Featured Audience Ratings

• Anthony L

  
  It was terribly sad that Yoshifumi Kondo passed away after directing just one film. It's clear to see why he was chosen as Hayao Miyazaki successor when it would come to it, I do wonder if the nods to previous Ghibli films were indeed his idea. Whisper of the Heart is not really… More
  It was terribly sad that Yoshifumi Kondo passed away after directing just one film. It's clear to see why he was chosen as Hayao Miyazaki successor when it would come to it, I do wonder if the nods to previous Ghibli films were indeed his idea. Whisper of the Heart is not really my kind of Ghibli film, I'm more a fan of the fantastical films and the ones with funny little animals but the detail of the animation here is quite breathtaking at times. I have a gripe when it comes to Japanese romance films involving school kids, otherwise it was great.

• Greg S

  
  A young teenage girl searches for her first love---the guy who checked out all the same books from the library she did---while trying to find her voice as a writer. This coming of age tale with only mild touches of fantasy was a departure for Studio Ghibli, but it's well put… More
  A young teenage girl searches for her first love---the guy who checked out all the same books from the library she did---while trying to find her voice as a writer. This coming of age tale with only mild touches of fantasy was a departure for Studio Ghibli, but it's well put together with crisp art and a soapy narrative with lots of subplots; it should resonate with girls just entering the early double digits.

• Dead A

  
  This was a cute movie :)

• Dean M

  
  Wonderfully Studio Ghibi of the animated drama story about a schoolgirl. With its wonderful marriage of dreamlike flights of fancy and touching rise of passage, <i>Whisper of the Heart</i> could bring a tear to a glass eye. Inspirational.

• Stella D

  
  it's a super sweet story and i'm a sucker for studio ghibli. your enjoyment may depend on your tolerance for john denver's country roads.

• Lanning :

  
  (<i>Mimi wo sumaseba</i>) Perhaps the most "normal" screenplay from Miyazaki, this story hits one of my favorite topics: movies about art and the pursuit of artistic expression. <p> The finding of true love in the early to mid-teen years is quite a… More
  (<i>Mimi wo sumaseba</i>) Perhaps the most "normal" screenplay from Miyazaki, this story hits one of my favorite topics: movies about art and the pursuit of artistic expression. <p> The finding of true love in the early to mid-teen years is quite a prominent theme in Miyazaki's work. Does anyone get the feeling that he perhaps found a true love around that age and then lost her? <p> Love the cat!

• Byron B

  
  It feels odd to hear John Denver's "Take Me Home, Country Roads" (evidently during the opening credits performed by Olivia Newton-John) right from the start. A pop song about West Virginia introducing a '90s studio Ghibli film set in Japan is strange, right? This… More
  It feels odd to hear John Denver's "Take Me Home, Country Roads" (evidently during the opening credits performed by Olivia Newton-John) right from the start. A pop song about West Virginia introducing a '90s studio Ghibli film set in Japan is strange, right? This "theme" song is used multiple times as a bit of American culture that has become popular with the junior high crowd and surprisingly it grew on me. I saw the subtitled version, not the English dubbed version. Miyazaki contributed to the screenplay, but Yoshifumi Kondô directed. There are some dream sequences, however the story is more rooted in the "real life" experiences of its young character than other studio Ghibli productions. Shizuku lives in a cramped apartment with her parents and older brother and sister. She is an avid reader and an above average student. Courtesy of the now old fashioned library cards tucked in the back of each book, she notices the same boy's name has check out all the same books that she has. Her and her best friend from school are just beginning to be interested in and aggravated by boys. Eventually she follows a stray cat to an old man's curio shop. Several threads fall in place as she finds out the man's grandson, who she knows from school, and the boy from the library books are one and the same. Together Seiji and Shizuku start to discuss their futures. He is sure he wants to apprentice in Italy to be a violin maker. She's not sure about her career aspirations, but decides to try her hand at creative writing. The characters are fully developed, visually the movie shines, and it is one of the sweetest heartfelt stories I have seen!

• Matthew Y

  
  A simple tale of a young girl dealing with blossoming womanhood and even romance. The film is so grounded that Ghibli animators aren't even given the opportunity to attempt a spectacular animation moment (at least Only Yesterday had the ending title sequence). Due to this fact… More
  A simple tale of a young girl dealing with blossoming womanhood and even romance. The film is so grounded that Ghibli animators aren't even given the opportunity to attempt a spectacular animation moment (at least Only Yesterday had the ending title sequence). Due to this fact your liking of the film will hinge on your liking of the lead character and the basic storyline. While I basically enjoyed the film I certainly didn't find it to be a great work or even a noteworthy one. Famously directed by Miyazaki's protégé Yoshifumi Kondo, who tragically died shortly afterwards, the story about the creation of the film and the effects on Studio Ghibli before and after Kondo's involvement are far more interesting than the film itself. A modest accomplishment if you have modest expectations.

• Bill C

  
  Very addressable characters beautifully done by Ghibli. I really expected it to take a more whimsical turn (especially when you see the Baron) but as the title says it goes for the heart. The only complaint I have is the movie would have been better if Shizuku just fell asleep after… More
  Very addressable characters beautifully done by Ghibli. I really expected it to take a more whimsical turn (especially when you see the Baron) but as the title says it goes for the heart. The only complaint I have is the movie would have been better if Shizuku just fell asleep after reaching her self-realization. Watching the sun rise is just a little too ham handed.

• Donna D

  
  What a cute movie. :) I actually enjoyed this animated cartoon by Hayao Miyazaki but directed by Yoshifumi Kondo and the beautiful music of Yuji Nomi. The story was sweet and endearing, with a a sweet tale of romance. I loved it very much and is now one of my top favorites next to… More
  What a cute movie. :) I actually enjoyed this animated cartoon by Hayao Miyazaki but directed by Yoshifumi Kondo and the beautiful music of Yuji Nomi. The story was sweet and endearing, with a a sweet tale of romance. I loved it very much and is now one of my top favorites next to Spirited Away and Howl's Moving Castle. :)

• kawai d

  
  Married? At 15? COUNTRY ROADS!

• Marcus W

  
  A love story between two teenagers with amazing attention to detail in the animation and very strong characters, reminiscent of John Hughes (I'm still not convinced he had nothing to do with this). It has a few touches of fantasy - and in doing so introduces the characters from… More
  A love story between two teenagers with amazing attention to detail in the animation and very strong characters, reminiscent of John Hughes (I'm still not convinced he had nothing to do with this). It has a few touches of fantasy - and in doing so introduces the characters from The Cat Returns, but it's another winner from Ghibli.

• Marion R

  
  I really like this, film, very charming. Filled with really likable characters, who you want to see happy at the end.

Read all 13 featured audience ratings