Grave of the Fireflies

Grave of the Fireflies is an anime film animated by Studio Ghibli that was released in Japanese theaters in April 1988. Director Isao Takahata wrote and directed the historical drama based on the 1967 semi-autobiographical short story by Akiyuki Nosaka. Michio Mamiya composed the film score, and Yoshifumi Kondō supervised the character animation.

In June 1945 during the final months of World War II, American firebombing raids destroy the seaside city of Kobe. Teenager Seita and his four-year-old sister Setsuko survive the firestorms, but the bombing leaves their mother mortally injured from burns. With their naval officer father deployed at sea, the orphaned siblings relocate to the home of a distant aunt in Nishinomiya. Growing domestic tension and food rationing drive Seita to pack their belongings and move Setsuko into an abandoned hillside bomb shelter illuminated by captured fireflies.

Tsutomu Tatsumi voices the young boy Seita, and five-year-old child actor Ayano Shiraishi voices his younger sister Setsuko. Studio Ghibli animated the 89-minute film concurrently with Hayao Miyazaki's My Neighbor Totoro, and distributor Toho released both anime films together as a double bill in Japanese cinemas on April 16, 1988. The film grossed ¥1.7 billion in Japan, and its releases abroad between 2018 and 2025 added $4.7 million.

Central Park Media licensed the film for North American distribution, releasing a subtitled VHS edition in 1993 and an English-dubbed cut in 1998. Sentai Filmworks acquired North American home video rights in 2009, while StudioCanal handled physical distribution across the United Kingdom. In Japan, the 31st Blue Ribbon Awards presented Takahata with a Special Award in 1989. At the 1994 Chicago International Children's Film Festival, the film won the Animation Jury Award and the Rights of the Child Award. Streaming platform Netflix added the film to its global library in September 2024.