Studio Ghibli – Japanese animation studio

The Japanese studio Studio Ghibli (スタジオジブリ, sutajio jiburi) is currently one of the largest animation studios in the world, and almost every year an animation from the studio is nominated for an Oscar. Most of the studio’s films are among the highest-grossing films in Japan. The animations from Studio Ghibli address very important themes such as ecological issues, wars, depression, among others. Most of the films from Ghibli studio use themes related to Japan’s culture and myths.

The idea of creating an animation studio came from Hayao Miyazaki and Isao Takahata in 1974 when the two were working on the production of the anime Heidi Arupusu no Shojo Haiji (アルプスの少女ハイジ), which was titled ”Heidi” in Brazil. In this production, the two friends noticed that to create a good animation, time is essential, and that was what they needed, a medium where deadlines were long and not short like the deadlines for delivering episodes of anime released weekly. Thus, Studio Ghibli was born, founded by Hayao Miyazaki, Isao Takahata, Toshio Suzuki, and Yasuyoshi Tokuma on June 15, 1985, and in 1992 the construction of a new headquarters located in Koganei, Tokyo was completed.

The first film from Studio Ghibli was Tenkû no Shiro Rapyuta (天空の城ラピュタ), which was named ”Castle in the Sky” in Brazil, released in 1986. Two years later, in 1988, two more films were released simultaneously: Hotaru no Haka (火垂るの墓), titled ”Grave of the Fireflies” in Brazil, and Tonari no Totoro (となりのトトロ), ”My Neighbor Totoro”. Other studios were astonished by the quality of the two animations, as it is difficult to release two films from the same studio at the same time with good quality, but Studio Ghibli did it. Totoro became so popular and charismatic that it became part of the studio’s logo.

List of Studio Ghibli Films

• 1986 – Castle in the Sky – Fantasy/Action;
• 1988 – Grave of the Fireflies – Drama/Drama;
• 1988 – My Neighbor Totoro – Drama/Fantasy;
• 1989 – Kiki’s Delivery Service – Fantasy/Drama;
• 1991 – Only Yesterday – Drama/Romance;
• 1992 – Porco Rosso: The Last Romantic Hero – Fantasy/Drama;
• 1993 – I Can Hear the Ocean – Drama/Romance;
• 1994 – Pom Poko – The Great Raccoon War – Fantasy/Drama;
• 1995 – Whisper of the Heart – Drama/Romance;
• 1997 – Princess Mononoke – Fantasy/Drama;
• 1999 – My Neighbors the Yamadas – Comedy/Animation;
• 2001 – Spirited Away – Fantasy/Mystery;
• 2002 – The Cat Returns – Fantasy/Drama;
• 2004 – Howl’s Moving Castle – Fantasy/Drama;
• 2006 – Tales from Earthsea – Fantasy/Drama;
• 2008 – Ponyo – A Friendship from the Sea – Fantasy/Drama;
• 2010 – The Secret World of Arrietty – Fantasy/Fantasy;
• 2011 – From Up on Poppy Hill – Drama/Romance;
• 2013 – The Wind Rises – Drama/Romance;
• 2013 – The Tale of the Princess Kaguya – Fantasy/Drama;
• 2014 – When Marnie Was There – Mystery/Drama;

Currently, Studio Ghibli has a great influence on Japanese culture and commerce. The animation studio has gained so many fans that commerce and animations continue to grow, evidenced by the Ghibli Museum, which receives more than 650,000 visitors a year, and the trend is that these numbers will only increase.