Watch: First Trailer from Studio Ghibli’s ‘From Up on Poppy Hill’

A trailer has been released for Studio Ghibli’s animated feature From Up on Poppy Hill. Directed by Goro Miyazaki and written by his father, a fella going by the name of Hayao Miyazaki, the movie centers on a group of teens navigating life in Post-War Japan and opposing a local developer’s plan to demolish their school’s clubhouse.

After true masterpieces like Spirited Away and Princess Mononoke, I’m automatically on board for anything Hayao Miyazaki does. While this movie apparently doesn’t share the sprawling imaginary universe of the aforementioned films, it seems that the filmmakers are going for an aching and bittersweet emotional tone instead.

Watch the subtitled trailer below and let us know what you think! Don’t expect to see this in theater until March of 2013 though as GKIDS will distribute this film (instead of powerhouse Disney).

Set in Yokohama, From Up On Poppy Hill is a high school love story that take place in the year before the 1964 Tokyo Summer Olympics. As the country begins to pick itself up from the devastation of the Second World War, the new generation struggles to move towards a prosperous future whilst trying not to lose the essence of their past. The film’s rich and vibrant animation captures the entrancing beauty of Yokohama’s harbour and lush surrounding hillsides and, with a soundtrack that draws inspiration from the finest music of the time, perfectly captures the thrills of young romance and the hope of a new dawn.