Summary
One of the most acclaimed animation studios in the world isStudio Ghibli. For decades, the studio has been putting out some of the most critically acclaimed animated stories of all time. The work is so exciting, so beautiful, and the stories so wonderfully told that American actors practically jump at the chance to voice a character in one of the many films, leading to many big-name actors voicing inStudio Ghiblifilms. Some of the major American names to provide voices for the English dubs are Christian Bale, Kirsten Dunst, Chloe Grace Moretz, and so many others.
Most people have seen at least one of their major hits whether they are aware ofStudio Ghiblibeing behind the movie or not.Spirited Away,Howl’s Moving Castle,Princess Mononoke,and evenPonyoare often the most recognized films from the studio, but that doesn’t mean they are the most widely known. In fact, the most critically adored films fromStudio Ghibliare some of the lesser known in their catalog, providing an opportunity for discovery for new fans of the studio.
Isao Takahata, Riko Sakaguchi
Cast
Japanese: Aki Asakura, Kengo Kora, Takeo Chii, Nobuko Miyamoto English: Chloe Grace Moretz, James Caan, Mary Steenburgen, James Marsden
137 minutes
$49.3 million
Box Office
$27 million
2013’sThe Tale Of Princess Kaguyais an animated adaptation of the classic Japanese folklore story,The Tale Of The Bamboo Cutter. While cutting bamboo one day, a man finds a young girl inside one of the shoots, raising her as his own until she can grow into a young princess. Her simple and happy life changes into one much more regal as the man who raised her tries to give her everything he feels a divine princess would deserve. She eventually receives the name Princess Kaguya and men come from all over in order to lay claim to the beauty by bestowing her with incredible gifts.
Despite trying to enjoy the simpler things in life, her divine and royal nature constantly crops back up, saddeningthe regal Princess Kaguya. Even a run-in with a friend from her childhood doesn’t go as planned, further depressing Princess Kaguya. As her male suitors return from their quest for mythical objects Princess Kaguya had asked for, things only get darker for the young girl, leaving her worse off than before. Sadly, one of the men whom Kaguya asked to retrieve seemingly impossible items would end up dying on his quest, horrifying the poor girl.
Eventually, Kaguya reveals that she was a being who lived inthe dark on the Moon, and will soon be returning to it despite enjoying many of the precious aspects of the Earth. This all comes about thanks to the advances of a sleazy emperor. Princess Kaguya goes to her childhood friend Sutemaru for one final blissful experience on Earth, though Sutemaru ends up believing it to only be a dream. As the full moon rises, Princess Kaguya says a final goodbye to her family before returning to the Moon, forgetting about all of her experiences in the process.
Isao Takahata
Japanese: Miki Imai, Toshirō Yanagiba, Yōko Honna English: Daisy Ridley, Dev Patel, Alison Fernandez
118 minutes
Japan: ¥3.18 billion Worldwide: $525,958
The 1991 animated dramaOnly Yesterdayis based on a manga from back in 1982. The movie itself is about a young woman named Taeko Okajima back in the early eighties as she heads out on an adventure to the Japanese countryside after a life spent in the heart of Tokyo. Taeko wants to spend some time away from her job in the city and help out with some extended family farm work with Safflowers. Throughout the film, Taeko thinks back to her childhood in the sixties, remembering times in which her friends would go on trips outside of the city, while she would remain in Tokyo.
When she arrives atthe rural town of Yamagata, a man named Toshio picks her up, and although he is a total stranger to her, that won’t remain the case for long. Over the course of Taeko’s simple adventures in Yamagata, she thinks back to her childhood, in particular wondering whether or not the life she’s leading now is the one that her younger self would have been happy with. For better or worse, Taeko recalls various memories that helped to shape her into the woman that she would become.
Taeko’s past is filled with many of the same memories that the average person will recall with nostalgia and horror. Run-ins with boys she likes, learning about and understandingwhat happens as she moves through puberty, and struggles with classes are all things that Taeko reminisces about during her time in the Yamagata countryside. Throughout all the self-reflection, Taeko is able to come to grips with the woman she is in the modern day and eventually makes the decision to remain in the countryside instead of returning to her life in Tokyo.
89 minutes
Japan: ¥1.7 billion US: $516,962
The 1988 animated movieGrave Of The Firefliesis easily one of the most harrowing and haunting experiences that Studio Ghibli has ever created,helping the studio shape the anime industry as a whole. Telling the story of two war orphans in Japan at the close of the Second World War, this movie is seen as not only one of the greatest animated movies of all time but also one of the greatest war movies of all time. The plight of Seita and Setsuko is one that no one should ever have to experience, leaving the film as a tear-jerker for almost all who watch it.
The spirits of the two orphans board a train as they remember the events of their lives, notably surviving the bombing of Kobe. With their mother dying,Seita is forced to take care of his little sister, thanks to the chaos of war keeping everyone around them preoccupied. Eventually, the two siblings abandon their aunt’s house, no longer feeling welcome, forcing Seita to turn to theft in order to keep them both alive. Sadly, the lack of food leads to Setsuko becoming malnourished and she eventually dies, with Seita unable to help her.
Forced to deal with the revelation that Seita is now truly alone in the world, he struggles to carry on. Eventually, he too suffers from malnutrition and wastes away amongst the other starving members of the Japanese public. Eventually, the souls of Seita and Setsuko are reunited, complete with fireflies among them, and they get one last look at Kobe. It’s these films and more thatprovide hours of entertainment and thought, all thanks to Studio Ghibli.
Studio Ghibli
Studio Ghibli is a critically acclaimed production company from Japan. It was founded in 1985 in Tokyo and they have released massive movies across the globe including the likes of Ponyo, Howl’s Moving Castle, and Kiki’s Delivery Service.
