Studio Ghibli

Hayao Miyazaki is the director credited as the creative genius behind the film and the world-wide reputation of the animation studio 'Ghibli'

Ghibli is an Italian word for a desert wind like the Mistral is in French.

How is 'Spirited Away' typical of a Studio Ghibli film?


Task

Use the extras on the DVD and further secondary research to find out about Miyazaki and Ghibli.

Possible answers to explore;

• Appeal to a wide range of audiences 
• Not just films aimed at children
• Intelligent and challenging themes
• Representation of female characters is positive in relation to the wider film industry
• Imaginative and creative
• Not constrained by commercial concerns
• Themes recur such as anti-war, environmental concerns

How can we compare Studio Ghibli with the British animation studio in Bristol 'Aardman'?

Find out more about Aardman Studios by exploring their web-site. Click on the link.

AARDMAN 

A success story for British film with a creative genius behind it in Nick Park.
Using claymation to produce a style of animation unique to the studio
Films becomes much loved and the studio 'a national treasure'
Wallace and Gromit short films and feature film 'The Curse of the WereRabbit' are outstanding works of art with attention to detailing the animation that stuns the viewer

Here are our well loved Brits enjoying a cup of tea on the moon and trying the cheese.

'Chicken Run' was a first attempt at a feature film using humour and intertextuality to appeal to a wide audience and a range of ages

Further research. To gain wider understanding of Miyazaki and Studio Ghibli find to about these films.  Which ones would you like to see?

Miyazaki films
Porco Rosso 1992
Howl's Moving Castle 2004
Ponyo 2008
The Wind Rises 2013
Nausicaa 1984
Castle in the Sky 1986
My Neighbour Totoro (1988)
Kiki's Delivery service (1989)
Princess Mononoke (1997)
Grave of the Fireflies (1988)