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is a
Japanese animation is hand-drawn and computer-generated animation originating from Japan. Outside of Japan and in English, ''anime'' refers specifically to animation produced in Japan. However, in Japan and in Japanese, (a term derived from a shortening of ...
studio headquartered in Koganei, Tokyo."Studio Ghibli Collection - Madman Entertainment". ''Studio Ghibli Collection - Madman Entertainment''. Retrieved 2020-12-14. It is best known for its animated feature films, and has also produced several short subjects, television commercials, and two television films. Its mascot and most recognizable symbol is a character named Totoro, a giant spirit inspired by
raccoon dogs The common raccoon dog (''Nyctereutes procyonoides''), also called the Chinese or Asian raccoon dog, is a small, heavy-set, fox-like canid native to East Asia. Named for its raccoon-like face markings, it is most closely related to foxes. Commo ...
(''tanuki'') and cats from the 1988 anime film '' My Neighbor Totoro''. Among the studio's highest-grossing films are '' Spirited Away'' (2001), ''
Howl's Moving Castle ''Howl's Moving Castle'' is a fantasy novel by British author Diana Wynne Jones, first published in 1986 by Greenwillow Books of New York. It was a runner-up for the annual Boston Globe–Horn Book Award, and won the Phoenix Award twenty years ...
'' (2004) and ''
Ponyo is a 2008 Japanese animated fantasy film written and directed by Hayao Miyazaki, animated by Studio Ghibli for the Nippon Television Network, Dentsu, Hakuhodo DY Media Partners, Buena Vista Home Entertainment, Mitsubishi, and distribute ...
'' (2008). The studio was founded on June 15, 1985, by directors Hayao Miyazaki and Isao Takahata and producer Toshio Suzuki, after the successful performance of
Topcraft Topcraft (トップクラフト ''Toppukurafuto'', also written as "Top Craft") was an animation studio established on February 1, 1972 by former Toei Animation producer Toru Hara, and located in Tokyo, Japan. It was famous for the production of ...
's '' Nausicaä of the Valley of the Wind'' (1984). It has also collaborated with video game studios on the visual development of several games. Five of the studio's films are among the ten highest-grossing anime feature films made in Japan. ''Spirited Away'' is second, grossing 31.68 billion yen in Japan and over US$380 million worldwide; and '' Princess Mononoke'' is fourth, grossing 20.18 billion yen. Many of their works have won the
Animage is a Japanese anime and entertainment magazine which Tokuma Shoten began publishing in July 1978. Hayao Miyazaki's internationally renowned manga, '' Nausicaä of the Valley of the Wind'', was serialized in ''Animage'' from 1982 through 1994. ...
Grand Prix award. Four have won the Japan Academy Prize for Animation of the Year. Five of their films have received
Academy Award The Academy Awards, better known as the Oscars, are awards for artistic and technical merit for the American and international film industry. The awards are regarded by many as the most prestigious, significant awards in the entertainment ind ...
nominations. ''Spirited Away'' won the 2002 Golden Bear and the
2003 File:2003 Events Collage.png, From top left, clockwise: The crew of STS-107 perished when the Space Shuttle Columbia disintegrated during reentry into Earth's atmosphere; SARS became an epidemic in China, and was a precursor to SARS-CoV-2; A ...
Academy Award for Best Animated Feature The Academy Award for Best Animated Feature is given each year for animated films. An animated feature is defined by the Academy as a film with a running time of more than 40 minutes in which characters' performances are created using a frame-by- ...
. On August 3, 2014, Studio Ghibli temporarily suspended production following Miyazaki's retirement. In February 2017, Suzuki announced that Miyazaki had come out of retirement to direct a new feature film, '' How Do You Live?'' (2023), which he intended to be his last film.


Name

The name "Ghibli" was chosen by Miyazaki from the Italian noun (also used in English), based on the
Libyan Arabic Libyan Arabic ( ar, ليبي, Lībī) is a variety of Arabic spoken mainly in Libya, and neighboring countries. It can be divided into two major dialect areas; the eastern centred in Benghazi and Bayda, and the western centred in Tripoli and M ...
name for hot desert wind (, ), the idea being the studio would "blow a new wind through the anime industry".''The Birth of Studio Ghibli'', ''Nausicaä of the Valley of the Wind'' DVD, Walt Disney Home Entertainment, 2005. It also refers to an Italian aircraft, the
Caproni Ca.309 The Caproni Ca.309 ''Ghibli'' was an Italian aircraft used in World War II. Its nickname 'Ghibli' refers to a desert wind that later served as the inspiration for animation Studio Ghibli's name. Development The Caproni Ca.309 was designed by ...
. Although the Italian word would be more accurately transliterated as "Giburi" (), with a hard g sound, the studio is romanised in Japanese as ''Jiburi'' (, ).


History


Tokuma Shoten era

Founded on June 15, 1985, Studio Ghibli was headed by directors Hayao Miyazaki and Isao Takahata and producer Toshio Suzuki. Miyazaki and Takahata had already had long careers in Japanese film and television animation and had worked together on ''
The Great Adventure of Horus, Prince of the Sun is an anime film released in July 1968. It is the directorial feature film debut of Isao Takahata and was also worked on by Hayao Miyazaki. ''Horus'' marked the beginning of their partnership that would last for the next 50 years across numerou ...
'' in 1968 and the '' Panda! Go, Panda!'' films in 1972 and 1973. In 1978, Suzuki became an editor at
Tokuma Shoten is a publisher in Japan, headquartered in Shinagawa, Tokyo. The company was established in 1954 by Yasuyoshi Tokuma in Minato, Tokyo. The company’s product portfolio includes music publishing, video game publishing, movies, anime, magazines, ...
's ''
Animage is a Japanese anime and entertainment magazine which Tokuma Shoten began publishing in July 1978. Hayao Miyazaki's internationally renowned manga, '' Nausicaä of the Valley of the Wind'', was serialized in ''Animage'' from 1982 through 1994. ...
''
manga Manga ( Japanese: 漫画 ) are comics or graphic novels originating from Japan. Most manga conform to a style developed in Japan in the late 19th century, and the form has a long prehistory in earlier Japanese art. The term ''manga'' is ...
magazine, where the first film he chose was ''Horus''. A year after his phone call with Takahata and his first encounter with Miyazaki, both about ''Horus'', he made a phone call about the first film Miyazaki ever directed: '' The Castle of Cagliostro''. The studio was founded after the success of the 1984 film '' Nausicaä of the Valley of the Wind''. Suzuki was part of the film's production team, and founded Studio Ghibli with Miyazaki, who also invited Takahata to join them. 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 Kondō, Hiroyuki Morita,
Gorō Miyazaki is a Japanese director. He is the son of animator and film director Hayao Miyazaki, who is one of the co-founders of Studio Ghibli. Described as "reluctant" to follow his father's career, Goro initially worked as a landscaper for many years befo ...
, 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". At one time the studio was based in
Kichijōji __NOTOC__ is a neighborhood in the city of Musashino in Western Tokyo, Japan. It is centered on a compact but popular commercial area to the north and south of Kichijoji Station, with a full range of shops, restaurants, bars, and coffee hous ...
, Musashino, Tokyo."The Animerica Interview: Takahata and Nosaka: Two Grave Voices in Animation." '' Animerica''. Volume 2, No. 11. Page 11. Translated by ''Animerica'' from: Takahata, Isao. ''Eiga o Tsukurinagara, Kangaeta Koto'' ("Things I Thought While Making Movies") ''
Tokuma Shoten is a publisher in Japan, headquartered in Shinagawa, Tokyo. The company was established in 1954 by Yasuyoshi Tokuma in Minato, Tokyo. The company’s product portfolio includes music publishing, video game publishing, movies, anime, magazines, ...
'', 1991. Originally published in ''
Animage is a Japanese anime and entertainment magazine which Tokuma Shoten began publishing in July 1978. Hayao Miyazaki's internationally renowned manga, '' Nausicaä of the Valley of the Wind'', was serialized in ''Animage'' from 1982 through 1994. ...
'', June 1987. This is a translation of a 1987 conversation between Takahata and
Akiyuki Nosaka was a Japanese novelist, singer, lyricist, and member of the House of Councillors. As a broadcasting writer he used the name and his alias as a chanson singer was . Early life Nosaka was born in Kamakura, Kanagawa, the son of Sukeyuki Nosak ...
. "Kichijoji is the Tokyo area where "Studio Ghibli," frequent Takahata collaborator Hayao Miyazaki's studio, is located.
In August 1996,
The Walt Disney Company The Walt Disney Company, commonly known as Disney (), is an American multinational mass media and entertainment conglomerate headquartered at the Walt Disney Studios complex in Burbank, California. Disney was originally founded on Octobe ...
and Tokuma Shoten formed a partnership wherein Walt Disney Studios would be the sole international distributor for Tokuma Shoten's Studio Ghibli animated films. Under this agreement, Disney also agreed to finance 10% of the studio's production costs. Since then, all three of the aforementioned films by Miyazaki at Studio Ghibli that were previously dubbed by Streamline Pictures have been re-dubbed by Disney. 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. 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 Saeko is a feminine Japanese given name. Possible writings *サエコ in katakana *さえこ in hiragana is a Japanese syllabary, part of the Japanese writing system, along with ''katakana'' as well as ''kanji''. It is a phonetic letteri ...
's novel ''Umi ga Kikoeru'' was serialised in the magazine and subsequently adapted into '' Ocean Waves'', Studio Ghibli's first animated feature-length film created for television. It was directed by Tomomi Mochizuki. In October 2001, the
Ghibli Museum The is a museum showcasing the work of the Japanese animation studio Studio Ghibli. It is located in Inokashira Park in Mitaka, a western city of Tokyo, Japan. The museum combines features of a children's museum, technology museum, and a fine ...
opened in Mitaka, Tokyo. 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 the 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 Miramax, LLC, also known as Miramax Films, is an American film and television production and distribution company founded on December 19, 1979, by brothers Harvey and Bob Weinstein, and based in Los Angeles, California. It was initially a lea ...
co-chairman Harvey Weinstein suggested 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 cut.".


Independent era

Between 1999 and 2005, Studio Ghibli was a subsidiary brand of Tokuma Shoten; however, that partnership ended in 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. Suzuki still serves on the company's board of directors. Two Studio Ghibli short films created for the
Ghibli Museum The is a museum showcasing the work of the Japanese animation studio Studio Ghibli. It is located in Inokashira Park in Mitaka, a western city of Tokyo, Japan. The museum combines features of a children's museum, technology museum, and a fine ...
were shown at the Carnegie Hall Citywise Japan NYC Festival: "House Hunting" and "Mon Mon the Water Spider" were screened on March 26, 2011. 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 is a 2013 Japanese animated historical drama film written and directed by Hayao Miyazaki, animated by Studio Ghibli for the Nippon Television Network, Dentsu, Hakuhodo DY Media Partners, Walt Disney Japan, Mitsubishi, Toho and KDDI. It was rel ...
'' which is about the
Mitsubishi A6M Zero The Mitsubishi A6M "Zero" is a long-range carrier-based fighter aircraft formerly manufactured by Mitsubishi Aircraft Company, a part of Mitsubishi Heavy Industries, and was operated by the Imperial Japanese Navy from 1940 to 1945. The A6M w ...
and its creator. 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." In 2013, a documentary directed by Mami Sunada called was created delving into the lives of those working at Studio Ghibli and the productions of the animated films ''The Wind Rises'' and ''The Tale of the Princess Kaguya'', including storyboard sketching, inking, painting, and voice actor selection for the films. 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 Astrid Anna Emilia Lindgren (; ; 14 November 1907 – 28 January 2002) was a Swedish writer of fiction and screenplays. She is best known for several children's book series, featuring Pippi Longstocking, Emil of Lönneberga, Karlsson-on-t ...
's ''
Ronia the Robber's Daughter ''Ronia, the Robber's Daughter'' ( Swedish: ''Ronja rövardotter'') is a children's fantasy book by the Swedish author Astrid Lindgren, first published in 1981. The book has been adapted as a prize-winning 1984 film, a Danish and a German mus ...
'' for NHK. The series is computer-animated, produced by Polygon Pictures, and co-produced by Studio Ghibli. In March 2014, Toshio Suzuki retired as producer and assumed the new position of general manager. Yoshiaki Nishimura replaced Suzuki in the producer role. 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. This 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." Lead producer Yoshiaki Nishimura among several other staffers from Ghibli, such as director Hiromasa Yonebayashi, left to found Studio Ponoc in April 2015, working on the film ''
Mary and the Witch's Flower is a 2017 Japanese animated fantasy film co-written and directed by Hiromasa Yonebayashi, produced by Studio Ponoc founder Yoshiaki Nishimura, animated by Studio Ponoc, and distributed by Toho in Japan. Based on the 1971 book ''The Little Broom ...
''. 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. In February 2017, Toshio Suzuki announced that Hayao Miyazaki had come out of retirement to direct a new feature film with Studio Ghibli. 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. In May 2020, Toshio Suzuki confirmed that a new film from Gorō Miyazaki is in development at Studio Ghibli. On June 3, 2020, Studio Ghibli announced that the film would be an adaptation of the novel ''
Earwig and the Witch is a 2020 Japanese computer-animated fantasy film directed by Gorō Miyazaki and with a screenplay by Keiko Niwa and Emi Gunji. It is based on the novel of the same name by Diana Wynne Jones. The original voice cast includes Shinobu Terajima, ...
'' by Diana Wynne Jones. The film was announced as the first full 3D CG animated Ghibli film and slated for a television premiere on NHK in late 2020.


Distribution rights


Theatrical and home media rights


Japan

In Japan, the company's films (along with '' The Castle of Cagliostro'' and all other '' Lupin the Third'' titles for movie theaters as well as ''
Mary and the Witch's Flower is a 2017 Japanese animated fantasy film co-written and directed by Hiromasa Yonebayashi, produced by Studio Ponoc founder Yoshiaki Nishimura, animated by Studio Ponoc, and distributed by Toho in Japan. Based on the 1971 book ''The Little Broom ...
'') are distributed by Toho theatrically, except for ''
Castle in the Sky , titled ''Laputa: Castle in the Sky'' for release in the United Kingdom, Ireland, Australia and New Zealand, is a 1986 Japanese animated fantasy adventure film written and directed by Hayao Miyazaki. The first film produced by Studio Ghibli, i ...
'', '' Kiki's Delivery Service'' (which were distributed by Toei Company along with '' Nausicaä of the Valley of the Wind'', with Toei producing ''
The Great Adventure of Horus, Prince of the Sun is an anime film released in July 1968. It is the directorial feature film debut of Isao Takahata and was also worked on by Hayao Miyazaki. ''Horus'' marked the beginning of their partnership that would last for the next 50 years across numerou ...
''), and '' My Neighbors the Yamadas'', which was distributed by
Shochiku () is a Japanese film and kabuki production and distribution company. It also produces and distributes anime films, in particular those produced by Bandai Namco Filmworks (which has a long-time partnership—the company released most, if not al ...
. For home media, a majority of Studio Ghibli releases are distributed by
Walt Disney Studios Japan Buena Vista Home Entertainment, Inc., doing business as Walt Disney Studios Home Entertainment, is the home entertainment distribution arm of The Walt Disney Company. The division handles the distribution of Disney's films, television series, an ...
. This also includes '' Nausicaä of the Valley of the Wind'', '' The Castle of Cagliostro'' and ''
Mary and the Witch's Flower is a 2017 Japanese animated fantasy film co-written and directed by Hiromasa Yonebayashi, produced by Studio Ponoc founder Yoshiaki Nishimura, animated by Studio Ponoc, and distributed by Toho in Japan. Based on the 1971 book ''The Little Broom ...
''.
Pony Canyon , also known by the shorthand form , is a Japanese mass media publishing company founded on October 1, 1966. The company publishes mainly physical home media on compact discs, including music, films and TV shows and video games. It is affi ...
occasionally releases Ghibli documentaries on home media, and also distributes rental versions of Ghibli's movies under a deal with Disney. Pony Canyon also fully distributed the standalone version of ''
Earwig and the Witch is a 2020 Japanese computer-animated fantasy film directed by Gorō Miyazaki and with a screenplay by Keiko Niwa and Emi Gunji. It is based on the novel of the same name by Diana Wynne Jones. The original voice cast includes Shinobu Terajima, ...
'' on home media. Before the Disney deal, Tokuma Shoten released Ghibli movies themselves through their "Animage Video" imprint, as well as all
Laserdisc The LaserDisc (LD) is a home video format and the first commercial optical disc storage medium, initially licensed, sold and marketed as MCA DiscoVision (also known simply as "DiscoVision") in the United States in 1978. Its diameter typical ...
releases of the movies, as the Disney deal did not include that format.


North America

Manson International and Showmen, Inc. produced a 95-minute English dub of '' Nausicaä of the Valley of the Wind'', titled ''Warriors of the Wind'', which was released theatrically in the United States by
New World Pictures New World Pictures (also known as New World Entertainment and New World Communications Group, Inc.) was an American independent production, distribution, and (in its final years as an autonomous entity) multimedia company. It was founded in 19 ...
on June 13, 1985, followed by a VHS release in December 1985. In the late 1980s,
Vestron Video Vestron Video was the main subsidiary of Vestron, Inc., a home video company based in Stamford, Connecticut, that was active from 1981 to 1993, and is considered to have been a pioneer in the home video market. The name is now used for a collect ...
would re-release the film and First Independent Video would re-release it again in 1993, with another minute cut from the film. The voice actors and actresses were not credited and were not even informed of the film's plot line, and the film was heavily edited to market it as a children's action-adventure film, although the film received a PG rating just like Disney's later English dub. Due to the heavy editing of the film in an attempt to appeal to American audiences, much of ''Nausicaä'' was cut out, including much of the environmentalist themes, which were diluted. The main subplot of the Ohmu was similarly altered to arguably portray them as aggressive. Most of the characters' names were changed, including the titular character who became Princess Zandra. The United States poster and VHS cover featured a cadre of male characters who are not in the film, riding the resurrected God Warrior—including a still-living Warrior shown briefly in a flashback. Overall, approximately 22 minutes was cut for North American release. ''Warriors of the Wind'' also prompted Miyazaki to allow translator Toren Smith of
Studio Proteus Studio Proteus is a Japanese manga import, translation and lettering company, founded in 1986 by Toren Smith and based in San Francisco. Other staff included translators Dana Lewis, Alan Gleason, and Frederik Schodt, letterer Tom Orzechowski ...
to create an official, faithful translation of the ''Nausicaä'' manga for
Viz Media VIZ Media LLC is an American manga publisher, anime distributor and entertainment company headquartered in San Francisco, California. It was founded in 1986 as VIZ LLC. In 2005, VIZ LLC and ShoPro Entertainment merged to form the current VIZ M ...
. In the late 1980s, an English dub of ''
Castle in the Sky , titled ''Laputa: Castle in the Sky'' for release in the United Kingdom, Ireland, Australia and New Zealand, is a 1986 Japanese animated fantasy adventure film written and directed by Hayao Miyazaki. The first film produced by Studio Ghibli, i ...
'' was produced by Magnum Video Tape and Dubbing for international Japan Airlines flights at the request of Tokuma Shoten. The ''Castle'' dub was briefly screened in the United States by Streamline Pictures.
Carl Macek Carl Frank Macek (September 21, 1951 – April 17, 2010) was an American screenwriter, script editor, producer and voice actor on numerous English language adaptations of anime during the 1980s and 1990s. His work is considered by many to hav ...
, the head of Streamline, was disappointed with this dub, deeming it "adequate, but clumsy". Following this, Tokuma allowed Streamline to dub their future acquisitions '' My Neighbor Totoro'' and '' Kiki's Delivery Service''. In April 1993, Troma Films, under their 50th St. Films banner, distributed the ''Totoro'' dub as a theatrical release, and the dub was later released onto VHS and eventually onto DVD by 20th Century Fox Home Entertainment. In the early 1990s, an English dub of '' Porco Rosso'' was produced by an unknown company, again for international Japan Airlines flights. The original dubs can be seen on the 1996 Ghibli ga Ippai Laserdisc set, and on the initial copies for the Japanese DVD releases of ''Totoro'', ''Laputa'' and ''Porco''. In 1996, Walt Disney Studios acquired worldwide distribution rights to the Studio Ghibli library, with Disney redubbing all previously dubbed films. In addition, Walt Disney Studios Japan agreed to contribute 10% of the funding for all future releases, starting with '' My Neighbors the Yamadas'', in exchange for right of first refusal regarding international distribution. Disney continues with this practice to this day, even extending it to the works of Studio Ponoc and to co-productions like '' The Red Turtle'' in Japan. It was said to have taken four years for Disney and Studio Ghibli to reach a distribution deal. Originally, the Ghibli films were meant to headline a line of videos called ''Animation Celebration'', highlighting critically acclaimed animated films from around the world. These plans never materialized in full, but the ''Animation Celebration'' logo can be seen on Disney's original VHS release of '' Kiki's Delivery Service''. During Disney's tenure, the studio produced the English dubs and released 15 of Ghibli's films, plus '' Nausicaä of the Valley of the Wind'', through the
Walt Disney Pictures Walt Disney Pictures is an American film production company and subsidiary of Walt Disney Studios, which is owned by The Walt Disney Company. The studio is the flagship producer of live-action feature films within the Walt Disney Studios unit ...
,
Buena Vista Home Video Buena Vista Home Entertainment, Inc., doing business as Walt Disney Studios Home Entertainment, is the home entertainment distribution arm of The Walt Disney Company. The division handles the distribution of Disney's films, television series, an ...
,
Miramax Miramax, LLC, also known as Miramax Films, is an American film and television production and distribution company founded on December 19, 1979, by brothers Harvey and Bob Weinstein, and based in Los Angeles, California. It was initially a lea ...
and Touchstone Pictures banners. Disney and Ghibli have also selectively chosen not to promote and record an English-dubbed version for films and works deemed less internationally marketable, including some of Takahata's more developmental and obscure pieces. Although the Studio has a "No cuts" policy in terms of international versions and dubs, this does not apply to promotional posters, etc., for which the film makers collaborate with Disney to produce cultural appropriate international versions. The Studio has not shied away from slight rebranding on the international stage in order to convey slightly tweaked promotional imagery for different cultural norms. One example of these slight tweaks to international promotional materials can be seen between the Japanese and English versions of the movie poster for ''Spirited Away'' (2001). For American and other English-speaking audiences, the name of the film was changed from the Japanese version, which directly translates roughly to, "The Disappearance of Chihiro and Sen", to ''Spirited Away'' to suggest more mystical, otherworldly themes, since the direct Japanese translation could be taken to mean that Chihiro/Sen disappeared due to some more dangerous reason. On the American movie poster, more pictures of spirits from the film were added to the background to further pique the viewer's interest with more supernatural themes, creating an association between the pictures spirits and what most American people would think of as "ghosts". For the Japanese poster, there are fewer spirits as the Japanese Shinto religion normalizes the existence of spirits, so less emphasis is needed to convey the importance of non-human spirits. Also, Disney enlarged the "Studio Ghibli" and "Hayao Miyazaki" labels on the poster, helping to bring greater awareness to the studio through the success of ''Spirited Away''. In 2011, GKIDS acquired the North American theatrical distribution rights of the aforementioned Ghibli films, with Walt Disney Studios Home Entertainment retaining the home video rights. Afterwards, in 2013, GKIDS acquired the US and Canadian distribution rights to '' From Up on Poppy Hill''. The film, which Disney passed on to GKIDS due to dealing with potential incest, marked the first time since 1996 that Disney handed a Studio Ghibli film off to another distributor. Afterwards, GKIDS would go on to distribute the films Disney found to be too mature or unmarketable for American audiences: '' Only Yesterday'', '' Ocean Waves'', '' The Tale of the Princess Kaguya'' and '' When Marnie Was There''. Finally, in July 2017, Disney relinquished its home video rights (with the exception of ''
The Wind Rises is a 2013 Japanese animated historical drama film written and directed by Hayao Miyazaki, animated by Studio Ghibli for the Nippon Television Network, Dentsu, Hakuhodo DY Media Partners, Walt Disney Japan, Mitsubishi, Toho and KDDI. It was rel ...
'', which remained with Disney until 2020 due to a distribution clause) to GKIDS, which handles all theatrical and home media distribution of Ghibli films in North America along with ''
Mary and the Witch's Flower is a 2017 Japanese animated fantasy film co-written and directed by Hiromasa Yonebayashi, produced by Studio Ponoc founder Yoshiaki Nishimura, animated by Studio Ponoc, and distributed by Toho in Japan. Based on the 1971 book ''The Little Broom ...
''. Nevertheless, Disney still continues to handle select distribution in Japan (home media), Taiwan and China. GKIDS' home media releases have been handled by multiple distributors. Cinedigm distributed the home media release of ''Poppy Hill'',
Universal Pictures Home Entertainment Universal Pictures Home Entertainment (formerly Universal Studios Home Entertainment, Universal Studios Home Video, MCA/Universal Home Video, MCA Home Video, MCA Videodisc and MCA Videocassette, Inc.) is the home video distribution division of Am ...
distributed the home media releases of ''Kaguya'', ''Marnie'', ''Mary'', ''Yesterday'' and ''Waves'', and Shout! Factory all subsequent releases thus far. The Ghibli films owned by GKIDS were made available for digital purchases on most major services in the United States and Canada on December 17, 2019, through Shout! Factory.


International

Outside Asia (including Japan) and North America since 2003, Wild Bunch has held international sales rights to Ghibli's film library and serves as a distributor itself in France and Belgium along with home media rights released under the Wild Side Vidéo label (distributed by
Warner Bros. Home Entertainment Warner Bros. Home Entertainment Inc. (formerly known as Warner Home Video and WCI Home Video and sometimes credited as Warner Home Entertainment) is the home video distribution division of Warner Bros. It was founded in 1978 as WCI Home Video ...
France). The company also sells distribution rights to separate distributors across the world, including StudioCanal UK/Elysian Film Group (United Kingdom and Ireland), Leonine (Germany),
Lucky Red Lucky may refer to: *An adjective of luck Lucky may also refer to: Film and television * '' Lucky: No Time for Love'', a 2005 Hindi-language romance starring Salman Khan, Sneha Ullal, and Mithun Chakraborty * ''Lucky'', a 2005 short film by A ...
(Italy), Vértigo Films (Spain) and Madman Entertainment (Australia and New Zealand). Notably, '' The Secret World of Arrietty'' received a second dub exclusive to the United Kingdom, produced by StudioCanal, likely due to the film's origins being from Mary Norton's British novel '' The Borrowers''. Disney formerly held the international sales rights as well until Wild Bunch's purchase in 2003. Disney kept the French distribution rights to Ghibli's library until September 2020, when it had expired and transitioned off to Wild Bunch. Since 2021,
Warner Bros. Home Entertainment Warner Bros. Home Entertainment Inc. (formerly known as Warner Home Video and WCI Home Video and sometimes credited as Warner Home Entertainment) is the home video distribution division of Warner Bros. It was founded in 1978 as WCI Home Video ...
serves as the home media distributor of Studio Ghibli's catalog via its distribution deal with Wild Bunch through the Wild Side Vidéo label.


Streaming rights

Prior to 2019, Studio Ghibli opted not to make its films available digitally, feeling that physical media and theatrical events like GKIDS' Studio Ghibli Fest would work more towards their goal of mindful care and curation for their films. Disney had previously lobbied for a streaming deal with Ghibli during their distribution tenure, but such attempts were never materialized. The studio heads changed their minds after hearing a quote from American actor and director
Woody Allen Heywood "Woody" Allen (born Allan Stewart Konigsberg; November 30, 1935) is an American film director, writer, actor, and comedian whose career spans more than six decades and multiple Academy Award-winning films. He began his career writing ...
about how there should be multiple outlets for feature films. On October 17, 2019,
WarnerMedia Warner Media, LLC ( traded as WarnerMedia) was an American multinational mass media and entertainment conglomerate. It was headquartered at the 30 Hudson Yards complex in New York City, United States. It was originally established in 1972 by ...
's
HBO Max HBO Max is an American subscription video on-demand over-the-top streaming service owned by Warner Bros. Discovery. Launched in the United States on May 27, 2020, the service is built around the libraries of HBO, Warner Bros., Cartoon Ne ...
announced it had acquired exclusive streaming rights to Studio Ghibli's catalogue in the United States as part of a deal with GKIDS; these films were available when the service launched in May 2020. On January 20, 2020, it was announced that
Netflix Netflix, Inc. is an American subscription video on-demand over-the-top streaming service and production company based in Los Gatos, California. Founded in 1997 by Reed Hastings and Marc Randolph in Scotts Valley, California, it offers a ...
acquired the exclusive streaming rights to this catalogue in all regions where it operates except for the United States (in which Netflix does have streaming rights to '' The Castle of Cagliostro'' and ''
Mary and the Witch's Flower is a 2017 Japanese animated fantasy film co-written and directed by Hiromasa Yonebayashi, produced by Studio Ponoc founder Yoshiaki Nishimura, animated by Studio Ponoc, and distributed by Toho in Japan. Based on the 1971 book ''The Little Broom ...
''), as part of a deal with Ghibli's international sales rights partner Wild Bunch. Seven of twenty-one films in the studio's catalogue were released on February 1, 2020, with the others following on March 1 and April 1. Netflix then struck a separate deal with GKIDS for streaming rights in Canada which was announced on June 22, and came into effect on June 25 for most films. Currently, no streaming rights deals have been announced for Studio Ghibli's home country of Japan, nor for markets such as China where neither Netflix nor HBO Max is available.


''Grave of the Fireflies''

Most of the above deals exclude '' Grave of the Fireflies''; unlike most of the other films, which were published by
Tokuma Shoten is a publisher in Japan, headquartered in Shinagawa, Tokyo. The company was established in 1954 by Yasuyoshi Tokuma in Minato, Tokyo. The company’s product portfolio includes music publishing, video game publishing, movies, anime, magazines, ...
, ''Grave of the Fireflies'' was produced and is owned by Shinchosha, which also had published the short story it was based on, and as such, fell into different rights holdings. ''Grave of the Fireflies'' was released in Japan on VHS by Buena Vista Home Entertainment under the ''Ghibli ga Ippai'' Collection on August 7, 1998. On July 29, 2005, a DVD release was distributed through
Warner Home Video Warner Bros. Home Entertainment Inc. (formerly known as Warner Home Video and WCI Home Video and sometimes credited as Warner Home Entertainment) is the home video distribution division of Warner Bros. It was founded in 1978 as WCI Home Vide ...
. Walt Disney Studios Japan released the complete collector's edition DVD on August 6, 2008. WDSJ released the film on
Blu-ray The Blu-ray Disc (BD), often known simply as Blu-ray, is a digital optical disc data storage format. It was invented and developed in 2005 and released on June 20, 2006 worldwide. It is designed to supersede the DVD format, and capable of st ...
twice on July 18, 2012: one as a single release, and one in a two-film set with '' My Neighbor Totoro''. It was released on VHS in North America by
Central Park Media Central Park Media, often abbreviated as CPM, was an American multimedia entertainment company based in New York City, New York and was headquartered in the 250 West 57th Street building in Midtown Manhattan (on the corner of Central Park, henc ...
in a subtitled form on June 2, 1993. They later released the film with an English dub on VHS on September 1, 1998 (the same day Disney released '' Kiki's Delivery Service'' in North America) and an all-Regions DVD (which also included the original Japanese with English subtitles) on October 7 the same year. It was later released on a two-disc DVD set (which once again included both the English dub and the original Japanese with English subtitles as well as the film's storyboards with the second disc containing more extensive Bonus Features) on October 8, 2002. It was released by Central Park Media one last time on December 7, 2004. Following the May 2009 bankruptcy and liquidation of Central Park Media,
ADV Films A.D. Vision Holdings, Inc. (known simply as ADV and also referred to as ADV Films) was an American multimedia entertainment distributor headquartered in Houston, Texas, and founded in 1992 by video game fan John Ledford and anime fans Matt G ...
acquired the rights and re-released it on DVD on July 7, 2009. Following the September 1, 2009 shutdown and re-branding of ADV, their successor, Sentai Filmworks, rescued the film and released a remastered DVD on March 6, 2012. A
Blu-ray The Blu-ray Disc (BD), often known simply as Blu-ray, is a digital optical disc data storage format. It was invented and developed in 2005 and released on June 20, 2006 worldwide. It is designed to supersede the DVD format, and capable of st ...
edition was released on November 20, 2012, featuring an all-new English dub produced by Seraphim Digital, along with a digital release that same year. StudioCanal released a Blu-ray in the United Kingdom on July 1, 2013. Madman Entertainment released the film in Australia and New Zealand.


Works

While not technically Studio Ghibli films, ''
The Great Adventure of Horus, Prince of the Sun is an anime film released in July 1968. It is the directorial feature film debut of Isao Takahata and was also worked on by Hayao Miyazaki. ''Horus'' marked the beginning of their partnership that would last for the next 50 years across numerou ...
'' (1968), '' Panda! Go Panda!'' (1972), '' The Castle of Cagliostro'' (1979), ''
Jarinko Chie is a Japanese manga series written and illustrated by Etsumi Haruki. It was serialized by Futabasha in '' Manga Action'' between 1978 and 1997 and collected in 67 bound volumes, making it the 45th longest manga released. ''Jarinko Chie' ...
'' (1981), '' Gauche the Cellist'' (1982), '' Nausicaä of the Valley of the Wind'' (1984), '' The Red Turtle'' (2016), ''
Mary and the Witch's Flower is a 2017 Japanese animated fantasy film co-written and directed by Hiromasa Yonebayashi, produced by Studio Ponoc founder Yoshiaki Nishimura, animated by Studio Ponoc, and distributed by Toho in Japan. Based on the 1971 book ''The Little Broom ...
'' (2017) and '' Modest Heroes'' (2018) are sometimes grouped together with the Studio Ghibli library (particularly with the ''Ghibli ga Ippai'' home video collection released by Walt Disney Studios Japan) due to their ties to the studio. ''Horus'' and ''Cagliostro'' were the feature-length directorial debuts of Isao Takahata and Hayao Miyazaki respectively, and were produced by
Toei Animation () is a Japanese animation studio primarily controlled by its namesake Toei Company. It has produced numerous series, including ''Sally the Witch,'' '' GeGeGe no Kitarō,'' '' Mazinger Z'', '' Galaxy Express 999'', '' Cutie Honey'', '' Dr. Slu ...
and
TMS Entertainment , formerly known as the , also known as or , is a Japanese animation studio established on October 22, 1946. TMS is one of the oldest and most famous anime studios in Japan, best known for numerous anime franchises such as '' Lupin the Third' ...
years before the founding of Studio Ghibli. ''Nausicaä'' was directed by Miyazaki at
Topcraft Topcraft (トップクラフト ''Toppukurafuto'', also written as "Top Craft") was an animation studio established on February 1, 1972 by former Toei Animation producer Toru Hara, and located in Tokyo, Japan. It was famous for the production of ...
, a studio which Miyazaki, Takahata and Toshio Suzuki later purchased and renamed Studio Ghibli. As a result, the film has often been rereleased and marketed as a Studio Ghibli movie. ''The Red Turtle'' was a collaborative effort by Studio Ghibli with Dutch animator Michaël Dudok de Wit and was branded as a Studio Ghibli release internationally. It was distributed by Sony Pictures Classics in North and Latin America. For the purposes of the list below, films that appear in Studio Ghibli's official filmography are listed. Other Studio Ghibli productions are listed
here Here is an adverb that means "in, on, or at this place". It may also refer to: Software * Here Technologies, a mapping company * Here WeGo (formerly Here Maps), a mobile app and map website by Here Television * Here TV (formerly "here!"), a ...
.


Feature films


Television


Style and themes

Whether the stories have been adapted from manga comics or written from scratch, they all have the tendency to connect with the audience on a human level. Studio Ghibli films are mostly hand-drawn using rich water and acrylic colors and the films have less that ten percent use of modern technology such as CAD. Even today, with the technological advancement in the field of filmmaking, the studio still believes in using the old and traditional method of making animated films. All the Studio Ghibli films are rich in color, and they tend to use intricate watercolor and acrylic 2D animation with vivid colors (particularly greens), and have a "whimsical and joyful aesthetic". The main focus of the films is emotions and character strengths and flaws. The stories of Studio Ghibli films usually focus on the lives of youth, especially school children. The characters are young and restless, eager to prove themselves to the world. The signature style and recurrent themes of the studio reflect those of Miyazaki and the other directors and creatives. Common themes include the risks posed by progress to tradition, environmentalism and the natural world, independent female protagonists, the cost of war, and youth.


Notable animators and character designers

* Masashi Ando ('' Paranoia Agent'' and '' Paprika'') *
Makiko Futaki Makiko Futaki (二木真希子 ''Futaki Makiko''; June 19, 1958 – May 13, 2016) was a Japanese animator best known for her contributions to Studio Ghibli on films such as ''My Neighbor Totoro'' (1988), ''Princess Mononoke'' (1997), and ''Spiri ...
('' Akira'', ''
Angel's Egg is a Japanese art film original video animation (OVA) written and directed by Mamoru Oshii. Released by Tokuma Shoten on 15 December 1985, the film was a collaboration between artist Yoshitaka Amano and Oshii. It features very little spoken di ...
'') * Katsuya Kondō ('' Kiki's Delivery Service'', ''
Howl's Moving Castle ''Howl's Moving Castle'' is a fantasy novel by British author Diana Wynne Jones, first published in 1986 by Greenwillow Books of New York. It was a runner-up for the annual Boston Globe–Horn Book Award, and won the Phoenix Award twenty years ...
'') * Kitarō Kōsaka (''
Monster A monster is a type of fictional creature found in horror, fantasy, science fiction, folklore, mythology and religion. Monsters are very often depicted as dangerous and aggressive with a strange, grotesque appearance that causes terror and fe ...
'', '' Master Keaton'', and '' Nasu'') *
Kazuo Oga is an art director and background artist for many Madhouse Studio and Studio Ghibli anime films. Oga has worked with major directors Hayao Miyazaki, Isao Takahata, Yoshiaki Kawajiri, Osamu Dezaki. He also published two artbooks and directed a sh ...
('' The Night of Taneyamagahara'', '' My Neighbor Totoro'') * Kenichi Yoshida ('' Overman King Gainer'' and '' Eureka Seven'') * Akihiko Yamashita (''
Tide-Line Blue is a Japanese anime series created by Satoru Ozawa and Umanosuke Iida. The series was produced by Bandai Visual and animated by Telecom Animation Film. Background ''Tide-Line Blue'' is set after an environmental disaster later called the "Hamm ...
'', '' Princess Nine'', ''
Strange Dawn is a 13-episode anime television series created by Hal Film Maker for Pioneer LDC (now Geneon) in 2000. The series follows the adventures of Eri and Yuko after they are transported to a strange world where all the people are very short. The ...
'', and ''Relic Armor Legacium'') *
Hideaki Anno is a Japanese animator, filmmaker and actor. He is best known for creating the anime series ''Neon Genesis Evangelion'' (1995)''.'' His style is defined by his postmodernist approach and the extensive portrayal of characters' thoughts and emotio ...
('' Nausicaä of the Valley of the Wind'', ''
Neon Genesis Evangelion , also known simply as ''Evangelion'' or ''Eva'', is a Japanese mecha anime television series produced by Gainax and animated by Tatsunoko, directed by Hideaki Anno and broadcast on TV Tokyo from October 1995 to March 1996. ''Evangelion ...
'') * Takashi Nakamura ('' Nausicaä of the Valley of the Wind'', '' Akira'', '' Robot Carnival'' and '' Catnapped!'') * Atsushi Takahashi ('' Spirited Away'') * Takashi Watanabe ('' Nausicaä of the Valley of the Wind'', '' Slayers'', '' Boogiepop Phantom'' and '' Shakugan no Shana'')


See also

*
Ghibli Museum The is a museum showcasing the work of the Japanese animation studio Studio Ghibli. It is located in Inokashira Park in Mitaka, a western city of Tokyo, Japan. The museum combines features of a children's museum, technology museum, and a fine ...
in Mitaka, Tokyo *
Studio Kajino is a subsidiary of Japanese animation company Studio Ghibli. It was created prior to 2000 by Ghibli animator Yoshiyuki Momose to handle live action films for the studio. Kajino is run by former Ghibli's president Toshio Suzuki, and its first re ...
, a subsidiary of Studio Ghibli * Yasuo Ōtsuka * Studio Ponoc, founded by former members of Studio Ghibli * List of Japanese animation studios


Notes


References


Further reading

* Alpert, Steve. ''Sharing a House with the Never-Ending Man: 15 Years at Studio Ghibli''. Berkeley: Stone Bridge Press, 2020. . * Cavallaro, Dani. ''The Animé Art of Hayao Miyazaki''. Jefferson, NC: McFarland & Company, 2006. . . * McCarthy, Helen. ''Hayao Miyazaki: Master of Japanese Animation: Films, Themes, Artistry''. Berkeley, Calif.: Stone Bridge Press, 1999. . . 2001 reprint of the 1999 text, with revisions: . * Miyazaki, Hayao. ''Starting Point: 1979–1996''. Beth Cary and Frederik L. Schodt, trans. San Francisco: VIZ Media, 2009. . . ** Miyazaki, Hayao. . Tokyo: Studio Ghibli/Hatsubai Tokuma Shoten, 1996. . . Original Japanese edition. * Miyazaki, Hayao. ''Turning Point: 1997–2008''. Beth Cary and Frederik L. Schodt, trans. San Francisco: VIZ Media, 2014. . . ** Miyazaki, Hayao. . Tokyo: Iwanami Shoten, 2008. . . Original Japanese edition. * Napier, Susan. ''Miyazakiworld: A Life in Art''. New Haven, CT: Yalue University Press, 2019. . * Odell, Colin, and Michelle Le Blanc. ''Studio Ghibli: The Films of Hayao Miyazaki and Isao Takahata''. Harpenden, Hertfordshire, England: Kamera, 2009. . . * Suzuki, Toshio. ''Mixing Work with Pleasure: My Life at Studio Ghibli''. Tokyo: Japan Publishing Industry Foundation for Culture, 2018. . Documentaries * '. 1998 documentary,
Nippon TV JOAX-DTV (channel 4), branded as , is the flagship station of the Nippon News Network and the Nippon Television Network System, owned-and-operated by the which is a subsidiary of the certified broadcasting holding company , itself a listed ...
, 28 min. * '. 2013 documentary by Mami Sunada, 118 min. * '. 2016 documentary by Kaku Arakawa, 70 min.


External links

* * * {{Authority control Japanese companies established in 1985 Animation studios in Tokyo Film production companies of Japan Japanese animation studios Koganei, Tokyo Mass media companies established in 1985 Topcraft Western Tokyo