Studio Ghibli

Studio Ghibli Inc. (株式会社スタジオジブリ, Kabushiki-gaisha Sutajio Jiburi) is a Japanese animation film studio, and previously was a subsidiary of Tokuma Shoten. Its provocative and emotional anime films are widely praised all over the world. Its name derives from the nickname the Italians used for their Saharan scouting planes in the Second World War, which derived from the Libyan word for hot wind blowing through the Sahara Desert (also known as sirocco). Though the term is Italian, the Japanese pronunciation of the studio's name is (IPA: [ˌdʒbɹiː] or [ˌdʒbɝi]). The theory behind the name was that the studio was blowing a new wind into the Japanese anime industry. The company's logo features the character Totoro from the film My Neighbor Totoro. History ------- Founded in 1985, it is headed by the acclaimed director Hayao Miyazaki along with his colleague and mentor Isao Takahata, as well as the studio's executive managing director and long-time producer Toshio Suzuki. Its origins date back to 1983, with the film Nausicaä of the Valley of Wind, which was popularised as a serialized manga in a publication of Tokuma Shoten's Animage magazine after the original screenplay was rejected. The film was eventually produced by Topcraft and the film's success spurred the formation of Ghibli. Tokuma is the parent company of Studio Ghibli, and has provided Disney with the video rights to eight of the films and global distribution rights to Princess Mononoke and Spirited Away. Miyazaki's latest film, Howl's Moving Castle, was actually based on a book by British author Diana Wynne Jones, published in several countries including Canada and the United States. Composer Joe Hisaishi has provided the soundtrack for all of Miyazaki's Studio Ghibli films. The most famous and lauded film from the studio that was not directed by Miyazaki is Grave of the Fireflies, directed by Isao Takahata, a sad film focusing on the lives of two war orphans towards the end of Second World War in Japan. Over the years, there has been a close relationship between Studio Ghibli and the magazine Animage, which regularly runs exclusive articles about the studio and its members in a section titled "Ghibli Notes." Artwork from Ghibli's films and other works frequently graces the cover of the magazine. The company is well-known for its strict "no-edits" policy in licensing their films abroad. This has stemmed from the disastrous dubbing of Miyazaki's Nausicaä of the Valley of Wind when the film was released in the United States as Warriors of the Wind (it was heavily edited and Americanized). There is a rumor that when licensing Princess Mononoke, Miyazaki mailed Miramax a samurai sword with a note reading "no cuts", to underline their "no-editing" policy. Read more on Last.fm. User-contributed text is available under the Creative Commons By-SA License; additional terms may apply.