Whisper of the Heart

Reviewed By: Carla Land

Disney DVD

Review based on 2 disks

Rating G

What it’s (basically) all about: Shizuku is a young girl who is an avid fairy tale reader. She is about to enter high school and is trying to find out who she is and what she wants to be. During her last year of middle school she meets a young man who knows who he is, and who inspires her to become more than she ever thought she could be. Unfortunately, what he wants to be is a violin maker, and to do that he must move to Italy. Will Shizuku be able to listen to the whisper of her heart and be worthy of the boy she loves?

Nitty Gritty: It’s a Miyazaki film. Not much here to get worked up about, but here are the things that may cause a problem: Shizuku’s father (a librarian!) is a smoker, but he is admonished by her studious mother every time he tries to light up. Shizuku lets her grades plummet when she starts to write a story, and her parents let her do it since they can tell it means a lot to her. At one point we see her college-graduate sister in her bra. Shizuku walks around Tokyo by herself a lot, and once in a while she leaves without telling her parents where she’s going.

Special features aren’t overwhelming: Lots of previews for Disney releases; the obligatory “Behind the Microphone” mini-documentary where you meet the voice actors (Carey Elwes, yay!); a bunch of (read: 6) Japanese TV spots and trailers; and disk 2 is the storyboard art for the whole movie with the English soundtrack played over it.

Survey says: Teens will relate better than younger children, and I think this would be better of in teen collections. It may be rated G, but no 8 year old is going to relate to the pressures of high school or the trials of a first love.

Personal Ad: Not my favorite Miyazaki, but it gets better with repeated viewing. I showed this to my anime club, and all the teens stayed to watch it- including some fifteen year old boys.