Studio Ghibli: An Industrial History

Description

Studio Ghibli: An Industrial History takes us deep into the production world of the animation studio co-founded by Oscar-winning director Hayao Miyazaki. It investigates the production culture at Studio Ghibli and considers how the studio has become one of the world’s most famous animation houses. The book breaks with the usual methods for studying Miyazaki and Ghibli’s films, going beyond textual analysis to unpack the myths that have grown up around the studio during its long history. It looks back at over 35 years of filmmaking by Miyazaki and other Ghibli directors, reconsidering the studio’s reputation for egalitarianism and feminism, re-examining its relationship to the art of cel and CG animation, investigating Studio Ghibli’s work outside of feature filmmaking from advertising to videogames and tackling the studio’s difficulties in finding new generations of directors to follow in the footsteps of Miyazaki and Isao Takahata. By reconstructing the history of Studio Ghibli through its own records, promotional documents and staff interviews, Studio Ghibli: An Industrial History offers a new perspective not just on Ghibli, but on the industrial history of Japanese animation. Acknowledgements Contents List of Images Chapter 1: Introduction: The Industrial World of Studio Ghibli The Anime Studio System Staging an Industrial History of Studio Ghibli References Chapter 2: The Myth of Ghibli: The Foundation and Early Industrial History of Studio Ghibli An Unimportant Studio?: Studio Ghibli’s (Lack of) Presence in the Promotion of Castle in the Sky Bad Business?: The Founding of Studio Ghibli and Tokuma Publishing Tōru Hara, the Closure of Topcraft Studios and the Formation of Ghibli Takahata, Nibariki, Studio Ghibli and Yanagawa horiwari monogatari (The Story of Yanagawa’s Canals, 1987) Conclusion References Chapter 3: Studio Ghibli from the Ground Up: Early Working Culture and Practices Studio Ghibli and Anime from the Ground Up Ghibli’s Studio System: War Stories and Animation Against the Odds at Studio Ghibli “I Was Down for a While, but Now I’m Feeling Good”: The Challenges of Working at Studio Ghibli Exhaustion, Exploitation and Animation at Studio Ghibli Conclusion References Chapter 4: Ghibli’s Worlds of Women: From Women’s Films to the Women Who Shaped the Permanent Studio Ghibli Women’s Work in Animation Women Making Ghibli’s Worlds: Similarities and Differences to Women’s Work in Animation A Women’s Trilogy: From Kiki’s Delivery Service to Porco Rosso Miyazaki’s ‘Anime Factory’: Women, Porco Rosso and the New Studio Ghibli Conclusion References Chapter 5: Rendered (In)Visible: Studio Ghibli at Anime’s CG Turning Point Crossing the Intervals: Special Effects Animation at Studio Ghibli Studio Ghibli at the Turning Point for Computer-Generated Animation in Japan Expanding Worlds of CG Animation: Princess Mononoke CG Animation from the Margins to the Centre: A New Kind of Animation? Conclusion References Chapter 6: Studio Ghibli at the Art Museum: Exhibiting Animation as Art Studio Ghibli’s Early Artistic Ambitions and Department Store Exhibitions Making Meanings for the Anime Museum: The Mitaka no Mori Ghibli Art Museum Animation as Art in the Ghibli Art Museum: Special Exhibitions and the Materialization and Display of Animation Art Beyond the Ghibli Art Museum: Repackaging, Reimagining and Redeploying Studio Ghibli Films in the World’s Museums Conclusion References Chapter 7: A Hidden History of Studio Ghibli: Short Films, Advertising and the Industrial Reality of Japanese Animation Studio Ghibli’s Short Films, Branding and Authorial Centralization Studio Ghibli’s Bespoke Advertising and Short Films: From Music Videos to Anniversary Celebrations Conclusions References Chapter 8: The Long Shadow of Hayao Miyazaki: Studio Ghibli, Home Video and New Directors Full of Ghibli: Studio Ghibli and Home Video Studio Ghibli, Toshio Suzuki and the Production Committee’s Impact on Ghibli’s Home Videos Gorō Miyazaki as Director: Manufacturing a Fantasy of Failure A “New” Ghibli?: Hiromasa Yonebayashi as Ghibli’s Unlikely Star Conclusion References Chapter 9: A Disappearing Kingdom: Studio Ghibli’s Legacy in the Ni no Kuni Franchise Studio Ghibli, Franchising and Media Mix Another World: Studio Ghibli, Level-5 and the Association Behind Ni No Kuni Franchising Ni No Kuni: Level-5’s Media Mix Strategies and Studio Ghibli’s Exploration of “Other” Worlds of Animation Building Other Worlds: The Ni No Kuni Sequels and Studio Ghibli as Legacy Brand Collaboration and the Retention of Ghibli’s Legacy in Ni No Kuni Conclusions References Index