Hello, my name is Isaiah and I have the honor of taking over the blog for animation!! For my first post, I wanted to share a studio that you may have watched a movie from and did not know: Studio Ghibli. They have produced a myriad of amazing films such as: Spirited Away, Howl’s Moving Castle, Grave of the Fireflies, My Neighbor Totoro, Princess Mononoke, The Secret World of Arrietty, and many others.
Founded in 1985 by Hayao Miyazaki and Isao Takahata, the first film to release under their new studio was Castle In The Sky in 1986. As of 2025, Ghibli has released nearly 25 films with many more to come in the future. Their latest release was The Boy and The Heron in 2023.
Animation Style
Ghibli’s animation style is one that is well known due to the fact that their movies are almost entirely hand drawn with elements of CGI here and there. With detailed, rich backgrounds, Ghibli excels in bringing their worlds to life and immersing the viewer into the world itself. Each frame is an amazing artwork that can be appreciated on its own and is only enhanced by the the frames the come before and after.
The Ghibli Story
In Ghibli films, you will find deep stories that draw you to the edge of your seat, not being able to pull your eyes or attention away from the story being told. Most of the films feature a strong female lead that grows throughout the story who has a rich, developed character. The characters usually follow some purpose throughout the movie, from working to free themselves and their parents from the world of spirits like Chihiro in Spirited Away, to forming a friendship to those around them like Arrietty in The Secret World of Arrietty.
Each Ghibli movie features a character and story different from the others, meaning that out of the nearly 25 films produced so far, there is at least one for everyone.
Have you watched any Ghibli movies or do you plan to look into any after seeing just a brief glimpse here of what the world of Studio Ghibli has to offer? I still have a few more Ghibli movies on my list before I can say I’ve watched all of them, but I promise that each one is its own art. My favorite is The Secret World of Arrietty, so if you don’t know where to start, I recommend there!
Thanks for reading and make sure to watch out for my next post!
Image of Totoro: https://www.chestnuthilllocal.com/stories/my-neighbor-totoro-an-anime-ode-to-spirits-and-nature,31748
Background from Arrietty:https://medium.com/@tsamarahnabilaa28/why-are-the-visuals-in-studio-ghibli-was-so-beautiful-and-pleasing-our-eyes-3e21aae15916
Image of Arrietty and Sho:https://gkids.com/films/the-secret-world-of-arrietty/