (though what it symbolizes, I'm not quite sure. Hope, maybe?). Because of this, most all of the music has violin in it, creating a kind of bittersweet soundtrack. At some points, the music swelled with happiness, at others it almost brought me to tears with its sadness. At moments throughout the movie, it was set up perfectly that there was no dialogue - only sweet music to express what the characters were feeling.
Overall: (8/10) I give this movie an 8almost9 because it was very hard to get into and at some points the story made no sense at all, and yet it is still a beautiful work of art that deserves to be recognized as a classic. Something that every anime fan has to see.
A great story about falling in love, growing up, and listening to your heart, filled with loneliness and a love for life, I recommend this movie to anyone with a passion for great animation.
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