Next in my Ghibli retrospective, I look at The Cat Returns. The Cat Returns (2002), directed by Hiroyuki Morita and written by Reiko Yoshida, marks the beginning of an interesting new phase in Studio Ghibli’s work and hence in my retrospective of Ghibli movies. The studio’s previous movie, Spirited Away, was a turning point in …
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A World Transformed: Spirited Away Review
Continuing with my Studio Ghibli retrospective, I turn to the Big One: Spirited Away. Among Studio Ghibli’s movies, Spirited Away (2001) is the crown jewel. Certainly it is the most commercially successful movie the studio ever produced, grossing over 30 million yen and standing for almost 20 years as the top-grossing movie in Japanese history …
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All in the Family: My Neighbors the Yamadas Review
Next in my Studio Ghibli retrospective, I look at My Neighbors the Yamadas. Imagine the kind of single-panel cartoon made famous by the New Yorker. Such cartoons are typically ironic, perhaps somewhat satirical, and, above all, elliptical. The limitations imposed by one drawing with a caption often require you, the reader, to fill in the …
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A Myth Realized on Screen: Princess Mononoke Review
I continue my Studio Ghibli retrospective with a look at the outstanding Princess Mononoke. “This book is like lightning from a clear sky…[I]n it heroic romance, gorgeous, eloquent, and unashamed, has suddenly returned…here are beauties which pierce like swords or burn like cold iron; here is a book that will break your heart.” The passage …
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Devoted Daughter, Wartime Hero: Mulan (1998) and Mulan (2020) Review
Twice in a generation, Disney has tried its hand at the tale of Mulan; let’s see how these efforts compare! In this dual review, I look at Mulan (1998) and Mulan (2020). The Ballad of Mulan is a Chinese poem, from the fifth or sixth century C.E., of a young woman who disguises herself as …
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A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Woman: Whisper of the Heart Review
Next in my Studio Ghibli retrospective, I look at a real gem in the studio’s catalog, Whisper of the Heart. One of life’s few certainties is the presence of uncertainty. We face uncertainty about what we want to do with our lives, what will make us happy, who (if anyone) we may end up sharing …
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Out of the Woods: Pom Poko Review
Next in my Studio Ghibli retrospective, I turn to Pom Poko. Pom Poko (1994), written and directed by Isao Takahata, is a tale of magical tanuki, or “raccoon dogs” (a canine species native to East Asia that resembles the North American raccoon). The movie is set among a community of tanuki living in the forest …
Pretty, but Heartless: Ocean Waves Review
I continue my Studio Ghibli retrospective with a look at one of the more obscure entries in the studio’s output. Ocean Waves (1993) stands out among Studio Ghibli movies for several reasons. It was Ghibli’s first (and, until the forthcoming Earwig and the Witch, only) TV movie. Directed by Tomomi Mochizuki, Ocean Waves was the …
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In the Bomb’s Shadow: Barefoot Gen and In This Corner of the World Review
In this review, I look at two animated movies, made more than 30 years apart, that each follow a young person struggling to survive amid war, including nuclear devastation. The world recently marked the 75th anniversaries of the atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki on August 6th and 9th, respectively. To remember these cataclysmic events, …
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When Pigs Fly: Porco Rosso Review
Continuing with my Studio Ghibli retrospective, I turn to Porco Rosso. The opening shots of Porco Rosso (1992), written and directed by Hayao Miyazaki, are a masterclass in economical storytelling. We begin with a shot of a blue sky, glimpsed from within a ravine. The camera tilts down the ravine cliffs to reveal a small …
The Cameraman 