With all the Disney, Pixar, and Dreamworks animated films that children digest, one animation studio that children should be introduced to early on is Studio Ghibli. This studio has given the world many animated films, some that can feel like forgotten gems, that have left an impression on audiences over the years.
While no two Studio Ghibli films are exactly the same, many trends have been noticed among these films that make them great for children to watch. There are also all the things that Studio Ghibli films have done for anime and the animation industry in general that make them important as a whole.
The Animation Is Beautiful, Especially When it Comes to Food
Studio Ghibli films are known for their breathtaking animation. Characters often find themselves taking to the sky itself. When they come down, they find themselves walking through lush, vibrant backgrounds filled with flowers. Magic of some sort always seems to be in the air, with spirits and witches out and about. The distinct art style used for a majority of Studio Ghibli's characters has also become memorable and influential over the years.
Food is especially prominent and well-animated in Studio Ghibli films. Something as simple as bacon and eggs or a rice ball can look enticing in a Studio Ghibli film. Ponyo on the Cliff by the Sea famously made instant ramen and a ham sandwich look like some of the most well-crafted dishes on the planet. Of course, there are also times when characters enjoy more lavish meals. In Spirited Away, Chihiro's parents are transformed into pigs after indulging in such a delectable spread. However, with the attention to detail making the food look so appetizing, it can almost seem worth the price.
Despite a Few Experiments, its Seen as a Safe Haven for Traditional Animation
In the West, traditional animation is often seen as a dying medium. Big animation studios usually prefer CGI for their theatrically released features. Even Studio Ghibli has experimented with CGI in the past. The Red Turtle, which was an international co-production, made use of TVPaint software and Autodesk 3ds Max. Earwig and the Witch also proved to be a first for Studio Ghibli, being a fully computer-animated television movie.
Despite this, Studio Ghibli is still seen as a remaining bastion for traditional animation. The popularity of Studio Ghibli films, as well as other theatrical anime films, are often used to defend traditional animation as a whole. Introducing children to Studio Ghibli films can help foster an appreciation of traditional animation.
There Are Adventures to All Sorts of Times & Places
Studio Ghibli films have a variety of settings. Naturally, many of the films take place in Japan, although often through different settings. My Neighbor Totoro takes place in the 1950s, while Pom Poko and From Up on Poppy Hill favor a 1960s aesthetic. Princess Mononoke opts for a more historical approach by taking place within the Muromachi period. The Tale of the Princess Kaguya, itself based on a classic Japanese fairy tale, uses a Heian-inspired setting.
Kiki's Delivery Service, however, opts for a more European-style setting in Koriko. While any exact country isn't specified, the filmmakers took a lot of influence from places in Sweden, although influences from other places, from Lisbon to San Francisco, can be seen. Howl's Moving Castle has a steampunk-inspired look set in a European-style setting, taking place around World War I. Mary and the Witch's Flower and Earwig and the Witch both take place in England. Some films give audiences two main settings for the price of one. Arrietty, for example, cuts between modern Tokyo to the hidden world of the Borrowers, effectively one world through two different perspectives.
Many of the Films Have Good, & Thoughtful, Lessons for Children
Children's media that teaches a lesson often gets criticized for doing it in a heavy-handed manner. Usually, when Studio Ghibli films come with a lesson included, this is usually handled in a subtle and nuanced manner.
One of the more famous examples of this is Princess Mononoke. While it does have an environmentalist message, the mining town, a symbol of industrialization that has been clearing the forest and threatening the local spirits, isn't without sympathies. Lady Eboshi, its de-facto ruler, takes in outcasts from society and ultimately wants to help the people under her. The film makes the point that in life, conflicts are often more complicated than heroes fighting villains.
The Films Are Usually Idealistic, Whimsical, & Appropriate for Kids
Studio Ghibli films often don't shy away from dark elements, like war or terminal illness. However, more often than not, the films tend to be idealistic, if not outright whimsical, at their core. Some Studio Ghibli films, like My Neighbor Totoro and Kiki's Delivery Service, don't really include villains in their stories.
Even when characters are at odds with each other, often they push past these differences to resolve a conflict. In Spirited Away, for example, characters who previously antagonized Chihiro help her create a helpful charm. While this has the moral that the world isn't black and white in terms of morality, it also keeps things light enough not to scare off younger viewers. That said, these films can often be enjoyed by kids and adults alike.
Studio Ghibli Is Already an Icon When it Comes to Gateway Anime
Over the years, many anime have been given the title of a "gateway" series in the West. These anime inspired viewers to get into and appreciate the medium as a whole. Children of the late 1960s had Speed Racer. Kids in the 1990s got up early to watch Sailor Moon. Young teenagers of the 2000s stayed up late to watch Inuyasha. Adults who took up playing the Pokémon GO game might have watched the Pokémon anime as kids.
Studio Ghibli films have a similar reputation. For many children, it is their first time seeing anime. Being films, rather than full series, they notably are easier to digest for young children. They're often made readily available with foreign language dubs. It helps that, until the 2000s, Disney has often been involved with releasing Studio Ghibli films into the English-language market.
The Studio Has Given Animation a Lot of Strong, Female Leads
Studio Ghibli has given audiences quite a few strong female leads over the years, and there's been quite a range between them. Sophie of Howl's Moving Castle starts out as the heroine viewers would expect to star in a romantic fairy tale, but thanks to a spell, spends a good chunk of the story as a tough and spirited old lady. However, she is not cheated out of romance. When Marnie Was There reverses this when a story of friendship turns out to be one of a grandmother's love.
Kiki of Kiki's Delivery Service is a young witch who starts the film, leaving home and finding work as a sort of rite-of-passage. Spirited Away's Chihiro finds herself in another world, where she is stripped of her name and put to work in a bathhouse. Ultimately, the story sees her journey of finding the maturity and inner strength to return home.
Studio Ghibli Is a Proven Mainstay in Popular Culture
Studio Ghibli's films have made a lasting impact on pop culture all around the world. In the West, The Simpsons episode "Married to the Blob" featured a dream sequence dedicated to the studio's films, with citizens of Springfield dressed like characters from films like Ponyo and Spirited Away. In Australia, television airings of Studio Ghibli's films have become something of a Christmas tradition. A Tasmanian bakery that inspired the one that appears in Kiki's Delivery Service became a tourist attraction. A species of worm has even been named after Totoro. Some of the films have been adapted into stage shows. There's even a Ghibli Museum in Mitaka, Tokyo.
This all shows that Studio Ghibli's films have enduring and almost universal appeal. These films have been a part of many a person's childhood. At the very least, exposing children to Studio Ghibli's films will help them catch references to them. Otherwise, things like that My Neighbor Totoro-esque dream in Bob's Burgers' Thanksgiving special, "An Indecent Thanksgiving Proposal," would be lost on them.
Studio Ghibli Is Important to Animation History as a Whole
Studio Ghibli has a rich history that arguably predates the studio itself. Studio Ghibli is often seen as a successor to the earlier animation Topcraft company, as it featured a majority of the same crew members, including Topcraft's founder Toru Hara and Hayao Miyazaki. Thanks to Topcraft, audiences were given films like Miyazaki's Nausicaä of the Valley of the Wind and Rankin-Bass films like The Hobbit and The Last Unicorn. Nausicaä's success is often credited for the founding of Studio Ghibli.
Studio Ghibli's film have contributed much to animation history. Some Studio Ghibli productions are some of the longest animated films ever made. The Tale of the Princess Kaguya, for example, clocks in about two hours and 17 minutes. Some of the highest-grossing feature length anime films have come from the studio.
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