Ghibli Movies: Can't movies be being the Art and Blockbuster Simultaneously?

An art film or a blockbuster? This is a topic that never stops arguing by movieholics. In our minds, art films are not selling out movies with abstracted meanings and sometimes representing the unique style of directors artistically. While the blockbusters are the films created for public entertainment that aimed at high box office commercially. But, there always existed exceptions. Movies produced by Studio Ghibli are the example of being an art and blockbuster.

There were 21 Studio Ghibli movies screened in cinema since the first adventure film, Nausicaä of the Valley of the Wind, in 1984. The Ghibli films are created for all age groups and this studio has already become the dreamy workshop in producing the "must-watch" films. Studio Ghibli worked as a grandmaster brand in Japan animation film industry, and it may be influential like Disney’s and Pixar’s films.

Looking in this way, the films they made could be called the blockbusters. Long before the 21st century, this studio had generated huge success in broken into the Hollywood mainstream with the launched of My Neighbor Totoro in 1988. The highest-grossing movie in Studio Ghibli, Spirited Away, grossed a total of $355,467,076 after it screened in 2001. It even won an Oscar Best Animated film. By creating commercial films, the studio had achieved enormous business success at local and international level.

Living in the age of computer, CGI skills are being applied to making animated movies. Embracing new technologies and digital skills, the Ghibli stuck to use hand-drawings as the core of their movies. It always takes excessive time to draw every single frame and cell in a series of movement in a film. In Miyazaki’s works, he detailed each drawing before entering the frame combination process. Inputting massive work in each hand-drawn frames, their craftsmanship should be respected. Film is only a medium for Studio Ghibli to shine their works rather than purposefully making money-generation films.

For the film itself, the messages conveyed by the two animation masters in their stories have also increased the artistic value in many ways. Unlike other business animation workshops, the Studio Ghibli is the place mainly for Takahata and Miyazaki, Ghibli films carry strongly their own kind of opinion and view. They acted distinctly different where Takahata loved to produce realistic featured animations while Miyazaki showed his obsessions in fantasy features. A diversity of film selections, along with some works by younger directors in the studio, was then formed including a bunch of beautiful, impressive and stunning film scenes and characters. They delivered their thoughts about anti-war, environmental protection and the beauty of life through their works. Ghibli movies were not just for general enjoyment but also using a piece of art to communicate with the audience.

Art film and blockbuster aren’t two distinct part of the film industry. Do you like Studio Ghibli movies as I am?

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Reference

Calvario, L. (2016, August 18). Studio Ghibli: The techniques & unimaginable work that goes into each Animation Revealed. Retrieved February 19, 2021, from https://www.indiewire.com/2016/08/studio-ghibli-techniques-work-creating-animated-film-1201712756/

McCormick, C. (2020, October 29). Studio Ghibli's 10 highest grossing Movies (according to box Office Mojo). Retrieved February 19, 2021, from https://screenrant.com/most-successful-studio-ghibli-movies-box-office-mojo-animation/

スタジオジブリの作品 - スタジオジブリ｜STUDIO Ghibli. (2016, September 17). Retrieved February 19, 2021, from https://www.ghibli.jp/works/