Ghibliotheque - A Podcast About Animation and Studio Ghibli

Merry Christmas from the Ghibliotheque, the podcast that leafs through the library of films from the world’s greatest animation studio, Studio Ghibli!To round off 2018, producer Steph Watts joins Michael & Jake for a special episode packed with festive treats, ranging from Ghibli Christmas cracker jokes and a Ghibli dad-themed quiz, to Jake's own Leaderboard ranking of all the films covered on the podcast so far. The Ghibliothechnicians also dig deep into the Ghibli memory mailbag, sharing some of the listeners' fondest reminiscences of the Studio and their magical movies.Follow Michael, Jake and Steph on Twitter:@MichaelJLeader – Michael@jakehcunningham – Jake@_stephwatts - StephProduced by Michael Leader, Jake Cunningham, Harold McShiel and Steph WattsEditing by Lister Rossell Get bonus content on Patreon Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Welcome to the Ghibliotheque, the podcast that leafs through the library of films from the world’s greatest animation studio, Studio Ghibli.To finish this second season of Ghibliotheque, Michael & Jake return to the mighty Hayao Miyazaki for his family-friendly follow-up to Princess Mononoke, Spirited Away and Howl's Moving Castle: the fish-out-of-water fantasy Ponyo. After the increasing influence of CGI on Ghibli animation, Miyazaki envisioned this project as an ambitious return to the Studio's hand-drawn roots. But does the legendary director succeed ... or flounder?Read Michael's interview with Kathleen Kennedy: https://www.denofgeek.com/uk/movies/18590/kathleen-kennedy-interview-war-horse-lincoln-studio-ghibli-jurassic-park-4-moreRead Roger Ebert's review of Ponyo: https://www.rogerebert.com/reviews/ponyo-2009Follow Michael and Jake on Twitter:@MichaelJLeader – Michael@jakehcunningham – JakeProduced by Michael Leader, Jake Cunningham, Harold McShiel and Steph WattsEditing by Lister Rossell Get bonus content on Patreon Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Welcome to the Ghibliotheque, the podcast that leafs through the library of films from the world’s greatest animation studio, Studio Ghibli.This week, Michael & Jake are joined by Iana Murray to paw over the only feature-length sequel in the Ghibli canon, and Hiroyuki Morita's sole directorial credit for the Studio: the feline fantasy adventure The Cat Returns.Follow Michael and Jake on Twitter:@MichaelJLeader – Michael@jakehcunningham – JakeProduced by Michael Leader, Jake Cunningham, Harold McShiel and Steph WattsEditing by Lister Rossell Get bonus content on Patreon Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Welcome to the Ghibliotheque, the podcast that leafs through the library of films from the world’s greatest animation studio, Studio Ghibli.This week, Michael & Jake discuss Hiromasa Yonebayashi's Ghibli debut, Arrietty. Based on the Mary Norton children's classic, this fantasy following the adventures of a tiny girl and her miniature family was by no means small-scale - eventually becoming the Studio's highest grossing film in the United States. But is it a mini-masterpiece or small fry?Follow Michael and Jake on Twitter:@MichaelJLeader – Michael@jakehcunningham – JakeProduced by Michael Leader, Jake Cunningham, Harold McShiel and Steph WattsEditing by Lister Rossell Get bonus content on Patreon Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Welcome to the Ghibliotheque, the podcast that leafs through the library of films from the world’s greatest animation studio, Studio Ghibli.In this episode, Michael and Jake leave the cosy confines of the Ghibliotheque for an in-depth conversation with The Red Turtle director Michaël Dudok de Wit, recorded live at the British Film Institute as part of their Podstock programme. Dialogue-free, French-animated and developed over a number of years in collaboration with 'artistic producer' Isao Takahata, The Red Turtle is a unique entry in the Studio Ghibli canon, and Michaël shares with the Ghibliotechnicians his memories of creating what is, to date, the only non-Japanese Ghibli production.Follow Michael and Jake on Twitter:@MichaelJLeader – Michael@jakehcunningham – JakeProduced by Michael Leader, Jake Cunningham, Harold McShiel and Steph WattsEditing by Lister Rossell Get bonus content on Patreon Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Welcome to the Ghibliotheque, the podcast that leafs through the library of films from the world’s greatest animation studio, Studio Ghibli.In this episode, pigs fly (or one does, anyway) as Michael & Jake take off with Hayao Miyazaki's 1992 porcine aviator adventure, Porco Rosso. Initially planned as short in-flight movie for Japan Airlines, the film ballooned as Miyazaki went the whole hog, packing the film with period detail, memorable characters and thrilling airborne action sequences - resulting in a 90-minute piggy bank stuffed to the brim with magical Ghibli moments. Will our hosts roast the hog, or will they deem it a full-boar Miyazaki masterpiece?Show notes: News report referring to the planned Porco Rosso sequel: https://www.denofgeek.com/uk/movies/16222/hayao-miyazaki-on-a-porco-rosso-sequel-and-studio-ghibli-s-closureFollow Michael and Jake on Twitter:@MichaelJLeader – Michael@jakehcunningham – JakeProduced by Michael Leader, Jake Cunningham, Harold McShiel and Steph WattsEditing by Lister Rossell Get bonus content on Patreon Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Welcome to the Ghibliotheque, the podcast that leafs through the library of films from the world’s greatest animation studio, Studio Ghibli.In this episode, Michael & Jake get to grips with one of the oddest films in the Studio Ghibli canon: Isao Takahata's 1994 urbanisation polemic Pom Poko. Focusing on a community of magical tanuki raccoon-dogs who use their powers of transformation - and their large, mythical testicles - to hold back the development of their forest habitat, Pom Poko has earned a unique reputation among fans of the studio. But is it one of the (family) jewels in the Ghibli crown?Show notes: Mixing Work With Pleasure by Toshio Suzuki: http://www.jpic.or.jp/japanlibrary/en/books/001886.htmlJunji Ito: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Junji_ItoFollow Michael and Jake on Twitter:@MichaelJLeader – Michael@jakehcunningham – JakeProduced by Michael Leader, Jake Cunningham, Harold McShiel and Steph WattsEditing by Lister Rossell Get bonus content on Patreon Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Welcome to the Ghibliotheque, the podcast that leafs through the library of films from the world’s greatest animation studio, Studio Ghibli. Michael & Jake return to the Ghibliotheque for a new mini-series, and kick things off with one of Studio Ghibli's biggest hits: 2004's magical adventure Howl's Moving Castle. Howl’s was initially slated as the first Ghibli movie to be directed by an outsider, but Hayao Miyazaki came out of his post-Spirited Away retirement to create what would become one of the veteran director's defining latter-day works. But is its reputation well-deserved?Show notes: Mamoru Hosoda on getting fired from Howl's Moving Castle: https://www.polygon.com/2018/10/20/18001588/mamoru-hosoda-fired-howls-moving-castle-interviewXan Brooks interviews Hayao Miyazaki:https://www.theguardian.com/film/2005/sep/14/japan.awardsandprizes Follow Michael and Jake on Twitter: @MichaelJLeader – Michael@jakehcunningham – JakeProduced by Michael Leader, Jake Cunningham, Harold McShiel and Steph WattsEditing by Lister Rossell Get bonus content on Patreon Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Welcome to the Ghibliotheque, the podcast that leafs through the library of films from the world’s greatest animation studio, Studio Ghibli.In this special end-of-season episode, Michael & Jake are joined by Telegraph critic, Wittertainment guest-host and all-round Studio Ghibli expert Robbie Collin, given the choice to bring with him any Ghibli film to discuss, Robbie selected Isao Takahata’s Only Yesterday, an animated drama aimed squarely at an adult audience. One of the Studio’s deepest cuts, Only Yesterday was a box office hit on its initial release in Japan, but it wasn’t released in the USA for 25 years. The film is as experimental, poignant and pointed in its message as you’d expect from Takahata (Grave of the Fireflies, The Tale of the Princess Kaguya) - and has over the years become a firm fan favourite.This episode brings this initial volume of Ghibliotheque to a close. Thank you for listening, it’s been a real adventure, hasn’t it? If you’ve enjoyed the show and would like to hear more episodes of Michael and Jake diving deep in to Studio Ghibli then make sure you tweet: @MichaelJLeader – Michael@jakehcunningham – Jake@robbiereviews - RobbieShow notes:Read Robbie’s tribute to Isao Takahata here: https://www.telegraph.co.uk/films/2018/04/06/studio-ghibli-isao-takahata-brought-indescribable-beauty-everyday/ (behind a paywall though)For more details about Film4's Studio Ghibli Season, click here: https://bit.ly/2JYqrBjAdditional production on this episode from Steph Watts - @_stephwatts Get bonus content on Patreon Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Welcome to the Ghibliotheque, the podcast that leafs through the library of films from the world’s greatest animation studio, Studio Ghibli.In this episode, Michael & Jake travel back to 1997 for Hayao Miyazaki's fantasy epic, Princess Mononoke. A huge box office hit in Japan, Mononoke was originally set to be Studio Ghibli's entrance onto the international stage, but this long, complex and violent adventure baffled Disney executives. Ghibli stood firm, refusing cuts or edits, resulting in a smaller, limited American release - but the ensuing film still stands as a testament to Miyazaki's unparalleled craft and unique vision.Show notes:- Read more about Stephen Alpert's memoir, I am a Gaijin: The Man Who Sold Ghibli to the World: http://blog.alltheanime.com/books-gaijin-at-ghibli/- Read more about the use of CG in Princess Mononoke: http://www.nausicaa.net/miyazaki/mh/cg.html- Princess Mononoke: The First Story: https://www.viz.com/read/art-book/princess-mononoke/product/3625Follow Michael and Jake on Twitter:@MichaelJLeader – Michael@jakehcunningham – JakeFor more details about Film4's Studio Ghibli Season, click here: https://bit.ly/2JYqrBjAdditional production on this episode from Steph Watts - @_stephwatts Get bonus content on Patreon Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.