Osamu Tezuka's Buddha: The Great Departure Trailer (2011)

Trailer for the animated film Osamu Tezuka's Buddha: The Great Departure.

Osamu Tezuka is an anime legend, and his award-winning, eight-volume manga of the life of Buddha has long been a dream project for filmmakers in Japan. Now, almost four decades after it was written, it arrives as a powerful animated movie from Tezuka’s own production company.

Tezuka’s manga wasn’t just concerned with the Buddha but with the web of characters who crossed paths with him over the years, telling the story of all India instead of the life of one holy man. Because before he was the Buddha, he was Siddharta, a spoiled, pampered, sheltered prince whose father wants to toughen him up so he can go fight wars.

Buddha: The Great Departure is told in grand strokes and ringing tones. It quietly gathers power as it tracks these characters over the course of 15 years, and before you know it you’re caught up in a sweeping emotional journey. Eventually this will be part one of a trilogy of animated films, but for now it works perfectly as a standalone movie.