Studio Ghibli Rises – Part 1
With all the hullaballoo & rumours circling around the internet about the possible closure of Studio Ghibli, fans have truly been kept on the edge of their seats. Of course it has been corrected and confirmed that the studio are simply taking a break from filmmaking. Not ideal for hard-core Ghibli fans like myself but still better than full blown closure. Left me thinking about what Studio Ghibli truly is, from humble begins to anime filmmaking royalty and in particular what Ghibli has meant to me through the years.
Studio Ghibli was founded in June of 1985 by directors Hayao Miyazaki & Isao Takahata along with the producer Toshio Suzuki – already established and having has long careers within the Japanese film & television animation. Founded directly after the success of “Nausicaä of the Valley of the Wind”, having been written & directed by Hayao Miyazaki, although now seen as a Studio Ghibli creation but in reality it was created for Topcraft and distributed by Toei Company. Although the studio mainly produced films by director Hayao Miyazaki there have been some very notable names who have worked with Ghibli one being Takahata who’s most notable work was Grave of the Fireflies, also Hiroyuki Morita (The Cat Returns), Gorō Miyazaki (Tales from Earthsea), Yoshifumi Kondo (Whisper of the Heart), Hiromasa Yonebayashi (Arrietty) & composer Joe Hisaishi who has created the soundtracks for most of Miyazaki’s Ghibli films.
An unusual aspect of Ghibli that most wouldn’t know is their “no-edits” policy which took effect after the heavy editing on “Nausicaä of the Valley of the Wind” for the international release in the States as “Warriors of the Wind”. This policy was emphasised when Miramax was suggesting editing “Princess Mononoke” making it more marketable, needless to say it wasn’t. Studio Ghibli has had a major influence on the anime film genre given true to the naming of the company, “ghibli” is based on the Arabic name for the sirocco or Mediterranean wind giving the idea of the company “blowing a new wind through the anime industry” – they succeeded and in October 2001 the Ghibli Museum opened in Tokyo, it contains many exhibits which are widely based on the films and animations created by Ghibli including exclusives shorts created for the museum and not available anywhere else.
“Castle in the Sky” or “Laputa: Castle in the Sky” (August 2nd 1986) the first official release from Ghibli and although not the best known it truly is a beautiful films filled with gorgeous animation and a wonderful story of love, inner-strength & bravery, a feather in the cap of Hayao Miyazaki and an outstanding film to kick of the lustrous studio.
“Grave of the Fireflies” (April 16th 1988) directed by Isao Takahata, this film took the studio in a complete different direction narrative wise.
Keeping the beautiful style of animation as seen in “Castle in the Sky” it took the viewer through a journey of hardships and survival, keeping you guessing, hoping and caring right until the very end, a true piece of art.
Released on the same day as “Grave of the Fireflies” but being directed by Hayao Miyazaki and is seen as the most notable film released by the studio even having taken their mascot of the whole studio from it – “My Neighbor Totoro” (April 16th 1988). A story of love, sisterhood & adventure, capturing the whimsical nature of young imagination. This film could melt even the chilliest of hearts.
Released only a year after “My Neighbor Totoro” “Kiki’s Delivery Service” (July 29th 1989) is another film that is just fun and full of the good feels. Taking a slice of life story and making the viewer go through Kiki’s journey of self-growth and self-discovery. It is noted as the first true box office success in Studio Ghibli history being the highest grossing film in Japan in 1989.
Between the years of 1991 & 1999 the studio released a number of films with a good few taking the highest grossing film upon release, they had three notable releases the first being on July 28th 1992 “Porco Rosso” being the highest grossing film in Japan in 1992, the next “Whisper of the Heart” on July 15th 1995 also taking highest grossing film that year.
Then comes to height of success for Studio Ghibli that could only have been “Princess Mononoke” (July 12th 1997 but not released in the US till October 1999) the first Miyazaki film to utilize computer graphics & it also holds the acclaim for being the first animated feature in Japanese history to gross more than 10 billion yen at the box office. This is my utmost favourite Ghibli feature; it uses its historical look and feel to portray the message of how nature has to be respected. The animation is breath-taking to watch and the story keeps you pinned to your seat till the very end. It earned its right to be the first animated film to win the National Academy Award for Best Picture of the Year.
This concludes part one and we have seen just a glimpse of the history of Studio Ghibli and just some of their most notable works up until the turn of the century & it is clear to see how they have influence the anime industry on a global standard. Part two we will look at how they maintain their strength and hold on our hearts, where else they dipped their toes, summing up there most notable achievements and I will look at what Ghibli has meant to me on a personal level.
