What age rating is Grave of the Fireflies?

In Spain, Grave of the Fireflies is not recommended for children under 12 years old.

When does Grave of the Fireflies come out in Spain?

Grave of the Fireflies hits Spanish theaters on October 10, 2003.

How much did Grave of the Fireflies gross?

Grave of the Fireflies grossed $842K worldwide, on a budget of $3.7M.

What is Grave of the Fireflies based on?

Grave of the Fireflies is based on Grave of the Fireflies, by Akiyuki Nosaka.

Grave of the Fireflies

Name: Grave of the Fireflies
Director: 高畑勲
Genre: Animation, War, Drama
Released: 1988-04-16
Duration: 1 h 35 min
Rating: 8.5
Cast: 辰巳努, 白石綾乃, 志乃原良子, 山口朱美, Masayo Sakai

1988

Become a fan of its genres:

8.5/10

Release Date

16/04/1988

Popularity

🍅 Rotten Tomatoes

100%

🎬 Internet Movie Database

85%

Ⓜ️ Metacritic

94%

Why Do Fireflies Die So Soon?

Kobe, 1945. An American aerial bombing with incendiary bombs rocks the city, and amid the chaos, fourteen-year-old Seita runs with his little sister, Setsuko. The two are the children of an Imperial Navy officer and live with their aunt, but their escape to the shelter does not go as planned: they are delayed along the way and, upon arriving, cannot find the bunker where she is waiting for them. Seita must decide how to protect the girl while the country collapses around them. The story is told from Seita's point of view, as he carries a responsibility far too heavy for his age. Isao Takahata directed this Studio Ghibli animated film, and the lead voices are provided by Tsutomu Tatsumi and Ayano Shiraishi.

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Facts about Grave of the Fireflies

Releases, age ratings, box office, post-credit scenes and more.

Post-credits sceneNone

Age ratingNot recommended for viewers under 12 years old

Spain releaseOctober 10, 2003

Worldwide premiereApril 16, 1988

Runtime1 h 35 min

Original languageJapanese

Original title火垂るの墓

CountryJapan

Production companiesStudio Ghibli

Budget$3.7M

Worldwide box office$842K

Box office in the U.S.$517K

Box office returnx0.2 Box office flop

Based onGrave of the Fireflies by Akiyuki Nosaka

Trailer views819K

More ratings

4.5/5Letterboxd88/100Trakt9.0/10Metacritic (público)4.0/4Roger Ebert

Awards for Grave of the Fireflies

3total awards

1total nominations

Grave of the Fireflies Cast

Tsutomu TatsumiSeita (voice)

Ayano ShiraishiSetsuko (voice)

Yoshiko ShinoharaMother (voice)

Akemi YamaguchiAuntie (voice)

Masayo SakaiWoman who takes care of Setsuko (voice)

Kozo HashidaObayashi Chairman (voice)

Kazumi NozakiCousin (voice)

Yoshio MatsuokaGosaku (voice)

Masahiro KanetakeAunt's House Guest (voice)

Kiyoshi YanagawaPatrolman (voice)

Hajime MakiMan who arrests Seita (voice)

Atsuo OmotemPerson in Bank (voice)

Teruhisa HaritaStation Worker (voice)

Hiroshi TanakaPerson in Bank (voice)

Michio DenpoStation Worker / Doctor (voice)

Shiro TamakiPerson in Bank (voice)

Mika SekitaNurse (voice)

Kyoko Moriwaki(voice)

Cast of Grave of the Fireflies by the numbers

41average cast age in years

10years of age gap between the leads

44%women in the cast

21%women in the crew

The youngest in the main cast: 白石綾乃, age 21 at release. The oldest: 山口朱美, at 56.

Cast ages at release

辰巳努31 years old
白石綾乃21 years old
志乃原良子55 years old
山口朱美56 years old

Crew

AddressIsao Takahata
WritingIsao Takahata
Music間宮芳生
Photography小山信夫
EditingTakeshi Seyama
ProductionTooru Hara

Trivia about Grave of the Fireflies

Akira Kurosawa considered this film his favorite from Studio Ghibli and wrote a letter of praise to Hayao Miyazaki, mistakenly believing he had directed it.

According to legend, Takahata convinced art director Nizo Yamamoto, who had planned to turn down the job, with a single line: "It is precisely because you don't know war that I want you young people to do this."

To depict Japanese homes from 1945, the team watched films by Yasujiro Ozu, such as Tokyo Story and Good Morning, and drew inspiration from the way they portray compact spaces.

In June 2018, USA Today ranked the film first on its list of the 100 greatest animated movies of all time.

The home video edition of the Ghibli ga Ippai collection sold 400,000 copies in Japan.

In 2024, "Grave of the Fireflies" began streaming on Netflix in more than 190 countries and placed seventh on the global weekly non-English-language film chart during its first week.

Netflix premiered the film in Japan on July 15, 2025, the first time a Studio Ghibli work arrived on the platform within the country.

The film recorded a worldwide box office of 842,132 dollars, including 516,962 dollars in the United States and Canada, according to IMDb figures.

Sources: Wikipedia (English)

Before and After

Part ofStudio Ghibli Feature Films

What it's about Grave of the Fireflies

sibling relationshiphungerworld war iiwartimeshelterstruggle for survivalbrother sister pacific theateradult animationsemi autobiographicalanti waranimeorphan siblingschildren in wartimebrother and sisterhyōgo, japan

Main theme: World War II, Pacific War, bombing of Kobe in World War II