Lights Camera Critic writes: Being currently on holiday in Japan, I was fortunate to see the new Studio Ghibli film. Unfortunately an international release date has yet to be decided. Therefore I imagine the USA and UK won’t get a chance to see this spectacle until 2012. However overall, From Kokuriko Hill is a wonderful piece of animated cinema that certainly shows Gorō Miyazaki growing talent. Not only is it a beautiful work of art and song, but it’s a triumph in story-telling and character development. While it isn’t as memorable as the likes of My Neighbour Totoro and Spirited Away, and moves away from the magical essence of Studio Ghibli, it is still is impressively constructed and directed. And with the unfortunate inevitability that Hayao Miyazaki, Isao Takahata and Toshio Suzuki won’t be around forever, it is reassuring that young artists and directors are successfully proving themselves as the future of Studio Ghibli.
