There is no doubt that Studio Ghibli holds a legendary status amongst anime companies. From their first film, Castle in the Sky to their most recent film, When Marnie Was There, they have released, not only some of the best films that anime has to offer but also amongst the best that animation has to offer. From being the first (and, as of this article, only) anime studio to receive an Oscar for Best Animated Feature to being the first animation studio to win Best Picture in the 1998 Japan Academy Film Prize, their legendary status cannot be disputed.
When Studio Ghibli announced in 2014 that they were going to take a pause in film production and restructure, I could not have imagined that, by the beginning of 2020, we would not have seen another film from them. How is it that one of the greatest animation studios of all time has reached this point and is there any hope that we will see them return to their glory?
Let’s start with what forced them to restructure. With no film released in 2012, it was up to The Wind Rises, The Tale of the Princess Kaguya and When Marnie Was There to bring in revenue to the studio. Despite a gross of around $136 million, there were reported doubts on whether The Wind Rises had become profitable. This was soon followed by the box office failure that was The Tale of the Princess Kaguya which reportedly cost around $49 million to produce and grossed around $23 million in Japan. After a disappointing opening weekend for When Marnie Was There, it became clear that Studio Ghibli would have to make changes.
That is not to say that there weren’t problems before the release of these films. Of the 21 Studio Ghibli films (which excludes Nausicaa of the Valley of the Wind since it was released before Studio Ghibli was founded), 14 have been directed by either Hayao Miyazaki or Isao Takahata. The lack of young directors has been a common concern for Studio Ghibli. The success of director Hiromasa Yonebayashi (Arrietty and When Marnie Was There) seemed like a step in the right direction before he left Studio Ghibli to set up his own studio.
Another issue that faces Studio Ghibli are their large budgets (the budgets are low by Hollywood standards but considered high everywhere else). Easily the largest factor for these costs is the fact is that no animation was outsourced to other animation studios. Instead, all animators worked closely together and with the director. This easily explains the high animation quality of their films but also why their budgets are so much higher than other anime studios.
It’s not all doom and gloom though. Spirited Away was released in the People’s Republic of China last year and broke box office records for a Japanese film. With more films to be released, this source of income could be crucial for Studio Ghibli. Alongside that, there are reports that not only will there be another Hayao Miyazaki film, there is also another Studio Ghibli film in production. There are no details known about this second film but hopefully it will feature a promising young director who can create further films for the company.
I adore Studio Ghibli and it has troubled me that one of animation’s greatest treasures has been in so much trouble. The future is looking bright though and I cannot wait to see more films released from them. Let me know your thoughts on Studio Ghibli and whether you are excited to see more films from them.
Hopefully you have found this article interesting and informative and, if you wish to seek any of the works I mentioned, don’t hesitate to use amazon.co.uk or amazon.com for all of your needs!