From Up On Poppy Hill - New Studio Ghibli film coming soon!

The latest Studio Ghibli film 'From Up on Poppy Hill' was released across Japan on July 16th 2011. It is the second film from Hayao Miyazaki's son Gorō Miyazaki, who also directed Tales From Earthsea. While Earthsea opened to pretty mixed reviews, Poppy Hill is getting much more favourable ones. It also won the Animation of the Year at the 35th Japan Academy Awards.

Synopsis
It's Yokohama, 1963. Each morning a girl on a high hilltop hoists signal flags to greet the ships in the bay below. She is Umi Matsuzaka, a sensible, responsible girl, who disapproves of the antics of the boys in her school. She especially disapproves of their bold ringleader, Shun, when he inadvertently embarrasses her. Nonetheless, Umi is drawn into the boys' campaign to preserve a dilapidated club house and finds herself warming to Shun, sensing a strength of character like her own. But their friendship and save-the-clubhouse campaign will be severely tested, in ways to make Umi and Shun question who they are…

From Up On Poppy Hill will be released on DVD/Blu-Ray across Japan on 20th June 2012, it will be available on most DVD sites including our favourite Yes Asia. Ghibli films usually open in the UK a year after Japan, so hopefully From Up On Poppy Hill will be out here in the summer. If you can't wait, the Japanese DVD will come with English subtitles. Good times!

Trailer below: