Animation · Review ·
Whisper of the Heart, restored
Studio Ghibli's gentlest film, written by Miyazaki and directed by Yoshifumi Kondō, returns in a 4K restoration. Critics praise its lived-in Tokyo backgrounds and its honest picture of a teenager learning to make things; the only quibbles are a recurring song and some dated romance.
Best for anyone who has tried to create something.
Dir. Yoshifumi Kondō · 1995 · 111 min · back in cinemas in a 4K restoration
Studio Ghibli's quietest film, and the only feature directed by Yoshifumi Kondō, arrives in cinemas in a restored 4K edition. Hayao Miyazaki wrote the screenplay. It is known in some countries as If You Listen Closely, and the new release is due in France on 4 November 2026, with dates elsewhere varying.
The setup
Shizuku is a fourteen-year-old who loves books. She notices that the same boy, Seiji, has borrowed every library book she picks up, and her curiosity leads her to an antiques shop and a cat figurine called the Baron. That is the first act, and all this review will say about the story.
What works
The reviews I drew on are close to unanimous. Little White Lies' Kambole Campbell calls it one of Ghibli's best films and its most distinct outlier, because it gives cramped urban spaces the wonder the studio usually saves for fantasy. James Berardinelli at ReelViews praises the way it speaks to the viewer without condescension, and the detail of the backgrounds. Anime News Network's Andrew Osmond, reviewing the home release, gives it an A overall and the art an A+.
The film's point is that nothing is small or commonplace if you see it through the right eyes.
Andrew Osmond, Anime News Network
It is a film about starting to make something, with first crushes and the fear that you have no talent in the mix. Berardinelli finds that universal, across age and gender.
What doesn't
The complaints are small. Berardinelli warns that you need to like, or at least tolerate, a John Denver song that returns throughout with changing lyrics. Osmond finds that the love scenes smack of monochrome Hollywood romance. Campbell, writing in 2020, offers no criticism at all, so I can't promise you'll find fault either.
Who it's for
Anyone who has tried to write, draw or play something and felt it wasn't good enough. It suits teenagers and adults more than very small children, and fans of the studio's gentler side. If you expect flying castles and spirits, this is a different Ghibli: the fantasy is in Shizuku's imagination.
Score: four and a half out of five. The critics I read are enthusiastic, with only minor quibbles.
Where to watch
The 4K restoration is scheduled for French cinemas on 4 November 2026, distributed by Wild Bunch. Release dates in other countries vary, so check your local cinema listings.