This year marked the 30th anniversary of the founding of Studio Ghibli, possibly the world’s most revered animation house and one I had hitherto not known by name. After doing a little research I realized that I had actually seen a ton of their films, but not being too much of an anime devotee had no idea of the sheer impact the amazing creative powerhouse had actually had on popular culture at large.
Marking the anniversary has been called a bittersweet occasion, given that the company’s activities have been on a hiatus since last year – mainly due to the retirement of founder Hayao Miyazaki and the disappointing box office performance of several of its recent films.
This year marked the 30th anniversary of the founding of Studio Ghibli, possibly the world’s most revered animation house and one I had hitherto not known by name. After doing a little research I realized that I had actually seen a ton of their films, but not being too much of an anime devotee had no idea of the sheer impact the amazing creative powerhouse had actually had on popular culture at large.
Marking the anniversary has been called a bittersweet occasion, given that the company’s activities have been on a hiatus since last year – mainly due to the retirement of founder Hayao Miyazaki and the disappointing box office performance of several of its recent films.
Despite that air of negativity, it is a studio to be celebrated whatever its future.Ghibli is respected the world over for its beautifully lush animation and finest attention to detail, and this makes a celebration of their continued existence even more essential. And it’s not just the aesthetics that are groundbreaking - their stories treat viewers of all ages respectfully, never let commercial concerns get in the way of their imaginations, and more often than not include female characters in their plotlines in a way that puts the rest of the film industry to shame. Animated and live action. And they put their money where their mouth is: the studio has a strict “no cuts” policy after 1984’s Nausicaä was butchered by an American studio to make it supposedly more user friendly. Fourteen years later, Studio Ghibli sent Miramax a samurai sword with a simple message: “no cuts”, after Miramax left scenes from Princess Mononoke on the cutting room floor! And yes, some of their movies have been a little nuts (literally), in particular 1994’s Pom Poko which contains some of their perhaps more questionable (for want of a better word) creative choices. In it, a band of racoons rescue a forest from being bulldozed using their magic testicles (which can miraculously expand to double the size of their body!) as a mace-like weapon. The unusual weaponry is a tradition in Japanese tanuki folklore apparently, but it’s a pretty baffling sight nonetheless.
But onto the subject at hand – tonight’s documentaryTHE KINGDOM OF DREAMS & MADNESS. It is an inside look at the studio named after the Arabic sirocco (the Mediterranean wind), called that because its founders wanted to “blow a new wind through the Japanese anime industry”. Granted near-unfettered access to the notoriously insular studio, director Mami Sunada follows the three men who are the lifeblood of Ghibli – the aforementioned eminent director Miyazaki, the producer Toshio Suzuki, and the elusive and influential “other director” Isao Takahata – over the course of a year as the studio rushes to complete two films, Miyazaki’s The Wind Rises and Takahata’s The Tale of The Princess Kaguya. The result is a rare “fly on the wall” look into the inner workings of one of the world’s most celebrated animation studios, and an insight into the dreams, passion and singular dedication of these remarkable creators.
It is a beautiful and inspiring watch just for the freedom of creativity alone, whether you’re an anime fan or not. And if you’re not, chances are after watching this you just may feel ready to take the jump.