Studio Ghibli is no stranger to cinematic greatness. From Spirited Away’s Oscar-winning fantasy to the sweeping emotional resonance of My Neighbor Totoro, the legendary animation studio has left an indelible mark on film history. Yet, when it comes to critical acclaim, one of its most quietly powerful titles has outshone even the most iconic Ghibli entries. According to Rotten Tomatoes, The Tale of the Princess Kaguya stands as the best-reviewed anime movie of all time, and surprisingly, many fans have never seen it.

Released in 2013 and directed by Isao Takahata, co-founder of Studio Ghibli and long-time creative partner to Hayao Miyazaki, The Tale of the Princess Kaguya holds a rare 100% rating on Rotten Tomatoes. This critical unanimity is not merely about animation technique, though the film is visually extraordinary, but also about how it reimagines an ancient Japanese folktale with emotional depth, philosophical weight, and a stunning hand-drawn style that defies mainstream animation norms. It is, without question, one of Studio Ghibli’s greatest achievements.

Princess Kaguya is a Story Rooted in Folklore, Reimagined With Grace

A Feminist Lens on Japan’s Oldest Story

The Tale of the Princess Kaguya adapts “The Tale of the Bamboo Cutter,” a 10th-century Japanese monogatari that is considered the oldest surviving narrative in Japan. The story follows a bamboo cutter who finds a miniature girl glowing inside a stalk of bamboo. He and his wife raise her as their daughter, and as she matures into a stunningly beautiful woman, her origins, and destiny, begin to unfold in mysterious and poignant ways.

Takahata’s adaptation does not just retell the folktale; it reframes it through a deeply humanistic and feminist lens. Kaguya is not simply a mystical figure sent from the moon, she is a young woman struggling against the roles imposed on her by society. Her resistance to the expectations of marriage, obedience, and aristocratic life becomes a profound critique of rigid gender norms and a lamentation of lost innocence. This philosophical bent adds layers of emotion that resonate long after the credits roll.

While many Ghibli films explore coming-of-age themes, Princess Kaguya stands apart for its melancholic tone and mature reflections on life’s impermanence. Unlike the wonder-driven narratives of Howl’s Moving Castle or Ponyo, Kaguya’s journey is laced with sorrow, longing, and ultimately, transcendence. The film never shies away from tragedy, and in doing so, it touches on something far more profound in the beauty of fleeting moments.

The Beauty of Ghibli’s Most Artistic Film in Watercolor

Why Kaguya Looks Unlike Any Other Anime Movie

What makes The Tale of the Princess Kaguya immediately distinctive is its breathtaking animation style. Hand-drawn in watercolor-like strokes and loose, impressionistic lines, the film resembles a living scroll painting rather than a typical polished feature. Every frame feels like it’s been sketched by hand, delicate, raw, and alive with movement. It is a visual experience unlike any other in modern cinema, animated or not.

This stylistic choice was not a mere aesthetic flourish; it serves a narrative purpose. The animation mirrors Kaguya’s emotional state, flowing freely when she feels joy and collapsing into abstraction during her moments of crisis. One unforgettable sequence, when Kaguya flees her palace in a burst of emotional agony, dissolves into a chaotic flurry of black ink lines and rushing brushstrokes. The result is not just visually striking but emotionally overwhelming, giving the viewer direct access to the character’s turmoil.

The film’s aesthetic has been called “unfinished” by some, but that rawness is precisely what gives The Tale of the Princess Kaguya its soul. It looks like a memory, hazy at the edges, yet deeply vivid.

Isao Takahata, always the experimenter compared to his more structured counterpart Miyazaki, had long been fascinated by different forms of animation. In Princess Kaguya, he pushed that boundary further than ever before, embracing imperfection and minimalism in a medium typically known for maximalist polish. The film’s aesthetic has been called “unfinished” by some, but that rawness is precisely what gives The Tale of the Princess Kaguya its soul. It looks like a memory, hazy at the edges, yet deeply vivid.

Why The Tale of the Princess Kaguya Remains Underrated Despite Its Mastery

The Tale of the Princess Kaguya is the Hidden Gem in Ghibli’s Crown

Despite its critical acclaim, The Tale of the Princess Kaguya remains one of Ghibli’s lesser-known works, especially in the West. Part of this is due to timing, because it was released in the same era as Frozen and Big Hero 6, both massive Disney hits that dominated the animation conversation. Its subtle pacing, melancholic tone, and unconventional visuals stood in stark contrast to the bright spectacle of mainstream animated features.

While Miyazaki's works became cultural touchstones, Takahata’s films, though no less powerful, have often been more challenging, more somber, and less commercial.

Additionally, Isao Takahata has never been a household name in the way Hayao Miyazaki has. While Miyazaki's works became cultural touchstones, Takahata’s films, though no less powerful, have often been more challenging, more somber, and less commercial. Grave of the Fireflies, for instance, is universally respected but rarely rewatched due to its harrowing subject matter. Similarly, Princess Kaguya asks a lot of its viewers about patience, empathy, and openness to sorrow.

But for those who meet it on its , the film offers a transcendent reward. It is a meditation on what it means to live fully, to experience joy and grief, and to return, in the end, to the stars. The final scenes of Kaguya’s ascension are among the most haunting and spiritually resonant in all of animation. That the film achieves this emotional high without bombast, without CGI spectacle, is a testament to its quiet genius.

A Studio Ghibli Masterpiece Hidden in Plain Sight

Kaguya’s Legacy is Quiet, Eternal, and Unforgettable

It is almost poetic that a film about ephemerality and impermanence would be overlooked by the mainstream. The Tale of the Princess Kaguya does not scream for attention , it whispers, and in that whisper carries truths about life that louder films rarely capture. Its quiet beauty, its sorrowful grace, and its artistic daring make it not only one of Studio Ghibli’s finest achievements, but arguably the greatest anime movie of all time, at least in the eyes of critics.

Rotten Tomatoes is not infallible, but a perfect 100% score across dozens of professional reviews is no fluke. It proves not just excellence, but consensus. This is not a film viewers merely like or ire; it is one that critics feel compelled to honor. And in an era where animation often leans toward speed and spectacle, Princess Kaguya reminds viewers of a slower, deeper, and more lyrical form of storytelling.

So while audiences around the world continue to revisit Spirited Away or Princess Mononoke, the quiet triumph of The Tale of the Princess Kaguya waits patiently for those ready to discover it. For those who do, it promises a cinematic experience of rare and timeless wonder that lingers long after the final scene fades. And that is possibly the mark of true greatness, not how loud a film is, but how deeply it echoes in the heart.