“I would like to make a film to tell children, ‘It’s good to be alive.’” -Hayao Miyazaki

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Last month, the world had a brief encounter with the world of Studio Ghibli and its lead auteur, Hayao Miyazaki. However, it was not how the powerhouse animation studio wanted and how patrons of the arts would have encouraged it. Now that the buzz of a fleeting trend has passed, it probes for a real immersion in the fantastical and hybridised worlds created by the studio and why the films demand a firm position in not just animation, but also in visual storytelling.

Animated works are more often than not burdened with the myth of being juvenile, with the sole purpose of serving a moral or entertaining function. However, animation is a mode that provides the liberty to create a suspended in-between and fluid third space, where commentary on ‘real’ mediates through the unreal. Through his works, Miyazaki offers a strong commentary and expresses his disenchantment with the ills of the world. Be it the war between rapid industrialisation and nature or man-made wars against each other, his works serve a purpose of utilising his material fantasy land responsibly. With a versatile range of works from hyper-fantasised films to more rooted titles, Studio Ghibli films are imbued with a sense of hope, despair, both, or just a sheer negotiation with the fleeting nature of life.

“Anime may depict fictional worlds, but I nonetheless believe that at its core, it must have a certain realism. Even if the world depicted is a lie, the trick is to make it seem as real as possible. Stated another way, the animator must fabricate a lie that seems so real viewers will think the world depicted might possibly exist.” -Hayao Miyazaki

While fantasy is relegated to an otherworldly state, it is as real as it can get. Fantasy is an extension of reality or realities, and is very much hinged on the nexus of real-world events and socio-political, economic, and cultural fabric. The studio’s works are not just rooted in Japanese culture, but their themes offer a global relevance, making them a global powerhouse. What sets the world of Studio Ghibli apart is the attention to detail and nuances that are mimetic to the real, striking a sense of relativity in viewers. The intricate hand-drawn details and the anthropomorphic nature of spirits, mechanised objects, and animals draw viewers into a world that seems real in its surrealism.

In Howl’s Moving Castle, viewers are invited to a hybrid and glocal space, an in-between space, between the Japanese and Western world, or what certain critics equate to a palimpsest landscape. Elevating this, the protagonists literally travel between fictional countries through a portal-like door in the moving castle, enabling two-fold travel. Set against the heyday of the US-Iraq war, the film offers a strong critique of man-made wars. It explicitly clarifies Miyazaki’s pacifism, which is permeated with a sense of hope. His despair with war and hope for harmonious living are evident in the film. On the other hand, in Princess Mononoke, the filmmaker expresses his displeasure against humanity’s raging war against nature.

Meanwhile, Spirited Away is more rooted in Japanese folklore and culture. From bathhouses and Shinto shrines, the film aims to revive an interest and preserve the tradition that is slowly getting lost in modern translation. Moreover, it comments on the rising capitalism and industrialisations sucking children in the system. Through its child protagonists, which is usually a strong female character, Miyazaki strives to delve into juvenile innocence while giving children, especially girls, a sense of power with their adventurous journeys.

Apart from these highly fantastical films, Studio Ghibli has also given the world more ‘realistic’ worlds which delve into the mundane and the beauty of everyday life. Films like From Up on Poppy Hill or Only Yesterday are more emotional, nostalgic, and mature at their core. Ghibli films are imbued with the philosophy of mono no aware, the idea of fleeting beauty in everyday life, transience, and the bittersweet nature of impermanence.

Studio Ghibli films are more than just a two-hour watch, they are a sensory experience. Using the liberties of imagination and animation, the creators give viewers a world that stays with them. While being fused with a tone of disenchantment and pathos, they offer a utopian hope, or just a much-needed appreciation of life. From its thematics and storytelling to its artistry, the cinematic contribution of the production house deserves proper recognition and appreciation before we let trends dilute their magic.