STUDIO GHIBLI MARCH 2017 • DANA CHUNG
AMERICAN IMPACT
How Japan's pop culture has affected America's.
INTERSECTIONALITY
Analyzing 1997's Princess Mononoke through an intersectional lens.
COMMON THEMES
Reoccurring themes throughout many of Studio Ghilbli's films.
INTRODU C TION
Studio Ghibli is a Japanese animation film studio founded in the summer of 1985 by Toshio Suzuki and Hayao Miyazaki. After the success of their 1984 movie Nausicaä of the Valley of the Wind with a separate film company, Miyazaki and Suzuki created Studio Ghibli to continue their work. Although based in Koganei, Tokyo, Japan, Studio Ghibli has produced many films that are famous across the world. Some of these features include Spirited Away, Howl’s Moving Castle and My Neighbor Totoro.
AMERI C AN IMPA C T FROM JAPAN TO THE UNITED STATES
"In order to grow your audience, you must betray their expectations." -Hayao Miyazaki
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tudio Ghibli ties with themes of immigration and globalization, as Japanese culture migrated to many countries through the spread of these films. The studio helped popularize Japanese animation styles, ideas, and themes to other parts of the globe. Additionally, Studio Ghibli’s films and film merchandise have been popular products sold to many fans of different backgrounds. In 1996, Miyazaki signed a contract with Disney to distribute Studio Ghibli films internationally. Bound by strict terms, where there could be no alteration to the film, Disney agreed, after earlier disagreement between other American companies such as Fox. Previously, the film Nausicaä of the Valley of the Wind was changed for an American audience, cutting 20 minutes of the film, and changing the dialogue, consequently losing a major theme of the story. After that experience, Miyazaki stuck to his firmer terms. With Disney able to release the films to an American audience, the Japanese themes and animation were exposed to Americans. In 2003, Spirited Away became the first Japanese film to win an Oscar at the 75th Academy Award Show in the “Best Animated Film” category. By doing so, it demonstrated that Japanese films, and thus pop culture, were increasingly making its way into mainstream American culture. In this era of the early 2000s, animation was not as popular as traditional television and film. In fact, only one year before Spirited Away won its Oscar, the category of “Best Animated Film” was introduced to the awards show.
INTER SE C TION ALITY ANALYZING PRINCESS MONONOKE
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any moments of intersectionality of race, class, gender and disability exist within Princess Mononoke. However, in this film, Miyazaki almost defies expected traditional roles for many characters in this film. For instance, the leader of Irontown is female. Especially during this era, the fact that Lady Eboshi is female is an intersection of class or social status and gender. She does not let traditional gender roles affect her status and power. Although most of those who go out and fight are men, while those who stay in town and tend to other chores tend to be women, showing that being one gender heavily affects your job, Lady Eboshi defies this by leading the men on the battlefield. Disability also plays a small role in the film. It is shown that those with leprosy and ex-prostitutes were taken in by Lady Eboshi to work in Irontown, where others have turned them away, demonstrating how being disabled or a social outcast affects class. Before Irontown, they were shunned, leading to limited work. Another interesting observation pertains to race. In this film, race seems to be categorized as the human versus non-human race. One main character, San, is technically human but was raised by wolves, thus explaining her actions to protect the forest and fight against the humans. This shows how in the film being categorized a race is social; being born human does not equate to being human when outside environmental factors play a role.
C OMMON
THEMES
STRONG THEMES THROUGHOUT THE FILMS
"Many of my movies have strong female leadsbrave, self-sufficient girls that don't think twice about fighting for what they believe with all their heart. They'll need a friend, or a supporter, but never a savior. Any woman is just as capable of being a hero as any man." -Hayao Miyazaki
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any Studio Ghilbi movies encompass similar themes, including: Feminism, Environmentalism and Pacifism.
FEMINISM: This theme is apparent in a lot of Miyazaki films, including Princess Mononoke, Nausicaä of the Valley of the Wind, Spirited Away, Ponyo, Howl's Moving Castle, Kiki's Delivery Service, My Neighbor Totoro and Castle in the Sky. All these films, directed by Miyazaki, all have a female protagonist. In addition, none of the films revolve around a romantic relationship between the female character and another character. These ladies have other goals in mind, and Miyazaki shows that they don't need a man to accomplish this. Since 1985, Miyazaki has shown younger females watching his films that they are more than damsels in distress; they can be the hero and can be in charge of their life. ENVIRONMENTALISM: Miyazaki has demonstrated that humans are contributing to the destruction of the environment. Through films such as Pom Poko, Princess Mononoke and Nausicaä of the Valley of the Wind, he brings to light tales of these issues. For example, Pom Poko tells the story of a community of magical raccoons who
take action against the humans in order to save their forest home. In Princess Mononoke, Prince Ashitaka fights to prevent the war between the civilians residing in Irontown and the forest creatures over the fate of the forest land. Irontown's economy depends on the iron found in the soil in the forest, driving leader Lady Eboshi to expand the town, cutting down trees and pushing animals out to do so. These films demonstrate the human impact on the environment and bring awareness through a creative, well thought-out way. PACIFISM: One idea that the studio expresses through its films is criticism of war. One obvious anti-war film is 1988's Grave of the Fireflies, the sad story of two orphaned siblings in Japan during World War II. This heartbreaking movie portrays civilian life during a time of massive destruction, and shows the very real human side of war. Howl's Moving Castle tries to show how wars have unnecessary, sadistic motivations by people in power. It takes until the end of the movie for the perpetrators of the war to realize how pointless violence and destruction is. Criticizing wartime through the films, Miyazaki and the studio oppose the idea of war and the consequences it has on people even outside the battlefield.
FURTHER READING STUDIO GHIBLI: http://www.ghibli.jp/history/ https://www.tofugu.com/japan/studio-ghibli/ AMERICAN IMPACT: http://www.inaglobal.fr/en/cinema/article/studio-ghibli-new-forceanimation http://studioghiblisite.weebly.com/impact-on-america.html INTERSECTIONALITY: http://kotaku.com/hayao-miyazaki-confirms-princess-mononoke-urbanlegend-1755657619 http://www.thedailybeast.com/articles/2017/01/08/the-celestialbeauty-of-princess-mononoke-hayao-miyazaki-s-animated-masterpieceturns-20.html COMMON THEMES: http://screenrobot.com/hayao-miyazaki-great-feminist-filmmaker-time/ https://loyoladigitaladvertising.wordpress.com/2014/07/19/studioghibli-educating-a-populace-through-animation/
"The creation of a single world comes from a huge number of fragments and chaos." -Hayao Miyazaki