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Style and Themes of Studio Ghibli
Studio Ghibli movies are famous for their detailed themes and distinctive animation style. They have a strong presence in the animation industry and has expanded its portfolio to include various media formats, such as short subjects, television commercials, and two television films. Their work has been well-received by audiences and recognized with numerous awards.

Animation Style:
According to the British Film Institute (BFI), Studio Ghibli makes movies with beautiful drawings by hand. This makes their films special because nowadays most movies are made using computers. Studio Ghibli keeps using old-fashioned ways to draw, so their characters look very detailed and can show lots of emotions. That's why people of all ages love watching their movies.

Because Studio Ghibli insists on drawing everything by hand, their characters move smoothly, the colors are bright, and everything looks really detailed. Thomas Lamarre wrote in his book "The Anime Machine" that Studio Ghibli pays a lot of attention to every little thing in their movies, like how the characters look and the backgrounds. This makes their animation seem very real and draws viewers into the worlds they've made.

Themes:
Studio Ghibli movies explore many different ideas, often taking inspiration from Japanese culture, stories, and myths often from the co-founder of the Studio Ghibli Hayao Miyazaki's experiences. These ideas connect with people all over the world and help make Ghibli's films really popular.


 * Good and Evil

In Miyazaki's movies, the characters are usually complex and don't fit into simple categories of good and bad. Even characters who seem scary at first can have good sides, and they're not always shown as the bad guys. For example, in "Princess Mononoke," Lady Eboshi destroys the forest to get materials for industry, but she's also kind to lepers and women who used to work as prostitutes. The movie doesn't end with defeating some big evil; instead, it shows people finding a way to live together peacefully. This isn't what you usually see in animated movies, where good and evil are often really clear-cut.

In Spirited Away, he stated that "the heroine is thrown into a place where the good and bad dwell together. She manages not because she has destroyed the 'evil,' but because she has acquired the ability to survive."

Miyazaki thinks that in the complicated world we live in today, it's not enough to just see things as purely good or bad. He believes that we need to question old ideas because they might not fit anymore. He doesn't like using simple stereotypes, even in movies for kids. Although he sometimes feels negative about things, he prefers to show children a positive way of looking at life.


 * Love

Many of Miyazaki's movies show how powerful love can be. In his films, love has the ability to break curses and overcome challenges. For example, in "Spirited Away," Kamajii tells Haku that Chihiro's love for him broke Zeniba's curse. Similarly, in "Howl's Moving Castle," Sophie defeats the Wicked Witch of the Waste because of her confidence and love for Howl. In "Whisper of the Heart," Shizuku's love for Seiji motivates her to pursue her dream of writing while he's away. In "Ponyo," the world could be saved if Sousuke's love for Ponyo was genuine. Additionally, in "Porco Rosso," Fio's kiss to Porco suggests that he may have transformed back into a human because of her gesture of affection. These examples show how love plays a central role in Miyazaki's storytelling.


 * Nature

In "My Neighbor Totoro," there's a big tree on a hill where magical creatures live, and the family in the story loves this tree. This love for nature is also seen in "Princess Mononoke" with its big forest, trees, flowers, and wolves. In "Spirited Away," Miyazaki's worry about the environment shows in the character of the "stink spirit," a river creature that's dirty and needs cleaning in the bathhouse. Miyazaki said in the DVD commentary that he got the idea for this scene from his own experience of cleaning a dirty river near his home. This idea is also shown in the story of Haku, a river spirit whose river was hurt by a construction project. In Miyazaki's latest film "Ponyo," Ponyo's dad really doesn't like humans and their pollution. This is seen in the dirty bay near where Sosuke lives, where the net catches only garbage, which ends up trapping Ponyo in a glass bottle.


 * Modern Society

In an interview with The New Yorker, Miyazaki claimed that much of modern culture is "thin and shallow and fake", and "not entirely jokingly" looked forward to an apocalyptic age in which "wild green grasses" take over. Growing up in the Shōwa period was an unhappy time for him because "nature the mountains and rivers  was being destroyed in the name of economic progress." Nonetheless, he suggests that adults should not "impose their vision of the world on children."


 * Political

Some of Miyazaki's works, like Porco Rosso, show how he was interested in Marxism when he was young. In Castle in the Sky, the working class is shown in a positive way. The TV series Future Boy Conan is based on a book called The Incredible Tide, which talks about the Cold War. It shows two different views: one from a nice village called High Harbor and another from a mean place called Industria. Industria was once a Communist place, but now it's more like a capitalist one, while High Harbor is more like a capitalist group. When Miyazaki was making Nausicaa of the Valley of Wind, he stopped believing in Marxism. But he still thinks some socialist ideas are good and doesn't like how globalization and capitalism affect society. He believes that companies should belong to the people who work there, which is a socialist idea.


 * Anti-War

Both Nausicaä and Princess Mononoke feature strong anti-war themes. Ending the humans' hateful war with themselves and nature becomes the driving force of Ashitaka in Princess Mononoke. In the manga version of Nausicaä, Miyazaki spends much time depicting the brutality and suffering of war in graphic detail through most of the story. The post-apocalyptic world is filled with remains of the old civilizations that ended with wars and the destruction of the environment. In Laputa: Castle in the Sky, the military is portrayed as mindlessly and needlessly violent, greedy, and heavyhanded. In Howl's Moving Castle, Howl's negative view of the war is clear and he refuses to join the fight in any official capacity. Despite this, he frequently participates on the magical plane of the war as a demon bird battling "hack" wizards, in hopes he might have a positive impact.

Cultural Impact:

The studio’s films often showcase elements of Japanese folklore, mythology, and traditions, providing audiences worldwide with a glimpse into the richness of Japanese heritage. This cultural representation fosters cross-cultural understanding and appreciation, contributing to a global dialogue on preserving and celebrating diverse cultural perspectives.

Studio Ghibli’s enduring legacy in animation is a testament to its unique blend of universal storytelling, hand-drawn artistry, and cultural representation. The studio’s ability to captivate audiences of all ages, backgrounds, and cultures speaks to its work’s timeless and transcendent qualities. As we continue to celebrate the magic of Studio Ghibli, it is evident that its impact on animation worldwide extends far beyond the screen, shaping the essence of what makes animation a powerful and universally cherished art form.

Studio Ghibli's unique animation style and profound themes have established it as one of the most influential animation studios globally. By staying true to traditional animation methods and delving into timeless topics, Ghibli mesmerizes viewers with its captivating narratives and stunning visuals, ensuring its enduring appeal.

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