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Posted by: HausofKubrick 2nd February 2014, 10:19 PM

Any fans? Has to be one of the greatest movie studios ever.

Films full of so much charm, wit, passion & character.

Posted by: HausofKubrick 2nd February 2014, 10:20 PM

My favourite is easily 'Grave of the Fireflies' which ranks as one of my favourite films of all time. 'Howl's Moving Castle', 'Spirited Away', '...Totoro', 'Ponyo', hell even 'Porco Rosso''!

But basically them all.

Posted by: ░░░░ 2nd February 2014, 10:23 PM

i f***ing love them. pretty much everything.

i will write a lengthier post when i r less tired

Posted by: J°hnkm 3rd February 2014, 12:01 AM

I've only seen TWO: Spirited Away was utterly amazing (the music too, fabbo) and Arriety which was pretty good too.

Posted by: randomfurlong 3rd February 2014, 12:05 AM

Grave of the Fireflies is absolutely f***ing devastating. I don't think I've ever cried so much, I went to bed a complete wreck after watching it.

I haven't seen nearly as many as I should've, and I really have no excuse given my flatmate has them all on DVD! ...Totoro is an absolute fave of mine - please check out my http://instagram.com/p/h6oxyXgEEE/ - but lots of love for Howl's... and Spirited Away too.

Posted by: Liаm 3rd February 2014, 12:14 AM

I have only seen Spirited Away, but that stands as easily one of the best animated films I've ever seen. So beautiful.

My friend has been telling for about 4 years that I have to watch Grave Of The Fireflies so maybe I should get around to it soon... Who knows, maybe this thread will have finally pushed me?

Posted by: ▲▲▲ 3rd February 2014, 12:19 AM

this this this

I cannot possibly choose a favourite. It's impossible.

Posted by: HausofKubrick 3rd February 2014, 12:24 AM

They really are masters of bringing out the magic of cinema. And all the universal themes that we see in films all the time approached in such splendid ways.

You must! I get a lump in my throat just thinking about it. NEVER has a film left me feeling so cold and empty (for the right reasons). It just keeps tearing you apart but remains simply stunning while it does so.

Ugh.

Posted by: richie 13th February 2014, 12:52 PM

We're big fans of The Cat Returns and picked up Pom Poko on DVD on holiday recently which we must get round to watching.

Posted by: Mariah Scary 13th February 2014, 08:08 PM

Can we have a rate? Every movie would get a 10 from me tho. Picking an 11 would be so hard. I grew up w Studio Ghibli

Posted by: HausofKubrick 13th February 2014, 09:21 PM

Please. Have a few i haven't touched though but i need to get on them.

And i would have loved to have grown up with them. Found them far too late and would have been good to experience them at a younger age to just get properly lost in the worlds. They obviously transcend well to any audiences though which is part of the appeal.

Posted by: Brett-Butler 14th February 2014, 10:49 PM

I agree with all previous sentiments. Studio Ghibli are just wonderful - a few of my uni essays centered around those wonderful films. My favourites tend to change from time to time, but at the moment mine would be Spirited Away (got me into Ghibli, and by extension anime), Grave of The Fireflies (heartbreaking, whether you cry or not at this film should become the standard Turing Test), Only Yesterday (which is one of the underrated gems in the West, partly because it plays more like a straight drama, and partly because it was never dubbed into English), and my absolute personal favourite, Porco Rosso.

Posted by: Hard Out Here 15th February 2014, 07:19 AM

My top 5:

1. Princess Mononoke
2. Ponyo
3. Whisper of the Heart
4. Howl's Moving Castle
5. Spirited Away

Grave of the Fireflies is number 6 I guess. I love them all so much! I've only not watched Tales from Earthsea and Porco Rosso, though I'm not really interested in them.


Honourable mention: Nausicaa of the Valley of the Wind which is my 2nd favourite Miyazaki film, but was created before Studio Ghibli was founded.

ALSO, I can't believe no one has mentioned the amazing OSTs by Joe Hisaishi:

Posted by: J▲hnkm 20th April 2014, 11:11 PM

So yeah, watched Grave of the Fireflies tonight. JESUS CHRIST. In the best possible way, utterly, utterly devastating. Especially the final few minutes with that really haunting version of Home Sweet Home and the imagery going along with it.

Posted by: richie 15th May 2014, 10:06 AM

Saw The Wind Rises last night. Wow! Animation at its finest.

Posted by: Heezus 15th May 2014, 11:39 AM

You're so lucky, I'm still waiting for the BR release next month!

Posted by: ✖ ketalina ✖ 4th August 2014, 12:13 AM

http://www.hypable.com/2014/08/03/studio-ghibli-announces-closure/

Toshio Suzuki, Studio Ghibli’s general manager, took to Japanese television today to announce the closure of their animation feature film department.

Rumours of the Japanese animation studio’s closure have been circling the internet for the last couple of years, but a report from a Ghibli insider to Japanese website News Café made it appear as though that closure would be imminent. This rumour has now been confirmed by the general manager of the studio.

Studio Ghibli has been responsible for many beloved animated movies, not limited to Spirited Away, My Neighbour Totoro, and Howl’s Moving Castle. But they made no secret about the fact that in recent years they have been struggling financially, with their most recent movies failing to make a profit for the studio. The Tale of Princess Kaguya, released in 2013, made 5.1 billion yen, and was considered a flop by the studio due to the costs of the production.

Hayao Miyazaki, the co-founder of Studio Ghibli, retired last summer and handed the reins over to Toshio Suzuki — the latter gave up producing films to become the general manager.

The studio will now move on to managing their trademarks and copyrights, with a smaller staff, but will reportedly be keeping the option open to freelance out for any new, viable projects — as they used to prior to Porco Rosso. The full-time staff responsible for producing their feature films will presumably be let go.

When Marnie Was There will be their last feature film. It is based on the novel of the same name by Joan G. Robinson. The plot follows a sickly girl called Anna as she strikes up a friendship with the mysterious Marnie, while she recuperates at a seaside town. It was released on July 19 in Japan. There is no word yet on a U.S. release date.

😞😞

Posted by: HausofKubrick 4th August 2014, 12:46 AM

:|

A part of me will die with this. Really upsetting news, but they have films to last with me for a lifetime so it's not all bad...

Posted by: Tobi 4th August 2014, 12:49 AM

What? Nooo Spirited Away is the Greatest movie of all time.

Posted by: richie 4th August 2014, 06:55 AM

Damn, that's bad news - we just bought Ponyo and Princess Mononoke at the weekend and were looking forward to getting some more.

The Wind Rises is one of the best films I've seen this year.

Posted by: J▼hnkm 4th August 2014, 08:59 AM

Well, at least they can be V PROUD of what they've given the world, but obv that's not great news.

Posted by: ✖ ketalina ✖ 4th August 2014, 10:25 AM

http://www.dazeddigital.com/artsandculture/article/21101/1/no-studio-ghibli-is-not-closing-yet !!!!!!!!

Rumours were flying around the internet on Sunday that Japan's beloved Studio Ghibli – responsible for film classics like My Neighbour Totoro and Spirited Away – was closing down and would never make another film. Thankfully, rumours of Ghibli's demise were premature; for now, at least.

Anime News Network reports that Studio Ghibli co-founder Toshio Suzuki addressed the animation studio's prospects in a meeting with its board of shareholders on Japanese TV show Jounetsu Tairiku. Suzuki acknowledges that the animation studio is undergoing some big changes, particularly after the retirement of co-founder Hayao Miyazaki in 2013.

"On what to do with Studio Ghibli's future, it is by no means impossible to keep producing (movies) forever," Suzuki said. "However, we will take a brief pause to consider where to go from here."

He briefly raises the possibility that Studio Ghibli could dismantle its production department entirely, but says that the current emphasis is on "housecleaning" or restructuring to improve the studio for the next generation – hence the break in filmmaking.

So Ghibli's closure seems far from definite at this point, although it does make for sobering reading. After Miyazaki's departure last year, many questioned whether the studio could keep going without its inspired filmmaker at the helm. Its latest release, When Marnie Was Here, debuted with a weaker box office performance than expected. Miyazaki's final film, The Wind Also Rises, only grossed $5.2 million in America despite being nominated for an Oscar.

In July, a Ghibli insider told News Cafe that When Marnie Was Here would be the last Studio Ghibli release. Instead, it would only continue to exist as a rights management studio, making money off the anime it had produced so far.

Let's hope this isn't goodbye from Ghibli, though. We can think of one more animation studio that nearly packed it in after its visionary founder passed away in 1966. Thankfully, Disney decided to keep going after the successful release of the Jungle Book, and now owns a filmmaking empire in the form of Pixar and Marvel.

Fingers crossed Ghibli can turn things around in the same way.

Posted by: richie 4th August 2014, 03:25 PM

Hope they can turn it around - but "temporary closures" more often than not become permanent

Posted by: Heezus 4th August 2014, 05:33 PM

What about the Porco Rosso sequel?

Posted by: Joe. 6th August 2014, 08:00 AM

The Wind Rises didn't charm me the way Howl's, Totoro, Spirited, Ponyo, Fireflies, Cat Returns, Kiki or Mononoke had done in the past, so I really hope there's more magic to come.

Posted by: richie 6th August 2014, 08:56 AM

I think The Wind Rises was, dare I say it, a bit more grown up. It was a really good move...although I love the twisted fairy tale style of others.

Studios can't last forever, I'm glad I've only seen a handful as it means I can watch those I haven't still for the first time.

Posted by: Heezus 23rd August 2014, 08:06 PM

The Wind Rises didn't start very well, but the final 40 minutes are amazing. A great farewell by Miyazaki.

Posted by: Hauspital* 4th May 2020, 07:38 PM

Having watched a lot of the Disney classics, I am going to be making my way through the Studio Ghibli collection! A fair few will be rewatching, but some I will watch for the first time. I'll post any thoughts as I go~

I watched 'Porco Rosso' today for the second time. It's aged a fair bit but it's still a fun watch. The moment about an hour into it when Porco retells his story and comments on his humanity is a great scene.

Excited for the rest of the back catalogue now

Posted by: Izzy 5th May 2020, 06:22 PM

I'll be very interested in following your thoughts Bal x

I've only ever seen 4 Ghibli movies myself, (Fireflies, Totoro, Mononoke and Spirited Away, which are all excellent) so seeing this thread is inspiring me to fix that and hopefully get a few more under my belt.

Posted by: Hauspital* 7th May 2020, 10:47 PM

Watched Pom Poko today and what a beauty it was. It's very weird stylistically - told very heavily by a narrator, interspersed with the characters' dialogue. The story is so simple but the Studio tell it in such a poetic and magical way. The raccoon clan are all adorable and whilst fairly childish, it has a grown up feel to it too in that it's quite universal and for all ages. Really enjoyed it for all of its simplicity!

Posted by: Chez Wombat 7th May 2020, 10:57 PM

The Tale of Princess Kaguya is a recent one that's a bit under the radar, but an absolutely beautiful tale and some of the best animation I've seen from this studio. Would highly recommend if you want a lesser known one I have only seen the most well known ones apart from that, I should brush up on my Ghibli knowledge, their best work can easily outclass most Western animations.

You've never seen Howl's Moving Castle? I think you'd love that!

Posted by: Hauspital* 10th May 2020, 10:09 PM

Watched a couple more! First 'Kiki's Delivery Service' - not the best, in fact probably my least favourite of the ones i've seen. It's cute, the lead character is very likable, but ultimately it's quite a flat storyline that never really takes off. I imagine it must be a very important film for young girls discovering their power and confidence but for me, that's all I got from it.

Today I watched 'Laputa: Castle in the Sky' and this was much more like the Studio Ghibli I love. An absolutely brilliant storyline, full of action, humour and charm. Sheeta and Pazu are two of the most endearing characters and their relationship is so believable and beautiful to watch as it blossoms. Two misfit orphans finding their way in a cruel world. I loved this <3

Yes Iz - you must watch this. One of the very best!

Posted by: travis 10th May 2020, 10:17 PM

It makes me so sad that the re-release of the English dub of Kiki's Delivery Service are so watered down from the original dub. I know the re-release is more faithful to the original, but all of Jiji's extra lines in the original release were so iconic. It hurts to watch the new release!

Posted by: Hauspital* 14th May 2020, 10:42 PM

Two massive classics re-watched over the past few days. 'Princess Mononoke' which is damning and brutal but such a brilliant watch. Also 'Howl's Moving Castle' which has always been a fave of mine, but this rewatch cemented it even further. Absolutely mind-blowing storyline and animation - the creation and depiction of the castle in all of its glory is a site to behold!

Posted by: Hauspital* 17th May 2020, 08:39 PM

A few more ~ 'My Neighbour Totoro' is as cute as ever. I remember watching it a few years ago and liking it, but this rewatch made me love it even more. So so so cute <3

'Whisper of the Heart' I had *not* seen before I didn't know what to expect but I really enjoyed! It's very simple and "basic" for a Ghibli storyline, very few tricks and magic and wonder, but that all comes through the character development and storytelling (literally - as she finds her passion of writing). All-in-all, a very cute, coming of age beauty.

And now the first one i've seen, that I really did not enjoy at all 'My Neighbours The Yamadas' - I really appreciate the style, it's unique and quite whimsical. A bold move to animate the film in the way they have, but it does detract from the beauty that Ghibli usually bring to the stage. And gosh, the actual film itself was so tedious Essentially a series of short skits showing a family going through day-to-day comical situations. I lost interest about 5 minutes in, and it never recovered. Oop.

Posted by: Izzy 18th May 2020, 12:28 PM

Eeehyeah fine I watched it. Ghibli education restarting.

It's very good. Particularly liked the anti-war themes and what I assume was Sophie's apparent age changing with her satisfaction of life. Great fantasy imaginings of course too. Plot was a little all over the place but it definitely felt more about taking us through this weird world of magic that surrounds the non-magical world.

v. pleased Mononoke always gets a good rap, it's still easily my favourite based on my memory of it, I will have to do a rewatch once I've gotten through all the ones I haven't seen.

Posted by: WhoOdyssey 20th June 2020, 09:20 AM

https://www.nme.com/news/film/take-a-first-look-at-studio-ghiblis-upcoming-cgi-film-aya-and-the-witch-2692260

First look at their next film 'Aya and the Witch'! It's their first CGI film, and is directed by Gorō Miyazaki (Tales From Earthsea, From Up on Poppy Hill) - and it's set to release later this year.

Posted by: Cow P 15th December 2023, 04:51 PM

The Boy and The Heron is arriving on December 26th! (it's already out here and I have a plan on watching it when my exams are done)