Susan J. Napier Work: Miyazakiworld: A Life in Art (2018)
The Studio Ghibli collection, spanning from 1984 to 2020, represents one of the most significant bodies of work in the history of animation. Founded by directors Hayao Miyazaki and Isao Takahata, along with producer Toshio Suzuki, the studio has become a global cultural phenomenon. While the studio was officially established in 1985, its legacy is often dated back to the 1984 release of Nausicaä of the Valley of the Wind, which set the thematic and aesthetic blueprint for decades of storytelling. This collection is defined by its hand-drawn artistry, environmental advocacy, and a profound respect for the emotional complexity of childhood. studio ghibli movie collection 1984 2020 b work
Then comes the B-work: , directed by Hiromasa Yonebayashi, is a quiet, melancholic film about loneliness and implied queer longing—excellent but slow. Finally, Earwig and the Witch (2020) , Goro Miyazaki’s first full CG feature, is widely reviewed as the studio’s nadir. The animation is stiff, the characters unlikable, and the plot unresolved. It feels like a television pilot, not a Ghibli film. Susan J
A radical ‘B’ work. Takahata abandoned Ghibli’s lush painted style for —ugly to some, brilliant to others. It’s a series of 5-minute comic vignettes about a dysfunctional suburban family. No plot. Just jokes about a father losing his paycheck. Bombed in theaters. Now a beloved anti-Ghibli Ghibli film. While the studio was officially established in 1985,
Films like (2011), The Great Passage (2016), and When Marnie Was There (2014) may not have achieved the same level of mainstream success as some of the studio's more popular works, but they demonstrate the studio's willingness to take risks and explore complex themes.