Amongst the news of Studio Ghibli going on a hiatus, we are greeted by a charming first trailer for their upcoming feature The Tale of the Princess Kaguya. With this next project, Studio Ghibli seems to be taking a page from Disney in terms of a story being derived from a known fairytale. Princess Kaguya is directed by Isao Takahata (Grave of the Fireflies). Get your first glimpse after the jump.

The trailer is quite minimalist, but continues to emphasize Studio Ghibli‘s two-dimensional, hand-drawn animation style. The rough charcoal sketches complimented with the subtle color palette is simplistic and beautiful. Perhaps this is an homage to the archaic origins of the story.

Because this is an old folktale, more than likely known by many generations of the Japanese population, there are many different iterations of the story that exist in the culture. It will be interesting to see which interpretation the Studio Ghibli will go with in addition to whether or not they will be updating the story at all for a modern audience.

The English-dubbed version of The Tale of Princess Kaguya will be starring James Caan as the voice of the bamboo cutter; Mary Steenburgen as his wife; and Chloë Grace Moretz as the infant princess found encased in a bamboo shoot. The film also stars the voices of Darren Criss, Lucy Liu, Beau Bridges, James Marsden, Oliver Platt, and Dean Cain.

Here’s is the official plot summary for The Tale of Princess Kaguya:

Found inside a shining stalk of bamboo by an old bamboo cutter (James Caan) and his wife (Mary Steenburgen), a tiny girl grows rapidly into an exquisite young lady (Chloë Grace Moretz). The mysterious young princess enthralls all who encounter her – but ultimately she must confront her fate, the punishment for her crime.

The U.S. release of Studio Ghibli’s The Tale of the Princess Kaguya will hit theaters on October 17, 2014.

Source: GKIDS