The worlds that are created in Ghibli movies have moved audiences all over the world. The anime movies of Studio Ghibli transport you to a world full of spirituality and nature, and have a decidedly mixed Japanese-European style. Are you planning to come to Tokyo? Then you should make sure to include a visit to the Ghibli Museum on your itinerary!
Ghibli Museum : Leading Animation Studio
Japan’s leading animation producer is without a doubt Studio Ghibli, having produced 6 of the 10 highest-grossing films in Japan. The studio is known for its dreamily beautiful anime movies and has also produced several short films, television commercials, and a television movie. It was founded on June 15, 1985, after the success of Nausicaa of the Valley of the Wind (1984).
The studio is directed by the acclaimed Hayao Miyazaki, an animator, filmmaker, screenwriter, author, and Japanese manga artist. Miyazaki has achieved international recognition as a master storyteller and anime feature film director and is considered one of the best filmmakers in the world of animation worldwide.
The Ghibli studio is equally important in the world of animation as is the Walt Disney studio. In fact, the latter is responsible for the distribution of Ghibli films in America and part of Europe. Due to its enormous fame, the Ghibli Museum was opened in 2001. It is located in the Inokashira Park in Mitaka, a city in western Tokyo, Japan.
The museum combines characteristics of a museum for children, a technology museum, and a museum of fine arts. It is dedicated to art and animation techniques. The Ghibli studio films are suitable for all audiences and always have a profound message about the importance of life and humanity. There are movies to enjoy but also to reflect on.
Common Elements
Common themes and artistic styles are shown throughout the Ghibli universes; environmentalism, flight, childhood, metamorphosis, climate, worlds within worlds, community, and mythologies of Japan and Europe. Although each story takes place in apparently different worlds, these common thematic threads often unite them in something unmistakable.
One key element in the making of spectacular films is the use of color. Matching colors is a very important key to convey a film’s meaning and is used to reinforce time. “It is often said that the use of different colors is something that the Japanese are good at,” explained one of Ghibli’s producers. “We use different colors for the same things: colors for the morning, dusk, and twilight. We create time by changing colors for different hours of the day. It sounds obvious, but it’s almost never been explained with real frames.”
Recommended Ghibli Movies
- The Spirited Away (Dir. Hayao Miyazaki, 2001)
- My Neighbor Totoro (Dir. Hayao Miyazaki, 1988)
- The Wind Rises (Dir. Hayao Miyazaki, 2013)
- The Tomb of the Fireflies (Dir. Isao Takahata, 1988)
- Kiki: Home Delivery (Dir. Hayao Miyazaki, 1989)
- The Castle in the Sky (Dir. Hayao Miyazaki, 1986)
Ghibli Museum Tour
We offer the Ghibli Museum tour : Entry ticket and transfer service from Shinjuku area to Museum with our English speaking assistant by JR line. This tour is available from April 1 ~ .. please check this page >> Ghibli Museum Tour