is a 2013 Japanese

documentary film A documentary film or documentary is a non-fictional motion-picture intended to "document reality, primarily for the purposes of instruction, education or maintaining a historical record". Bill Nichols has characterized the documentary in te ...

directed by Mami Sunada. The film follows the routines of those employed at

Studio Ghibli is a Japanese animation 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 h ...

, including filmmakers

Hayao Miyazaki is a Japanese animator, director, producer, screenwriter, author, and manga artist. A co-founder of Studio Ghibli, he has attained international acclaim as a masterful storyteller and creator of Japanese animated feature films, and is widel ...

Isao Takahata was a Japanese director, screenwriter and producer. A co-founder of Studio Ghibli, he earned international critical acclaim for his work as a director of Japanese animated feature films. Born in Ujiyamada, Mie Prefecture, Takahata joined Toe ...

, and Toshio Suzuki as they work to release two films simultaneously, ''

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 rele ...

'' and ''

The Tale of the Princess Kaguya The Tale of the Princess Kaguya may refer to: *'' The Tale of the Bamboo Cutter'', a 9th or 10th century Japanese story * ''The Tale of the Princess Kaguya'' (film), a 2013 film based on the story {{DEFAULTSORT:Tale of the Princess Kaguya, Th ...

''.

Synopsis

The documentary delves into the life of Hayao Miyazaki and the productions of the animated films ''The Wind Rises'' and ''The Tale of the Princess Kaguya'', including various footage of said productions. The footage shown includes the choosing of

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 ...

as the voice actor for the character

Jiro Horikoshi was the chief engineer of many Japanese fighter designs of World War II, including the Mitsubishi A6M Zero fighter. Early life Jiro Horikoshi was born near the city of Fujioka, Gunma Prefecture, Japan, in 1903. Horikoshi graduated from the new ...

in ''The Wind Rises'' as well as the extensive and detailed amount of storyboarding sketched, inked, and painted by Miyazaki. It notes Miyazaki's opinions on subjects such as the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear disaster and Zero planes, and shows his tensions with some of the other staff, including Isao Takahata, and his memories of his father. The film illustrates the importance of Miyazaki, Takahata, and Toshio Suzuki's works altogether to help Studio Ghibli be successful, and concludes with mention of Miyazaki's supposed official retirement.

Release

On 1 November 2014, the documentary was screened at the

Hawaii International Film Festival The Hawai'i International Film Festival (HIFF) is an annual film festival held in the United States state of Hawaii. HIFF has a focus on Asian-Pacific cinema, education, and the work of new and emerging filmmakers. HIFF’s primary festival is ...

. In March 2015, it was added to the

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 fi ...

streaming service. In Japan, Walt Disney Studios Japan released the documentary 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 ...

on 21 May 2014 under the distributor's "Ghibli ga Ippai Collection SPECIAL" label. In the United States, Cinedigm and

GKIDS GKIDS is an American film distributor based in New York with, according to the ''Los Angeles Times'', a focus on "sophisticated, indie" animation. GKIDS releases critically acclaimed, mostly hand-drawn, international films—such as the works o ...

released it on

DVD The DVD (common abbreviation for Digital Video Disc or Digital Versatile Disc) is a digital optical disc data storage format. It was invented and developed in 1995 and first released on November 1, 1996, in Japan. The medium can store any kind ...

on 27 January 2015.

Reception

The film received positive reviews from critics. The film holds a 92% approval rating from 24 reviews on review aggregator

Rotten Tomatoes Rotten Tomatoes is an American review-aggregation website for film and television. The company was launched in August 1998 by three undergraduate students at the University of California, Berkeley: Senh Duong, Patrick Y. Lee, and Stephen Wang ...

, with an average rating of 7.2 out of 10. The website's critics consensus reads: "''The Kingdom of Dreams and Madness'' is a captivating treat for Studio Ghibli fans -- and may prove nearly as entertaining and enlightening for the unconverted." Sam Byford of ''

The Verge ''The Verge'' is an American technology news website operated by Vox Media, publishing news, feature stories, guidebooks, product reviews, consumer electronics news, and podcasts. The website launched on November 1, 2011, and uses Vox Media ...

'' stated that the film "should be considered essential viewing for any Studio Ghibli fan, for whom it will stand alone as a captivating work in its own right". David Ehrlich of ''

The A.V. Club ''The A.V. Club'' is an American online newspaper and entertainment website featuring reviews, interviews, and other articles that examine films, music, television, books, games, and other elements of pop-culture media. ''The A.V. Club'' was cre ...

'' expressed that it held an "emotional wallop that’s almost on par with anything found in one of Miyazaki’s or Takahata’s films", calling it "a delicate depiction of the artistic spirit". Brian Tallerico of RogerEbert.com gave the documentary three out of four possible stars, saying that director Sunada "captures something poetic about art and creativity that could speak to anyone, animation fan or otherwise". Peter Debruge of the website ''

Variety Variety may refer to: Arts and entertainment Entertainment formats * Variety (radio) * Variety show, in theater and television Films * ''Variety'' (1925 film), a German silent film directed by Ewald Andre Dupont * ''Variety'' (1935 film), ...

'' said that the "atmosphere inside Studio Ghibli may suggest a zen-like idyll, but animation is a painstaking — and sometimes painful — process", and that Sunada "makes us appreciate the magic all the more".

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Kingdom of Dreams and Madness, The 2013 films Documentary films about film directors and producers Documentary films about animation Hayao Miyazaki Japanese documentary films Studio Ghibli Films scored by Masakatsu Takagi