If Studio Ghibli Films Were Like Other Anime

Earlier this week, I got an amazing surprise on my Facebook account. A video by College Humor  which takes some pretty hilarious liberties in re-imaging Studio Ghibli films as if they were like most Japanese anime. Take a look for yourself. And you're welcome:

BFI Studio Ghibli Feature Film Retrospective

The British Film Institute Southbank will be hosting a retrospective on Studio Ghibli's work over the last 30 years from April through May this year. Not only will they be showing all of their biggest films, but they will also be screening The Wind Rises before it even hits theatres on 9th May. Although the showing of The Wind Rises is set for 23rd April and is already sold out, there are still many films on the roster that are definitely worth taking a look particularly as these films are meant to be enjoyed on the big screen and not on a television set.

Totoro Limited Edition T-Shirts!

If you love Studio Ghibli as much as I do (and that's quite a lot), then you go out of your way to commemorate your devotion by looking for awesome fan swag all over the internet. While most people find books, toys, even plush "animals", I still think the best way to show your fanaticism is by wearing it on a t-shirt.

I woke up this morning to find that my favourite online shirt company has released, for 24 hours only, TWO limited edition Totoro designs that are just awesome. Check them out:

The way TeeFury works is simple: they release one (sometimes two) limited edition t-shirts for just 24 hours and if you purchase it for only $11 (plus shipping duh), then it's like you become part of this secret society...I may be stretching that a bit. Regardless, the designs are cool and the fact that you own one of only a few hundred prints of each shirt is kind of awesome to think about.

If you love the graphics above, act fast! There are only 13 hours left... and counting.

Studio Ghibli Murals in Japan

In celebration of the opening of The Wind Rises in a couple of weeks, 26 theatres in Japan have unveiled murals all across the country depicting images and characters from all 21 feature length Studio Ghibli films.

Just in case you need help jogging your memory on which film is which, from left to right they are: Ocean Waves, Kiki's Delivery Service, Laputa Castle in the Sky, Tales from Earthsea, From Up On Poppy Hill, Porco Rosso, Grave of the Fireflies, Nausicaa of the Valley of the Wind, Princess Mononoke, The Tale of Princess Kaguya, Spirited Away, Whisper of the Heart, Pom Poko, The Wind Rises, The Cat Returns, Howl's Moving Castle, My Neighbor Totoro, Only Yesterday, Ponyo on the Cliff by the Sea, My Neighbors the Yamadas and The Borrower Arrietty.

Though there are still no release dates for the US or UK, and we only have a small teaser trailer to quench our ever thirsty animation mouths, we can look fondly at the artistry of this mural, and continue wishing we could live in Japan.

Via Twitch

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.

Studio Ghibli Blu-ray Releases on 21st May

Studio Ghibli is planning on helping you kick off your summer with a bang! On May 21st, they will be releasing two of their biggest films on Blu-ray: Howl's Moving Castle and the 25th anniversary edition of My Neighbor Totoro.  Both films are incredibly special, and are packed with awesome extras.

Howl's Moving Castle synopsis: When an unconfident young woman is cursed with an old body by a spiteful witch, her only chance of breaking the spell lies with a self-indulgent yet insecure young wizard and his companions in his legged, walking home.

Interview: Enrico Casarosa, Pixarian and La Luna Director

Yesterday, I had the chance to speak to the very talented, very kind and very friendly Enrico Casarosa via phonecall, from Pixar. Enrico recently directed the Emeryville based studio's latest short film, La Luna, which will be paired with Brave this summer, and is now working on Bob Peterson's film, The Good Dinosaur. Despite his very busy schedule, Enrico was kind enough to accommodate me for 20 minutes of interview yesterday.

I'd also just like to take this opportunity to send out a huge thank you to Pixar's publicity king, Chris Wiggum, the kind gentleman who helped to arrange this all for me. I've admired Pixar from afar (as I'm sure you all know) for several years, so to get the opportunity to interview someone from the studio was phenomenal and was definitely one of the highlights of my year so far! It meant the world and I'm extremely grateful to Chris, Enrico and anyone and everyone else involved.

Points covered in the interview include: the story process for La Luna, it's accompanying book, the Pixar Shorts Collection: Volume 2, The Good Dinosaur and the studio in general. Read the full interview after the jump break: