These are sad times if you are a fan of Studio Ghibli. Recently both Isao Takahata and Hayao Miyazaki made their final films and it currently seems that When Marnie Was There will be the last movie released by the legendary studio. The demand for animated movies has changed and financing them has become a lot harder. The studio won’t close its doors yet, so there still is hope for a new film, but chances seem slim. Is When Marnie Was There an adequate farewell? Continue reading
When it comes to the field of animation Hayao Miyazaki is a living legend. He co-founded Studio Ghibli, an animation studio known for its high quality animated films, including My Neighbour Totoro, Grave of the Fireflies, Ponyo, Howl’s Moving Castle and Spirited Away. Miyazaki has been working in the industry for more than 60 years and thus it was inevitable for him to announce his retirement. Before he did do that though he has worked on his The Wind Rises, which will be his last movie. Continue reading
Throughout history the term witch has always had a negative image. Wizards were usually good in fairytales, TV shows and movies, but witches were mostly evil. If the society of witches needed an advertisement to change that image then this movie would be perfect for them. The broomstick and black cat are present, but every other thing you might associate with witches will not appear here. As this is a Studio Ghibli film it does posess the animation magic you’d expect from them. Continue reading
Studio Ghibli can turn normal situations into something special. In My Neighbour Totoro it made you believe that friendly monsters lived in trees, and in other movies that you can end up in unseen, hidden worlds (The Cat Returns or Spirited Away) and with Arrietty they try to convince us that small people live underneath our houses. They live on the things they borrow from us, which would be a perfect explanation why I have so many single socks, I guess they must be using them as sleeping bags or something. Continue reading
The second world war has had a big impact on Japan. It lost a lot of power, cities were left in ruins and the military was no longer important. I’ve been to Hiroshima and was at the spot above which the atom bomb was detonated and if you see that place and the accompanying museum you are really at a loss for words. I had the same thing when I visited the Tokyo war museum, in which there were a couple of rooms with the walls lined with only pictures of people who lost their lives during the war. It has made a big impression on me.
Grave of the Fireflies tells the personal story of Setsuko and Seita, brother and sister who try to survive the war. The loss of their mother has already changed their lives, but because of it Setsuko is forced to leave the town and take care of his little sister. As the Americans keep bombarding the country it is very hard to survive as there is hardly anything to eat. Every day they have to search for a way to survive. Continue reading
After reviewing The Cat Returns this week, I decided to focus on another Studio Ghibli movie. This one is about the legend of a castle, Laputa, which is said to exist somewhere in the sky.
Pazu is a boy who works at a mine doing maintenance until he sees a girl, Sheeta, falling out of the sky and hovering above the ground. She can do this because of a magical crystal. It doesn’t take long for Pazu to find out that a lot of people are looking for Sheeta and more specifically for the crystal she is wearing as it is the possibly key to finding the castle. Air pirates want to reach the castle as it is said to have a lot of treasure. The government also has a secret agenda which drives them to find the castle. Continue reading
Those who regularly read my blog know that I’m a big Studio Ghibli fan. With much more detail and deeper stories than your average Disney movie, they are in my opinion the best in the business. The Cat Returns has also been made by studio Ghibli. Haru is a schoolgirl who saves a cat from being run over by a car on her way home. She doesn’t think much of it, but during the night she gets a strange visitor, the king of the cats. The cat she saved turns out to be the prince’s son and the king wants to reward her for her deed. Continue reading