I grew up watching animation likes DreamWorks and Pixar’s. However, as I grew older and discover Miyazaki’s film, I was hooked. Hayao Miyazaki is a famous Japanese animator and director. He was the man behind the most critically and financially successful films in japan such as Spirited Away, My Neighbor Totoro, Howl’s Moving Castle and many more.
When it comes to animation, Miyazaki has different approach unlike what we have seen in the mainstream. World building the process to construct an immersive world in which the story takes places. Some story required more detail than the others but in the end, the point is the same. What made studio Ghibli films differ from most of the animation today, is that it can give the viewers the experience of the story like the viewers were also part of it. Studio Ghibli animation doesn’t depend on highly develop technology, it was drawn manually and despite of that, the effects are still as good as 3D animation. The wind blow, the water’s wave, the resistance of the objects on gravity and the environment itself can be felt.
The storytelling used by Studio Ghibli are complex. Though most of the lead characters in the films were kids, it shows the adulthood and growth in the characters throughout the story. It not like what we always seen in a typical tale where there’s a princess being captured in the castle saved by the prince from the evil villains and live happily ever after. The characters and the event in Miyazaki’s film depicts the real world.
Now is the time I get to present some of my beloved Studio Ghibli Films. First is, Howl’s Moving Castle. The story is about the teenager girl named Sophie living an ordinary life. However, her life had changed when she encountered the wizard Howl. Upon returning home from her sister’s wedding she then encountered the witch of waste that later cast a curse on her and turned him into an old woman. She leaves her home to find the answer on how she be able to return her normal self and then her magical adventures begin.
Second is, Spirited Away. It’s a fantasy story about a young girl named Chihiro who discovers the secret world of supernatural. When her parents transformed into giant pigs, she took on the courage to save her parents and return to the outside world.
Third is, Grave of the Fireflies. This story revolves around the siblings, Seita and Setsuko who had lost their parents during World War II. The two rely on each other and struggle against all odds to stay alive. Although it has a very devastating ending, it’s still one of my favorite. P.S. I cried for hours after watching this movie.
“Anime may depict fictional worlds, but nonetheless believe that at its core it must have a certain realism. Even if the world depicted is a lie, the trick is to make it seem as real as possible. Stated another way, the animator must fabricate a lie that seems so real, viewers will think the world depicted might possibly exist.” – Hayao Miyazaki
In my opinion, Miyazaki’s films show more of realism rather than idealism. His works are magic. Each of the films proves that there’s more into life that people must realize and appreciate about. Studio Ghibli let us have a glimpse of someone’s imagination and how that imagination could go beyond anyone’s expectation while still considering the reality.
Author: Myrtle Eirene Decena
Two B Shared Journal 