Studio Ghibli facts for kids

Quick facts for kids
Studio Ghibli, Inc.

The logo for Studio Ghibli
Headquarters in Koganei, Tokyo
Native name	株式会社スタジオジブリ
Romanized name	Kabushiki-gaisha Sutajio Jiburi
Type	Subsidiary (Kabushiki-gaisha)
Industry	Motion pictures Video games TV commercials
Predecessor	Topcraft
Founded	June 15, 1985; 40 years ago (1985-06-15) in Tokyo, Japan
Founders	Hayao Miyazaki Toshio Suzuki Isao Takahata Yasuyoshi Tokuma
Headquarters	Kajino-chō, Koganei, Tokyo , Japan
Area served	Worldwide
Key people	Toshio Suzuki (President) Gorō Miyazaki (Managing Director) Kiyofumi Nakajima (Director) Hayao Miyazaki (Director)
Products	Animated feature films, animated short films, television films, commercials, live-action films
Net income	¥3.43 billion (2023)
Total assets	¥31.179 billion (2023)
Number of employees	190 (2023)
Parent	Tokuma Shoten (1985–2005) Nippon TV (2023–present, 42.3%)
Subsidiaries	Studio Kajino

Studio Ghibli, Inc. (Japanese: 株式会社スタジオジブリ, Hepburn: Kabushiki-gaisha Sutajio Jiburi) is a famous Japanese animation studio. It is located in Koganei, Tokyo, Japan. The studio is known for its amazing animated movies, short films, TV commercials, and even TV movies.

Studio Ghibli's films are loved by many people around the world. They have won many awards. The studio's most famous character is Totoro from the 1988 film My Neighbor Totoro. Totoro is a giant forest spirit inspired by raccoon dogs and cats.

Some of Studio Ghibli's most popular movies include Princess Mononoke (1997), Spirited Away (2001), Howl's Moving Castle (2004), Ponyo (2008), and The Boy and the Heron (2023).

The studio was started on June 15, 1985. It was founded by directors Hayao Miyazaki and Isao Takahata, and producer Toshio Suzuki. They started the studio after buying the company Topcraft. Studio Ghibli has also worked with video game studios to help create visuals for games.

Many of Studio Ghibli's films are among the highest-earning anime movies in Japan. Spirited Away is the second highest-grossing anime film in Japan. It earned over $380 million worldwide. Princess Mononoke is the fourth highest-grossing.

Studio Ghibli films have won many awards. Spirited Away won the top prize at the Berlin Film Festival (Golden Bear) in 2002. It also won an Academy Award for Best Animated Feature in 2003. More recently, The Boy and the Heron won the Golden Globe, BAFTA, and Academy Award for Best Animated Feature in 2024.

What Does "Ghibli" Mean?

The name "Ghibli" was chosen by Hayao Miyazaki. It comes from an Italian word that means a hot desert wind. It was also the nickname for an Italian plane, the Caproni Ca.309.

Miyazaki loved aircraft, so he chose this name. He also wanted the studio to "blow a new wind" through the anime industry. Even though the Italian word sounds like "Giburi," the studio's name is pronounced "Jiburi" in Japanese.

The Story of Studio Ghibli

How Studio Ghibli Began

Hayao Miyazaki

Toshio Suzuki

Isao Takahata

Miyazaki, Suzuki, and Takahata founded Studio Ghibli in 1985, alongside Yasuyoshi Tokuma.

Studio Ghibli was founded on June 15, 1985. The main leaders were directors Hayao Miyazaki and Isao Takahata, and producer Toshio Suzuki. Miyazaki and Takahata were already well-known in Japanese animation. They had worked together on films like The Great Adventure of Horus, Prince of the Sun (1968) and the Panda! Go, Panda! movies (1972 and 1973). Suzuki was an editor for a magazine called Animage.

The studio was created after the success of the 1984 film Nausicaä of the Valley of the Wind. Suzuki helped produce that film. He then started Studio Ghibli with Miyazaki, who invited Takahata to join them.

Most of the studio's films have been directed by Miyazaki. Takahata also directed many important films, like Grave of the Fireflies. Other directors who have worked at Ghibli include Yoshifumi Kondō and Gorō Miyazaki (Hayao's son). The famous composer Joe Hisaishi has created the music for most of Miyazaki's Ghibli films.

In 1996, The Walt Disney Company and Tokuma Shoten (the company that owned Ghibli at the time) made a deal. Disney became the main international distributor for Studio Ghibli films.

In October 2001, the Ghibli Museum opened in Mitaka, Tokyo. It has exhibits based on Studio Ghibli films. It also shows short Ghibli films that you can't see anywhere else.

Studio Ghibli is famous for its "no-edits" rule. This means they do not allow their films to be changed or cut when released in other countries. This rule came about because Nausicaä of the Valley of the Wind was heavily edited when it was first released in the United States.

Ghibli Becomes Independent

From 1999 to 2005, Studio Ghibli was part of Tokuma Shoten. But in April 2005, Studio Ghibli became an independent company. They also moved their main office.

In 2008, Toshio Suzuki stepped down as president. Koji Hoshino, who used to be the president of Walt Disney Japan, took over. Suzuki wanted to focus more on producing films himself.

Hayao Miyazaki announced his retirement from making feature films in 2013. His last film before this was The Wind Rises. However, in 2017, Toshio Suzuki announced that Hayao Miyazaki had decided to come out of retirement to direct a new film.

In 2014, Gorō Miyazaki directed his first TV series, Sanzoku no Musume Rōnya. This show was based on a book by Astrid Lindgren. It was made using computer animation and co-produced by Studio Ghibli.

In 2020, Toshio Suzuki confirmed that Gorō Miyazaki was working on a new film. This film, Earwig and the Witch, was the first full 3D CG animated Ghibli film. It was shown on TV in Japan.

On November 1, 2022, the Ghibli Park opened. It is an amusement park based on Studio Ghibli films.

In October 2023, Nippon TV became the main owner of Studio Ghibli. This decision was made because Miyazaki and Suzuki are getting older. Nippon TV will now help manage the studio, so Studio Ghibli can focus on making amazing movies. In 2024, Studio Ghibli will receive a special honorary Palme d'Or award at the Cannes Film Festival. This is the first time a film company has received this award.

Where to Watch Ghibli Films

In Japan

In Japan, Studio Ghibli films are shown in movie theaters by companies like Toho and Toei Company. For home videos (like DVDs and Blu-rays), most Ghibli films are released by Walt Disney Studios Japan.

Around the World

For many years, Walt Disney Studios had the rights to distribute Studio Ghibli films worldwide. They created English versions of the movies.

However, in 2011, GKIDS started distributing Ghibli films in North American movie theaters. Then, in 2017, GKIDS also took over the home video rights for most Ghibli films in North America.

Today, many Studio Ghibli films are available to stream online. In the United States, you can watch them on Max. In most other parts of the world (except Japan and China), you can watch them on Netflix.

Grave of the Fireflies

One special case is the film Grave of the Fireflies. This movie is owned by a different company, Shinchosha, not Tokuma Shoten (who owned most other Ghibli films). Because of this, its distribution rights are separate from the other Ghibli movies.

Studio Ghibli's Films

Some early films like Horus and Cagliostro were directed by Isao Takahata and Hayao Miyazaki before Studio Ghibli was founded. Nausicaä was also made before Ghibli, but by the studio that Ghibli later bought. Because of this, these films are often seen as part of the Studio Ghibli family.

The Red Turtle was a special movie made with a Dutch animator, Michaël Dudok de Wit. It was also released as a Studio Ghibli film around the world.

Here is a list of the main feature films from Studio Ghibli:

TV Shows and Shorts

Art Style and Themes

Studio Ghibli films are mostly drawn by hand. Artists use beautiful watercolor and acrylic paints. This traditional way of animating means every single picture is drawn and colored by hand. Computers are used only a little bit.

Ghibli films often use bright colors and have a magical, happy look. The art style often feels cozy and European. They pay a lot of attention to backgrounds and nature scenes.

The movies often focus on young people, especially kids in school. Common themes in Ghibli films include:

• The dangers of new technology changing old ways.
• Caring for the environment and nature.
• Strong, independent female characters.
• The terrible costs of war.
• The journey of growing up.

The Music of Ghibli

The music for almost all Studio Ghibli films is created by Joe Hisaishi. He has worked with Hayao Miyazaki for over 30 years. He uses pictures from the storyboards to create music that fits the film's mood.

Hisaishi's music often mixes different styles like Baroque, jazz, and modal music. This creates the special sound that many people recognize as Studio Ghibli's music. In earlier films, the music sometimes had a more electronic sound. Later, it became more focused on melodies and themes.

Hisaishi often uses a technique called leitmotif. This means a short musical idea or theme is linked to a character, place, or idea. This helps tell the story through music.

Talented Artists at Ghibli

Many talented animators, background artists, and character designers have worked at Studio Ghibli. Some notable ones include:

• Masashi Ando (worked on Paranoia Agent)
• Makiko Futaki (worked on Akira)
• Katsuya Kondō (worked on Kiki's Delivery Service)
• Kazuo Oga (famous for his beautiful backgrounds in My Neighbor Totoro)
• Hideaki Anno (worked on Nausicaä of the Valley of the Wind and created Neon Genesis Evangelion)
• Hiromasa Yonebayashi (directed Arrietty and When Marnie Was There)

See also

• Ghibli Museum in Mitaka, Tokyo
• Ghibli Park in Nagakute, Aichi
• Studio Ponoc, founded by former members of Studio Ghibli
• List of Japanese animation studios