In a film eight years in making, Studio Ghibli's cofounder Isao Takahata tells the untold story of Princess Kaguya. An old bamboo cutter and his wife find a tiny girl inside a bamboo shoot and raise her. The mysterious little princess grows rapidly into a young lady, enthralling everyone who encounters her-but ultimately, she must face her fate. This book captures the breathtaking art of the film from conception to production, and features commentary, interviews, and an in-depth look at the production process. "Every frame is worthy of being its own painting." -Joe Hisaishi, film's composer

Based on the masterpiece film from Studio Ghibli cofounder Isao Takahata. Why did she choose to come to earth? Why did she long for this world? An old bamboo cutter and his wife find a tiny girl inside a bamboo shoot and raise her. The mysterious little princess grows rapidly into a young lady, enthralling all who encounter her-but ultimately, she must face her fate and be punished for her crime.

Isao Takahata directs and co-writes this Japanese anime from Studio Ghibli. A bamboo cutter (voice of Takeo Chii) finds a miniature girl (Aki Asakura) and takes her home to his wife (Nobuko Miyamoto) so they can bring her up as their own daughter. The girl grows unusually fast and, believing her to be a princess, the bamboo cutter uses gold he discovers to treat her like royalty, relocating his family from the mountains to a mansion in the capital city. Before long, the girl, who has been named Princess Kaguya by a royal priest, finds herself attracting the attention of a number of suitors but she isn't interested and wishes she was back in the mountains with her friend Sutemaru (Kengo Kora). Despite her unhappiness, she doesn't want to return to the life she had before she was taken in by the bamboo cutter. However, she comes to realise she may not have a choice...