Only Yesterday — U.S. Trailer

added: Wed, Dec 30th '15

"Star Wars: The Force Awakens" star Daisy Ridley tries on an American accent as she leads the voice cast for a new English-dubbed version of Studio Ghibli's classic toon "Only Yesterday," which a U.S. trailer has recently dropped online.

2016 is marking the 25th anniversary of the acclaimed 1991 Japanese animated feature, which until now had never been released in the States. It's scheduled to open in New York this Friday, January 1st, with a nationwide rollout planned for February 26th.

Focusing on a 27-year-old woman in 1982 who, while visiting her family in the countryside, finds herself reminiscing about her childhood in 1966 Tokyo, "Only Yesterday" was written and directed by legendary Japanese animator/filmmaker and Studio Ghibli co-founder Isao Takahata, who is perhaps better known for the 1988 groundbreaker "Grave of the Fireflies" and the 2013 Oscar-nominated toon "The Tale of the Princess Kaguya."

Ridley is joined by fellow English actor Dev Patel (Slumdog Millionaire, Chappie) who also lends his voice to the beloved animated classic.

synopsis:
It's 1982, and Taeko (Daisy Ridley) is 27 years old, unmarried, and has lived her whole life in Tokyo. She decides to visit her family in the countryside, and as the train travels through the night, memories flood back of her younger years: the first immature stirrings of romance, the onset of puberty, and the frustrations of math and boys. At the station she is met by young farmer Toshio (Dev Patel), and the encounters with him begin to reconnect her to forgotten longings. In lyrical switches between the present and the past, Taeko contemplates the arc of her life, and wonders if she has been true to the dreams of her childhood self.

Written and directed by Studio Ghibli co-founder and Academy Award nominee Isao Takahata (The Tale of The Princess Kaguya), Only Yesterday is a masterpiece of time and tone, rich with humor and stirring emotion, from one of the world’s most revered animation studios. Critically acclaimed but never before released in North America, the film is receiving a national theatrical release in a new, Studio Ghibli-produced, English-language version in celebration of its 25th anniversary.

directed by Isao Takahata

starring Daisy Ridley, Dev Patel

release date January 1, 2016 (New York), February 26, 2016 (expands to more U.S. Cities)