Cookies on FilmShelves
We use essential cookies to keep the site working. With your permission we also use analytics cookies (so we can fix what's broken) and advertising cookies (so the ads you see are more relevant). Read our privacy policy.
You'll still see ads on the free tier — rejecting just means they won't be personalised.

The animated feature Grave of the Fireflies is several generations removed from Walt Disney. Based on a popular Japanese comic book, the story takes place in a devastated Japan during the last days of World War II. An orphaned boy and girl forage for food and shelter, struggling to survive in a country populated with the "walking dead." Those not familiar with the techniques of "Anime" may be put off by the jerky movements and wide, saucer-shaped eyes of the characters. Even so, all reservations concerning Grave of the Fireflies will be forgotten once the extraordinarily moving storyline gets under way.
As an Amazon Associate and eBay Partner Network member, FilmShelves earns from qualifying purchases. These links may earn us a commission at no extra cost to you.

Grave of the Fireflies (1988)
89 min
In the final months of World War II, 14-year-old Seita and his sister Setsuko are orphaned when their mother is killed during an air raid in Kobe, Japan. After a falling out with their aunt, they move into an abandoned bomb shelter. With no surviving relatives and their emergency rations depleted, Seita and Setsuko struggle to survive.