Studio Ghibli

**Studio Ghibli** is a Japanese animation studio known for their high-quality anime films.  They were formed in Tokyo, Japan, on June 13, 1985, by Hayao Miyazaki, Toshio Suzuki, Isao Takahata, and Yasuyoshi Tokuma.  Its current headquarters is Koganei, Tokyo, Japan.  To this day they've made 21 films, with 20 of them receiving critical acclaim, and a 22nd set to come in 2020.

## Name

The name Ghibli was given by Hayao Miyazaki from the Italian noun "ghibli", based on the Libyan-Arabic name for the hot desert windof that country, the idea being the studio would "blow a new wind through the anime industry".[3][4] It also refers to an Italian aircraft, the Caproni Ca.309 *Ghibli*. Although the Italian word is more accurately transliterated as ギブリ (*Giburi*), the Japanese name of the studio is ジブリ (*Jiburi*).[3]

## History

Founded on June 15, 1985, the studio is headed by the directors Hayao Miyazaki and Isao Takahata and the producer Toshio Suzuki. Prior to the formation of the studio, Miyazaki and Takahata had already had long careers in Japanese film and television animation and had worked together on *Hols: Prince of the Sun* and *Panda! Go, Panda!*; and Suzuki was an editor at Tokuma Shoten's *Animage* manga magazine.

The studio was founded after the success of the 1984 film *Nausicaä of the Valley of the Wind*, written and directed by Miyazaki for Topcraft and distributed by Toei Company. The origins of the film lie in the first two volumes of a serialized manga written by Miyazaki for publication in *Animage* as a way of generating interest in an anime version.[4][5] Suzuki was part of the production team on the film and founded Studio Ghibli with Miyazaki, who also invited Takahata to join the new studio.

The studio has mainly produced films by Miyazaki, with the second most prolific director being Takahata (most notably with *Grave of the Fireflies*). Other directors who have worked with Studio Ghibli include Yoshifumi Kondo, Hiroyuki Morita, Gorō Miyazaki, and Hiromasa Yonebayashi. Composer Joe Hisaishi has provided the soundtracks for most of Miyazaki's Studio Ghibli films. In their book *Anime Classics Zettai!*, Brian Camp and Julie Davis made note of Michiyo Yasuda as "a mainstay of Studio Ghibli’s extraordinary design and production team".[6] At one time the studio was based in Kichijōji, Musashino, Tokyo.[7]

On August 1996, Disney and Tokuma Shoten formed a partnership in which Buena Vista Pictures would be the sole international distributor for Tokuma Shoten's Studio Ghibli animated films. Since then, all three afore-mentioned films by Miyazaki at Studio Ghibli that were previously dubbed by Streamline Pictures have been re-dubbed by Disney.[8] On June 1, 1997, Tokuma Shoten Publishing consolidated its media operations by merging Studio Ghibli, Tokuma Shoten Intermedia software and Tokuma International under one location.[9]

Many of Ghibli's films in Japan are theatrically distributed by Toho while home video releases are handled by Walt Disney Studios Home EntertainmentJapan.[10] Wild Bunch holds the international sales rights to many of Ghibli's films.[11] Ghibli's main international distribution partners also include Disney (Japan Home Video, Taiwan, France),[10][11] GKIDS (North America),[12] StudioCanal (United Kingdom and Ireland), and Madman Entertainment (Australia). Germany-based Wild Bunch itself handles international sales for Studio Ghibli's works.

Over the years, there has been a close relationship between Studio Ghibli and the magazine *Animage*, which regularly runs exclusive articles on the studio and its members in a section titled "Ghibli Notes." Artwork from Ghibli's films and other works are frequently featured on the cover of the magazine. Saeko Himuro's novel *Umi ga Kikoeru* was serialised in the magazine and subsequently adapted into Ocean Waves (film), Studio Ghibli's only animated feature length film created for television and it was directed by Tomomi Mochizuki.[13]

In October 2001, the Ghibli Museum opened in Mitaka, Tokyo.[14] It contains exhibits based on Studio Ghibli films and shows animations, including a number of short Studio Ghibli films not available elsewhere.

The studio is also known for its strict "no-edits" policy in licensing their films abroad due to *Nausicaä of the Valley of Wind* being heavily edited for the film's release in the United States as *Warriors of the Wind*. The "no cuts" policy was highlighted when Miramax co-chairman Harvey Weinsteinsuggested editing *Princess Mononoke* to make it more marketable. A Studio Ghibli producer is rumoured to have sent an authentic Japanese sword with a simple message: "No cuts".[15]

Between 1999 and 2005, Studio Ghibli was a subsidiary brand of Tokuma Shoten, however, that partnership ended on April 2005 when Studio Ghibli was spun off from Tokuma Shoten, and was re-established as an independent company with relocated headquarters.

On February 1, 2008, Toshio Suzuki stepped down from the position of Studio Ghibli president, which he had held since 2005, and Koji Hoshino (former president of Walt Disney Japan) took over. Suzuki said he wanted to improve films with his own hands as a producer, rather than demanding this from his employees. Suzuki decided to hand over the presidency to Hoshino because Hoshino has helped Studio Ghibli to sell its videos since 1996 and has also aided the release of the *Princess Mononoke* film in the United States.[16]Suzuki still serves on the company's board of directors.

Two Studio Ghibli short films created for the Ghibli Museum were shown at the Carnegie Hall Citywise Japan NYC Festival: "House Hunting" and "Mon Mon the Water Spider" were screened on March 26, 2011.[17]

Takahata developed a project for release after Gorō Miyazaki's (director of *Tales from Earthsea* and Hayao's son) *The Tale of the Princess Kaguya* – an adaptation of *The Tale of the Bamboo Cutter*. The last film Hayao Miyazaki directed before retiring from feature films was *The Wind Rises* which is about the Mitsubishi A6M Zero and its founder.[18]

On Sunday, September 1, 2013, Hayao Miyazaki held a press conference in Venice to confirm his retirement, saying: "I know I've said I would retire many times in the past. Many of you must think, 'Once again.' But this time I am quite serious."[19]

On January 31, 2014, it was announced that Gorō Miyazaki will direct his first anime television series, *Sanzoku no Musume Rōnya*, an adaptation of Astrid Lindgren's *Ronia the Robber's Daughter* for NHK. The series is computer-animated, produced by Polygon Pictures, and co-produced by Studio Ghibli.[20][21]

In March 2014, Toshio Suzuki retired as producer and assumed the new position of general manager. Yoshiaki Nishimura replaced Suzuki in the producer role.[22]

On August 3, 2014, Toshio Suzuki announced that Studio Ghibli would take a "brief pause" to re-evaluate and restructure in the wake of Miyazaki's retirement. He stated some concerns about where the company would go in the future.[23][24][25][26] This has led to speculation that Studio Ghibli will never produce another feature film again. On November 7, 2014, Miyazaki stated, "That was not my intention, though. All I did was announce that I would be retiring and not making any more features."[27] Lead producer Yoshiaki Nishimuraamong several other staffers from Ghibli left to found Studio Ponoc in April 2015, working on the film *Mary and the Witch's Flower*.

The 2016 animated fantasy film *The Red Turtle*, directed and co-written by Dutch-British animator Michaël Dudok de Wit in his feature film debut, was a co-production between Studio Ghibli and Wild Bunch.[28]

In February 2017, Toshio Suzuki announced that Hayao Miyazaki has come out of retirement to direct a new feature film with Studio Ghibli.[29]

On November 28, 2017, Koji Hoshino stepped down as President; he was replaced by Kiyofumi Nakajima (former Ghibli Museum director). Hoshino was then appointed as Chairman of Studio Ghibli.[30]

## Notable Animators and Character Designers

1. Hideaki Anno (*Neon Genesis Evangelion*)
2. Kitarō Kōsaka (*Monster*, *Master Keaton*, and *Nasu*)
3. Masashi Ando (*Paranoia Agent* and *Paprika*)
4. Kenichi Yoshida (*Overman King Gainer* and *Eureka Seven*)
5. Akihiko Yamashita (*Tide-Line Blue*, *Princess Nine*, *Strange Dawn*, and *Relic Armor Legacium*)
6. Makiko Futaki (Akira)

## Why They Rock

1. They're known for having incredible animation in their films.
2. They're one of the few remaining studios which still religiously relies on traditional hand-drawn animation.
3. They have, (or have had), some of the most well-known animators in all of Japan.  The most famous is, of course, Hayao Miyazaki, but another one is Isao Takahata.
4. Almost all of their films have received universal acclaim by both audiences and critics alike.
5. They've been around since June 13, 1985, and are responsible for popularizing anime worldwide over the decades.
6. Studio Ghibli is often compared to Disney, which shouldn't be too surprising, considering that Hayao Miyazaki, as well as many other Ghibli animators, are huge fans of Disney animated films.
7. They've broken new grounds in terms of both animation and story many times over the years.
8. Aside from films, they have also worked on animation for video games as well, such as the recent JRPG series Ni no Kuni.

## Bad Qualities

1. Studio Ghibli's primary creative mind, Hayao Miyazaki, has garnered a lot of controversy over the years.
	1. He's infamous for the quote "anime was a mistake" which is believed to denote almost all modern anime.
	2. He's known for being godawful to work under.  In fact, former employees have come out saying that he is a ruthless dictator when it comes to animation and a perfectionist at that.
	3. He has claimed to be retired several times over the years, only to mysteriously return to make another film.
2. They made Tales from Earthsea, directed by Goro Miyazaki, Hayao Miyazaki's son, which is the only Studio Ghibli film ever to receive almost universal panning and criticism.
3. Despite how great they are, Studio Ghibli's films tend to be extremely preachy and in your face with its themes and messages.  Both Hayao Miyazaki and Isao Takahata are guilty of this.  They could both do to learn how to express their messages more subtly.

## Movies With Pages On This Wiki

1. Nausica of the Valley of the Wind (1984)
2. Laputa: Castle in the Sky (1986)
3. Grave of the Fireflies (1988)
4. My Neighbor Totoro (1988)
5. Kiki's Delivery Service (1989)
6. Only Yesterday (1991)
7. Porco Rosso (1992)
8. Ocean Waves (1993)
9. Pom Poko (1994)
10. Whisper of the Heart (1995)
11. Princess Mononoke (1997)
12. My Neighbors the Yamadas (1999)
13. Spirited Away (2001)
14. The Cat Returns (2002)
15. Howl's Moving Castle (2004)
16. Ponyo (2008)
17. Arrietty (2010)
18. From Up on Poppy Hill (2011)
19. The Tale of the Princess Kaguya (2013)
20. The Wind Rises (2014)
21. When Marnie Was There (2014)

## Trivia

1. Isao Takahata, one of the three founders of the company, tragically passed away on April 5, 2018, at age 82, after 57 years in the anime industry.  He died of lung cancer.

## See Also

1. Ghibli Museum in Mitaka, Tokyo
2. Studio Kajino, a subsidiary of Studio Ghibli
3. Yasuo Ōtsuka
4. Studio Ponoc, founded by former members of Studio Ghibli
5. List of Japanese animation studios