watching "From Up On Poppy Hill" for the first time. I was touched by the amount of responsibility and work that Umi did for the family.

When much of the American public associated Japanese anime with violent fantasies or trading-card cartoons, Disney imported the prestige films of Studio Ghibli, a stable of animators headed by Oscar winner Hayao Miyazaki.

The venerable director is over 70 now, and to adapt his script “From Up on Poppy Hill,” he has handed the brushes to his son Goro. Like many in the younger generation of Japanese animators, Goro Miyazaki has a style that’s both more painterly and more cinematic than the cartoonish norm, while his father’s screenplay is a classic coming-of-age story that seems suited for a live-action remake.