It's not uncommon for movies to be overbudgeted. Anything can happen, such as a change in cast and crew or an unexpected delay in the production schedule. There are also some films that are expected to have higher budgets than usual due to star power or scale of production. There are also some movies that are more special, such as Isao Takahata's masterpiece "The Tale of Kaguyahime".
The film took years to get out of theaters, and the challenges saw the budget skyrocket. Ten years after the release of Kaguya The Tale of Hime, here's a look back at why it ended up being the most expensive Japanese animated film ever made.
The legend of Kaguya-hime
A bamboo worker and his wife found a girl with a peach pit in the bamboo shoots, so they adopted her and raised her as their own daughter. The tiny Kaguya grows up unusually fast and begins to fascinate the people around her, attracting the affection of many people, including five suitors. However, she is bound by fate and has to atone for her past crimes. What kind of "heavenly rules" she committed in her last life, the audience can only guess for themselves, no matter what, until Kabaya Hime grows up, this element has always shrouded her.
The film is based on the classic Japanese folk tale "The Tale of Taketori", the author is unknown, and was written in the late 9th or early 10th century, that is, during the Heian period in Japan. The story is considered to be the oldest surviving work of "Monogatari" (a type of long-form narrative prose comparable to epic literature).
Directed by Isao Takahata, Kaguya Monogatari is the 20th fantasy anime produced by Studio Ghibli, founded in 1985. The film crafts Kaguya's experience of independence, introspection, and social barriers into a bittersweet coming-of-age story that conveys a positive feminist message that adds depth to the allegory.
Why is Kaguya Monogatari so expensive to make?
"The Tale of Kaguyahime" is expensive, and the main reason for this is that the animation production takes a lot of manpower and material resources. In order to vividly reproduce classic folklore, traditional ink painting techniques are used. This style of animation, characterized by beautiful long brushstrokes, simple and expressive ink drawings and charcoal outlines, is time-consuming to implement and much more expensive in the age of computer graphics.
The production of the film began in 2005-2006, and it took the producers 18 months to do the groundwork and assemble the team. The film was finally released in 2013 and took several years. This affected the budget for the film, which was completed with a budget of about $49.3 million (5 billion yen) (about $64 million for 2023 taking into account inflation). This makes this film the most expensive Japanese animation of all time, and even the most expensive Japanese film of all time.
In 2014, a documentary titled "The Legend of Isao Takahata for <辉夜姬物语>933 Days" was released, which further explored the film's creative process. Fans interested in learning more about the lengthy process of making the film and the challenges Studio Ghibli faced to complete the production can check out this documentary.
The legacy of "The Tale of Kaguyahime".
Given that Takahata and his team invested a lot of money and resources in this project, it was hoped that this work would pay off for Studio Ghibli. Unfortunately, the film grossed only $24638337 worldwide, followed by $3.42 million in physical sales. This means that the film is under-budget at the box office and is a loss-making (in other words, a failure).
There are many reasons for this, the main one being budget issues. Moreover, "Kaguya Monogatari" is still a limited release, and the niche animation style and story it presents are difficult to attract a global audience.
However, that's not to say that the film doesn't leave an important legacy, and box office receipts aren't enough to reflect the deep story presented in an original animation style that pays homage to the art of Japanese painting. The film was nominated for the 2015 Academy Award for Best Animated Feature of the Year, but lost to The Super Marines (the judges' choice was puzzling compared to the two).
However, the film also received 13 awards and 38 nominations at various awards ceremonies and film festivals, proving the efforts put into the project with even greater recognition. The film was also highly rated by critics, with a 4-star rating on Roger Ebert's website and a rare 100% freshness on Rotten Tomatoes given by 98 critics combined.
However, the most important impact left by this project is the ongoing celebration of traditional Japanese storytelling techniques and art. Its universal theme continues to inspire diverse creators and works of art. Commercially, the film may not have been a success, but there's no denying that it makes perfect sense to inherit the classics and retell this ancient story for modern audiences.
Full-color comic book The Tale of Hui Yao Ji (boxed) Taiwan original Chinese traditional comics GHIBLI ¥147.7 Purchase