The Art of Kiki's Delivery Service Review

When my boyfriend got me The Art of Kiki's Delivery Service for Christmas, I was ecstatic. Kiki's Delivery Service is my favourite Studio Ghibli/Miyazaki film - though I realize it is not the best one of the bunch. It served as my first exposure to the world of Studio Ghibli, and also served to show me that I wasn't alone in adolescence. So I hold this film very close to my heart for expressing how I felt and giving me something new to love. Now, having read The Art of Kiki's Delivery Service, I feel even more strongly about my love for both Studio Ghibli and the film.

A Plea for The Wind Rises to Win the Oscar

With the Oscars right around the corner, we are all being bogged down with promotional petitions and stunts on who should win Best Picture, Best Actor, Best Director and on and on. Some of these promotional petitions may be re-releases, special Q&A screenings, or even sing-along versions of the films. And while I'm sure most people regard the Oscars as the ultimate authority on what merits recognition in the world of motion pictures, there has been more than one occasion where the Oscar has been awarded to what can only be regarded as the most popular film of the year, rather than the best film in the category. Unfortunately, I fear this may be another such year where the film that merits the award for Best Animated Feature will be cast aside for the more popular film of the nominations.

The Wind Rises Review [NYFF]

I had the immense privilege to attend the New York Film Festival on Saturday 28th of September, and watch a screening of The Wind Rises. Being Hayao Miyazaki's last film (as far as we know), and a Studio Ghibli creation, expectations were high. I, along with a vast audience of maybe 300 people, got to enjoy a wonderful story the way it should be enjoyed: on the big screen, with fellow enthusiasts and loved ones held close.

A Short Note to Hayao Miyazaki Upon his Retirement

Dearest Miyazaki,

I never thought I would have to write these words, as I ignored the fact that the day would come when we would hear that you were stepping out of our worlds, and receding into your own. But the time has finally arrived, and though I recognize your reasons as good, solid reasons, I still feel a bit empty at the news of your retirement. I, like many of your fans, have spent many a night cuddled in blankets holding a cat, a stuffed Totoro, or a loved one watching your wonderful fables imagining a cross between our worlds.

Hayao Miyazaki, Studio Ghibli and War

If you are an avid Studio Ghibli watcher, you know that many of Hayao Miyazaki's films incorporate some of the toughest themes to be covered by animated films. Studio Ghibli doesn't just do coming-of-age stories (Kiki's Delivery Service, My Neighbor Totoro), or romance based stories (Only Yesterday, Whisper of the Heart) they also do fantastical moral stories (Spirited Away, Howl's Moving Castle). But the biggest theme Studio Ghibli covers is the theme of the morality of war and violence (or lack thereof). From Miyazaki's pre-Studio Ghibli days, Nausicaä of the Valley of the Wind, to his most noted, Princess Mononoke, and even his most recent, The Wind Rises, Hayao Miyazaki chooses to highlight humanity in the midst of violent turmoil, and war. But the reasons the studio chooses to do so can be more striking than the films themselves.

My Neighbor Totoro Blu-ray Review

My Neighbor Totoro, while being one of Studio Ghibli's most important films, is also director Hayao Miyazaki's most universally iconic. Riding off the success of Nausicaa of the Valley of the Wind (1984) and Castle in the Sky (1986), Miyazaki decided to take a leap of faith and do something that would hit a little closer to home for him. Studio Ghibli's two previous films had garnered their success by playing to the public desires of animation at the time; magic, fantasy and futuristic plots and themes were extremely popular in Japan, and it was thought that anything else would prove to be a failure. But My Neighbor Totoro proved to be everything but a failure, eventually becoming a globally recognized figure, and being adopted by Studio Ghibli as their logo/mascot.

From Up on Poppy Hill Review: A Grown-Up Twist on a Coming-of-Age Story

*This review is mostly spoiler free, but proceed with caution.*

Studio Ghibli has been known for its amazing imagery and intricate storytelling, incorporating everything from the supernatural (Kiki's Delivery Service), to the futuristically natural (Nausicaa of the Valley of the Wind), to the anachronistically wonderful (Castle in the Sky). However, every once in a while they do something a little different. Similar in tone and approach as Only Yesterday, From Up on Poppy Hill is a rarity in the the world of animated films. It attempts to balance a coming-of-age romance story, with the pivotal self discovery of our two protagonists.