If you grew up watching that little anime in a different art style and form, that could be a Ghibli film.
Studio Ghibli is an animation industry best known for its animated features and artistry. This style is different from the typical manga-related anime people see on television.
HAYAO MIYAZAKI
When it comes to Studio Ghibli, there is only one legendary person to look and adore from afar.
Hayao Miyazaki is a Japanese animator, director, producer, screenwriter, author, and a manga artist. He is widely regarded as the most prominent person and filmmaker in the history of animation.
SPIRITED AWAY
Spirited Away (2001) is about the story of Chihiro who stumbled upon a strange place similarly related to an abandoned place. As time passes, she then realized she was in a wrong dimension.
She met Haku—who explained to her that she is in a supernatural world and that she needs to get out before it’s too late. This is Chihiro’s journey about growing up and meeting different types of beings from a different world.
ART STYLE
You will know for sure that it is indeed Miyazaki’s work. His art style is distinct and that it both combines Japanese style and American style of animation.
Hayao Miyazaki travels a lot so he adapted some of the art styles during his travels. He uses a mix of innovative animation techniques to produce beautiful landscapes, scenery, and a sense of environmentalism.
Because of the growing of technology, Miyazaki tried to use computer animation to further improved his hand-drawn images, but still goes back to his old traditional style. He refuses to use and refer to a technique but rather go on with traditional ones—mostly putting a lot of details, avoiding flashiness, and shortcuts.
WHAT MAKES SPIRITED AWAY SPECIAL?
Spirited Away is one of Japan’s highest grossing movie of all time. People from all over the world definitely fell in love with this film. Miyazaki didn’t have a script in this film, his films never had scripts. According to him, the story develops through his storyboards. Some scenes are based from his realities and little stories from the people he knows.
There was this one shot of stillness in his film that looks like a pause. Miyazaki said,
“If you just have non-stop action with no breathing space at all, it’s just busyness. But if you take a moment, then the tension building in the film can grow into a wider dimension. If you just have constant tension at 80 degrees all the time, you just get numb.”
Spirited Away is the first anime feature to win the Oscar for Best Animated Film.
Other popular Ghibli films from Miyazaki include My Neighbor Totoro, Howl’s Moving Castle, Ponyo, and The Wind Rises.
