Studio Ghibli

The company's logo features the character Totoro from the film My Neighbor Totoro.

Name

Though the Italian word is pronounced with hard /g/, the Japanese pronunciation of the studio's name is . The theory behind the name was that the studio was blowing a new wind into the Japanese anime industry.^[2]

History

Founded in 1985, the studio is headed by the acclaimed director Hayao Miyazaki along with his colleague and mentor Isao Takahata, as well as the studio's executive managing director and long-time producer Toshio Suzuki. Its origins date back to 1983, with the film Nausicaä of the Valley of Wind, which was popularized as a serialized manga in a publication of Tokuma Shoten's Animage magazine after the original screenplay was rejected. The film was eventually produced by Topcraft and the film's success spurred the formation of Ghibli. Much of Ghibli's works are distributed in Japan by the noted film distributor Toho. Tokuma is the parent company of Studio Ghibli, and it has provided the Walt Disney Company with the video rights to all of Ghibli's output that did not have previous international distribution, including the global, non-Japan distribution rights to Princess Mononoke and Spirited Away. Miyazaki's film, Howl's Moving Castle, was based on a book by British author Diana Wynne Jones, published in several countries including Canada and the United States. Composer Joe Hisaishi has provided the soundtrack for all of Miyazaki's Studio Ghibli films.

The most famous and lauded film from the studio that was not directed by Miyazaki is Grave of the Fireflies, directed by Isao Takahata, a sad film focusing on the lives of two war orphans towards the end of Second World War in Japan.

Over the years, there has been a close relationship between Studio Ghibli and the magazine Animage, which regularly runs exclusive articles about the studio and its members in a section titled "Ghibli Notes." Artwork from Ghibli's films and other works frequently graces the cover of the magazine.

The company is well-known for its strict "no-edits" policy in licensing their films abroad. This has stemmed from the disastrous dubbing of Miyazaki's Nausicaä of the Valley of Wind when the film was released in the United States as Warriors of the Wind. The film was heavily edited and Americanized, with significant portions cut and the plot rewritten. The "no cuts" policy was highlighted when Miramax co-chairman Harvey Weinstein suggested editing Princess Mononoke to make it more marketable. In response, a Studio Ghibli producer sent an authentic katana with a simple message: "No cuts".^[3]

On February 1 2008, Toshi Suzuki stepped down from the position of Studio Ghibli president which he 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. He has revealed that Takahata and Goro Miyazaki (director of Tales from Earthsea and Hayao's son) are developing projects for release after Hayao Miyazaki's Ponyo. Suzuki decided to hand over the presidency to Hoshino because Hoshino has helped Studio Ghibli sell its videos since 1996, as well as helped to release the Princess Mononoke film in the United States.^[4]

Works

Films (Theatrical & TV, excluding Ghibli Museum releases)

Film	Original release date	Director
Laputa: Castle in the Sky	August 2 1986	Hayao Miyazaki
Grave of the Fireflies (shown alongside My Neighbor Totoro)	April 16 1988	Isao Takahata
My Neighbor Totoro (shown alongside Grave of the Fireflies)	April 16 1988	Hayao Miyazaki
Kiki's Delivery Service	July 29 1989	Hayao Miyazaki
Only Yesterday	July 20 1991	Isao Takahata
Porco Rosso	July 18 1992	Hayao Miyazaki
I Can Hear the Sea (also known as Ocean Waves)	May 5 1993	Tomomi Mochizuki
Pom Poko	July 16 1994	Isao Takahata
Whisper of the Heart	July 15 1995	Yoshifumi Kondo
Princess Mononoke	July 12 1997	Hayao Miyazaki
My Neighbors the Yamadas	July 17 1999	Isao Takahata
Ritual (live-action film produced by Studio Ghibli's live-action offshoot, Studio Kajino)	December 7 2000	Hideaki Anno
Spirited Away	July 27 2001	Hayao Miyazaki
Ghiblies Episode 2 (shown alongside The Cat Returns)	July 20 2002	Yoshiyuki Momose
The Cat Returns (shown alongside Ghiblies Episode 2)	July 20 2002	Hiroyuki Morita
Ghost in the Shell 2: Innocence (co-production between Studio Ghibli and Production I.G^[5])	March 6 2004	Mamoru Oshii
Howl's Moving Castle	November 20 2004	Hayao Miyazaki
Tales from Earthsea	July 29 2006	Gor? Miyazaki
Ponyo on the Cliff by the Sea	July 19 2008	Hayao Miyazaki
The Chronicles of Sasoke	November 27 2008	Hiroyuki Morita
Untitled Yoshiyuki Momose Film^[5]	2009 or 2010	Yoshiyuki Momose
Unnamed Isao Takahata Film^[5]	2009 or 2010	Isao Takahata
Unnamed Gor? Miyazaki Film	TBA	Gor? Miyazaki

Short films (TV, Ghibli Museum, and OVA)

Music videos (Theatrical and TV)

Commercials

Video games

Other works

The works listed here consist works that don't fall into the above categories. Many of these films have been released on DVD in Japan.

Related works

These works were not created by Studio Ghibli, but were produced by members of Topcraft that went on to create Studio Ghibli in 1985; produced by Toei Animation, Nippon Animation or other studios and featuring involvement by Hayao Miyazaki, Isao Takahata, or other Ghibli staffers; or created in cooperation with Studio Ghibli.

Pre-Ghibli

Cooperative works

Distributive works

These Western animated films have been distributed by Studio Ghibli, and now through their label, Ghibli Museum Library

In addition, Takahata, working with staff from the studio, contributed a segment to the 2004 experimental animation anthology Winter Days (Fuyu no Hi).