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
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.
Sep 6, 2019 • 47min
The Wind Rises | Ghibliotheque LIVE at the British Museum
Recorded live at the British Museum in support of their Manga Exhibition, this episode features Michael & Jake's on-stage conversation with exhibition curator Nicole Rousmaniere and animation critic Alex Dudok de Wit, following a screening of Hayao Miyazaki's The Wind Rises.Follow Michael and Jake on Twitter:@MichaelJLeader – Michael@jakehcunningham – JakeProduced by Michael Leader, Jake Cunningham, Harold McShiel and Steph Watts. Editing and sound wizardry by Jamie Maisner. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Aug 30, 2019 • 32min
The Tale of the Princess Kaguya | Ghibliotheque LIVE at the British Museum
Recorded live at the British Museum in support of their Manga Exhibition, this episode features Michael & Jake's on-stage conversation with academic and Ghibli expert Rayna Denison, Manga Exhibition curator Uchida Hiromi and ceramic artist Hosono Hitomi, following a screening of Isao Takahata's The Tale Of The Princess Kaguya.Follow Michael and Jake on Twitter:@MichaelJLeader – Michael@jakehcunningham – JakeProduced by Michael Leader, Jake Cunningham, Harold McShiel and Steph Watts. Editing and sound wizardry by Jamie Maisner. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Aug 23, 2019 • 30min
Pom Poko | Ghibliotheque LIVE at the British Museum
Recorded live at the British Museum, this episode features Michael & Jake's on-stage conversation with Manga exhibition curator Matsuba Ryoko and Simon Wright, director of programming at Japan House London, following a screening of Isao Takahata's Pom Poko.The British Museum's Manga exhibition runs until 26th August. For more information, visit: https://www.britishmuseum.org/whats_on/exhibitions/manga.aspx.Follow Michael and Jake on Twitter:@MichaelJLeader – Michael@jakehcunningham – JakeProduced by Michael Leader, Jake Cunningham, Harold McShiel and Steph Watts. Editing and sound wizardry by Jamie Maisner. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Aug 16, 2019 • 40min
My Neighbour Totoro | Ghibliotheque LIVE at the British Museum
Recorded live at the British Museum, this episode features Michael & Jake's on-stage conversation with Manga exhibition curator Nicole Rousmaniere and renowned Studio Ghibli expert Helen McCarthy, following a screening of Hayao Miyazaki's animated classic, My Neighbour Totoro.The British Museum's Manga exhibition runs until 26th August. For more information, visit: https://www.britishmuseum.org/whats_on/exhibitions/manga.aspx.Follow Michael and Jake on Twitter:@MichaelJLeader – Michael@jakehcunningham – JakeProduced by Michael Leader, Jake Cunningham, Harold McShiel and Steph Watts Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Aug 9, 2019 • 28min
Mary & The Witch's Flower | Ghibliotheque LIVE at Latitude Festival
In this special episode recorded live at Latitude Festival, Michael & Jake venture out of the podcast recording booth and out of the Studio Ghibli canon altogether to discuss Mary & The Witch's Flower, the first film from Ghibli alumni Studio Ponoc. Director Hiromasa Yonebayashi and producer Yoshiaki Nishimura previously worked together at Ghibli on the radical When Marnie Was There, but Ponoc's debut feature is a tribute to the magical, fantastical animation perfected by their mentors, Hayao Miyazaki and Isao Takahata. Does it reach the Studio's standard of quality? Follow Michael and Jake on Twitter:@MichaelJLeader – Michael@jakehcunningham – JakeProduced by Michael Leader, Jake Cunningham, Harold McShiel and Steph WattsEditing by Lister Rossell Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
