![]() ![]() This time though, there’s no supernatural curse or fantastical prison-like work conditions. Like its distant cousin Spirited Away, it focuses on young girls (this time sisters Mei and Satsuki) moving to a new home and discovering a secret world within it. One of the earliest Ghibli films, and featuring a titular character that would go on to be the company’s mascot, My Neighbor Totoro is a thematically similar film to Spirited Away, but with an entirely different outlook. With her parents cursed and Chihiro trapped in this mysterious place, she has no choice but to take a job at a mysterious bathhouse where the clientele is predominantly made up of wandering benevolent spirits and humans are persona non grata.įor over two hours we watch a young girl grapple with the responsibilities of maturing in a world that operates secretly within her own – the animation is incredible, the vast array of characters simply awe-inspiring, and each thread of the story builds to something much larger than the sum of its parts. ![]() They get lost and stumble upon what they believe to be an abandoned theme park that turns out to be a realm where the spirits dwell. It tells the story of Chihiro, a young girl moving house with her parents. A coming-of-age story with hints of Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland and The Wizard of Oz thrown in with the trademark of Ghibli whimsy, wisdom and imagination. Widely regarded as Miyazaki’s masterpiece, Spirited Away is an incredible achievement in animated cinema. Enjoy these films in a way that feels comfortable for you. There are purists in the world who think the only way to watch them is in Japanese with subtitles, but these people are pretentious and should be ignored at all costs. They’re also widely available dubbed in English with equally talented voice actors, and it honestly doesn’t matter if you watch them dubbed or with subtitles. Oh, and one more thing before we start – these are Japanese films. So where the hell do you start? Abandon any lingering notion that cartoons are strictly for kids – sure these stories are universal and sympathetic to all ages but you’re not made of stone, right? Didn’t think so – now let’s jump in. #West acres cinema studio ghibli tvSo 31 years from its inception, Ghibli has produced 20 features, a TV movie, numerous short films and commercials and amassed a dedicated worldwide fandom. Whilst every story takes places in seemingly different worlds, these common thematic threads often tie them together into something unmistakable. They were determined to foster a creative environment where originality and artistic vision took precedence over commercial success – never once taking the easy route and making a sequel to any of the past successes.Ĭommon themes and artistic styles show up throughout the Ghibli universes environmentalism, flight, childhood, metamorphosis, weather, worlds within worlds, community and mythology from both Japan and Europe. Studio Ghibli is a Japanese studio responsible for some of the finest feature-length animation films ever produced, inspiring countless artists and filmmakers including John Lasseter (you might know him from all those Pixar films that made you cry) who once said that Ghibli founder “Hayao Miyazaki is the greatest animation director living today.” High praise indeed.Īfter working together on various animation projects since the '60s, Hayao Miyazaki and Isao Takahata eventually founded Studio Ghibli in 1985 on the back of the film Nausicaä: Valley of the Wind which had come out the year before. After all, there are plenty more reasons to get to know Ghibli other than your crippling social anxiety and fear of missing out. ![]() So before we get into exactly where to start, let’s get some context. ![]()
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