“Whisper of the Heart” my not be known to wider audiences as well as Miyazaki’s greatest hits like “Totoro” or “Spirited Away” but it remains one of his finest works and one of the best examples of his exceptional storytelling.
Miyazaki’s protagonist in “Whisper of the Heart” is Shizuke, a carefree junior high student who loves books but takes a bit of a cavalier attitude towards school, resulting in a poor performance on her high school entrance exams. One fine day, rather than studying for her entrance exams, she follows a cat through the streets of Tokyo and into a secluded and leafy neighbourhood where she discovers an antique shop owned my Mr. Nishi, the grandfather of a mysterious boy who by turns fascinates and repels Shizuke.
In my opinion one of Miyazaki ’s most outstanding achievements throughout his career has been his ability to make films that are both enjoyable and topical to an incredible range of viewers. A film like “Whisper of the Heart” can be watched and enjoyed by viewers of any age which, when you really think about it, is something incredibly rare for a film. Even animated classics like “Pinocchio” or “Alice in Wonderland” which can be enjoyed by young and old alike are still more obviously aimed towards younger audiences. Miyazaki ’s films always seem to be made for everyone and the intended audience is for the most part purposefully unclear. “Whisper of the Heart” is perhaps one of the best examples of Miyazaki ’s generalist appeal. Like most of his work, the story features a young girl as its main protagonist and many of the characters are children. Despite this the adults in the story are given plenty of attention in the story and their own issues are explored at the same time as those of (Shizuku and her friends). The core of the story does, however, remain centered around familiar topics revisited by Miyazaki throughout his career—children on the cusp of adolescence trying to find their way in a colder grown up world without losing their sense of wonder or losing touch with all the freedoms that make childhood great.
It will come as no surprise to those familiar with Studio Ghibli that the art work is gorgeous, rendered in a light and airy palate that reminded me a great deal of the recently viewed “The Girl Who Leapt Through Time”. Miyazaki and his team fill the screen with interesting little details that make a repeat viewing solely due to the artwork worthwhile if not obligatory.
