Ghibliotheque - A Podcast About Animation and Studio Ghibli
Michael Leader, Jake Cunningham & Steph Watts
Welcome to the Ghibliotheque, the podcast that leafs through libraries of films from the world’s greatest animation studios.In 2018, Michael Leader, an avowed Studio Ghibli fanatic, sat down with Jake Cunningham, who had never seen any of the Studio’s work before. Together they looked at the history behind Ghibli's films (including Spirited Away, My Neighbour Totoro and Princess Mononoke), and got a critical perspective from Jake as a first-time viewer. They covered all of Studio Ghibli's films, visited Japan on the ultimate Ghibli pilgrimage, and have since interviewed artists, animators and filmmakers who have either worked on or have been deeply inspired by Ghibli's films. With their co-host Steph Watts, they have also branched out to cover filmographies of other studios and filmmakers whose work has revolutionised animation, from Satoshi Kon and Mamoru Hosoda to Cartoon Saloon and Henry Selick.Where will we go next? For more information, follow us on Twitter at @ghibliotheque, or on Instagram at ghibliotheque.pod. Or email us at ghibliotheque@gmail.com.Follow Michael and Jake on Twitter:@MichaelJLeader – Michael@jakehcunningham – Jake Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Episodes
Mentioned books
Mar 20, 2020 • 45min
Visiting Studio Ponoc | Ghibliotheque in Japan
In this very special miniseries of Ghibliotheque, hosts Michael and Jake and producers Steph and Harold travel to Tokyo for a distinctly Ghibli-themed pilgrimage. In this episode, the team visit Studio Ponoc, the animation studio founded by Ghibli veteran Yoshiaki Nishimura (producer of The Tale of the Princess Kaguya and When Marnie Was There). There, Michael and Jake talk with Ponoc's Chief of International, Geoffrey Wexler, about his work at both Ponoc and Ghibli presenting films such as Mary and the Witch's Flower, Modest Heroes, The Wind Rises and From Up on Poppy Hill to the world - as well as answering the eternal question: subs or dubs?Find more pics, videos and treats from our trip to Japan at ghibliotheque.tumblr.com.Follow Ghibliotheque on Twitter:@ghibliotheque@MichaelJLeader – Michael@jakehcunningham – JakeProduced by Michael Leader, Jake Cunningham, Harold McShiel and Steph Watts. Audio wizardry from Jamie Maisner. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Mar 13, 2020 • 36min
Tokyo Stories Pt 2 | Ghibliotheque in Japan
In this very special miniseries of Ghibliotheque, hosts Michael and Jake and producers Steph and Harold travel to Tokyo for a distinctly Ghibli-themed pilgrimage. In this second episode, the team visit the Ghibli Museum, the Studio's shrine to the art of animation, and also share their spoils in a segment dedicated to their favourite merchandise finds from the trip.Find more pics, videos and treats from our trip to Japan at ghibliotheque.tumblr.com.Follow Ghibliotheque on Twitter:@ghibliotheque@MichaelJLeader – Michael@jakehcunningham – JakeProduced by Michael Leader, Jake Cunningham, Harold McShiel and Steph Watts. Audio wizardry from Jamie Maisner. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Mar 6, 2020 • 29min
Tokyo Stories Pt 1 | Ghibliotheque in Japan
In this very special miniseries of Ghibliotheque, hosts Michael and Jake and producers Steph and Harold travel to Tokyo for a distinctly Ghibli-themed pilgrimage. In this first episode, the team visit three key locations that should be at the top of any Ghibli fanatic's must-see list: an intricate public clock designed by Hayao Miyazaki, the Tama suburbs that provided the location for Ghibli gem Whisper of the Heart, and Shiro-Hige’s Cream Puff Factory, home of the official, Miyazaki-approved Totoro cream puff.Find more pics, videos and treats from our trip to Japan at ghibliotheque.tumblr.com.Follow Ghibliotheque on Twitter:@ghibliotheque@MichaelJLeader – Michael@jakehcunningham – JakeProduced by Michael Leader, Jake Cunningham, Harold McShiel and Steph Watts. Audio wizardry from Jamie Maisner. Edited by Jack Claramunt. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Dec 20, 2019 • 37min
Ghibliotheque Christmas Special 2019
Merry Christmas from the Ghibliotheque! Producer Steph joins Michael and Jake once more for an episode filled with festive shenanigans, including Ghibli-themed Christmas carols sung by Producer Harold, a Ghibli quiz, and a mailbag of listeners' picks for the ideal Ghibli dinner guests. There is also chat about the past, present and future of all things Ghibliotheque. See you in 2020!Follow Michael, Jake and Steph on Twitter:@MichaelJLeader – Michael@jakehcunningham – Jake@_stephwatts - StephProduced by Michael Leader, Jake Cunningham, Harold McShiel and Steph Watts Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Nov 29, 2019 • 27min
The Castle of Cagliostro | Ghibliotheque #24
Michael and Jake bring this season of Ghibliotheque to a close with the feature debut of Mr Hayao Miyazaki. A very promising director of anime series, Miyazaki made the leap to feature animation in 1979 with this spin-off from the long-running Lupin III series. But is there much Miyazaki magic to be found in this franchise entry?Follow Ghibliotheque on Twitter:@ghibliotheque@MichaelJLeader – Michael@jakehcunningham – JakeProduced by Michael Leader, Jake Cunningham, Harold McShiel and Steph Watts. Audio wizardry from Jamie Maisner. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Nov 22, 2019 • 30min
The Little Norse Prince | Ghibliotheque #23
After trekking through the entirety of the Studio Ghibli library, Michael and Jake go back to the beginning... to Isao Takahata's ground-breaking 1960s animated feature Little Norse Prince. A hugely influential film that was something of a box office disaster on initial release, Little Norse Prince set in motion many of the themes, collaborations and techniques that would come to define Ghibli two decades later. But how does it play to a modern-day viewer?Follow Ghibliotheque on Twitter:@ghibliotheque@MichaelJLeader – Michael@jakehcunningham – JakeProduced by Michael Leader, Jake Cunningham, Harold McShiel and Steph Watts. Audio wizardry from Jamie Maisner. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Nov 15, 2019 • 29min
Ocean Waves | Ghibliotheque #22
22 episodes later... Michael and Jake reach the final feature in the Studio Ghibli library. This curio - a teen romance in the vein of Only Yesterday, Whisper of the Heart and From Up On Poppy Hill - is not only unique because it is Ghibli's only made-for-TV movie, it's also the first feature from the Studio to be directed by someone other than co-founders Hayao Miyazaki and Isao Takahata. No pressure, Tomomi Mochizuki... How did the newbie fare?Follow Ghibliotheque on Twitter:@ghibliotheque@MichaelJLeader – Michael@jakehcunningham – JakeProduced by Michael Leader, Jake Cunningham, Harold McShiel and Steph Watts. Audio wizardry from Jamie Maisner. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Nov 8, 2019 • 35min
My Neighbors the Yamadas | Ghibliotheque #21
Isao Takahata returns! This week, Michael & Jake fill in the final gap in the old master's work at Studio Ghibli. 5 years after Pom Poko and 14 years before The Tale Of The Princess Kaguya, Isao Takahata experimented with Ghibli's first all-digital animation, the slice-of-life domestic comedy My Neighbours The Yamadas. Full of worldly wisdom and gentle, observational humour, and rendered in an astounding art style that looks like a watercolour sketch come alive, Yamadas is unlike any other entry in the Ghibli canon.Follow Ghibliotheque on Twitter:@ghibliotheque@MichaelJLeader – Michael@jakehcunningham – JakeProduced by Michael Leader, Jake Cunningham, Harold McShiel and Steph Watts. Audio wizardry from Jamie Maisner. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Nov 1, 2019 • 33min
From Up On Poppy Hill | Ghibliotheque #20
A follow-up to one of Ghibli's most controversial releases, From Up On Poppy Hill was director Goro Miyazaki's second crack at the whip after his debut, Tales From Earthsea. But Poppy Hill is a very different proposition: a nostalgic, wholesome, period-set romance that harks back to Ghibli gems Only Yesterday and Whisper Of The Heart. Does he find firmer footing as a filmmaker this time around?Follow Ghibliotheque on Twitter:@ghibliotheque@MichaelJLeader – Michael@jakehcunningham – JakeProduced by Michael Leader, Jake Cunningham, Harold McShiel and Steph Watts. Audio wizardry from Jamie Maisner. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Oct 25, 2019 • 38min
Nausicaä of the Valley of the Wind | Ghibliotheque #19
Michael and Jake return to the Ghibliotheque to tackle Hayao Miyazaki's first anime epic, the sprawling fantasy adventure Nausicaä of the Valley of the Wind. While the film actually predates the founding of Studio Ghibli, many of the key personnel, themes and qualities that would define the Studio's work are here in spades, and the success of Nausicaä put Hayao Miyazaki, Isao Takahata and Toshio Suzuki on the path to Ghibli greatness. But what do the boys make of it?Follow Ghibliotheque on Twitter:@ghibliotheque@MichaelJLeader – Michael@jakehcunningham – JakeProduced by Michael Leader, Jake Cunningham, Harold McShiel and Steph Watts. Audio wizardry from Jamie Maisner. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
