
Ghibliotheque - A Podcast About Animation and Studio Ghibli
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 Get bonus content on Patreon Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Latest episodes

Aug 13, 2021 • 37min
Erica Henderson | The Chat Returns #12
We are very excited to welcome comic artist and big Ghibli fan Erica Henderson into the Ghibliotheque for this episode. Erica's stunning work can be found in the revolutionary Marvel comic Squirrel Girl, the Archie comics standout Jughead and much more, she joins us for a conversation about the Cantonese language Ghibli films that got her into the studio, the Chinatown basement that housed some huge anime discoveries and the mouth-watering food moments in Ghibli's work. Keep an eye out for weekly episodes in our Chat Returns miniseries - featuring conversations with filmmakers, writers, and animators who have either worked directly with Ghibli, or have been heavily inspired by them - over the next couple of months.Our book, Ghibliotheque - The Unofficial Guide to Studio Ghibli, will be on sale from all good bookshops in the UK from 2nd September, and is available for preorder now.Pre-order today: Amazon UK: https://amzn.to/3usAw0hOr for free international shipping: https://bit.ly/3oRQr7cGet in touch with Ghibliotheque at ghibli@littledotstudios.com or follow us on Twitter:@ghibliotheque@MichaelJLeader - Michael@jakehcunningham - Jake@_stephwatts - StephProduced by Michael Leader, Jake Cunningham, Harold McShiel and Steph Watts. Music by Anthony Ing. Get bonus content on Patreon Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Aug 6, 2021 • 38min
Arlo Parks | The Chat Returns #11
For this episode of The Chat Returns, we're joined by the incredible, BRIT award winning, artist Arlo Parks. Whilst recording her acclaimed debut album 'Collapsed in Sunbeams', Arlo and her producer would watch a different Ghibli film each day, so we get into how much Ghibli crossed over into the record, the first time she discovered Ghibli and her fairly controversial choice for a Ghibli hidden gem... Keep an eye out for weekly episodes in our Chat Returns miniseries - featuring conversations with filmmakers, writers, and animators who have either worked directly with Ghibli, or have been heavily inspired by them - over the next couple of months.Our book, Ghibliotheque - The Unofficial Guide to Studio Ghibli, will be on sale from all good bookshops in the UK from 2nd September, and is available for preorder now.Pre-order today: Amazon UK: https://amzn.to/3usAw0hOr for free international shipping: https://bit.ly/3oRQr7cGet in touch with Ghibliotheque at ghibli@littledotstudios.com or follow us on Twitter:@ghibliotheque@MichaelJLeader - Michael@jakehcunningham - Jake@_stephwatts - StephProduced by Michael Leader, Jake Cunningham, Harold McShiel and Steph Watts. Music by Anthony Ing. Get bonus content on Patreon Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Jul 30, 2021 • 41min
Jessica Niebel & J. Raul Guzman | The Chat Returns #10
In this episode we get an early glimpse of an event that Ghibli fans the world over will be clamouring to see, the Hayao Miyazaki exhibition at the Academy Museum in Los Angeles. Sadly we can't visit the museum and the exhibition, which opens on 30 September, so for this episode we spoke to Jessica Niebel and J. Raul Guzman, the curating team behind it. Featuring more than 300 objects, including original imageboards, character designs, storyboards, layouts, backgrounds, posters, and cels from Studio Ghibli’s archives - including pieces on public view outside of Japan for the first time - Jessica and Raul give us an audio tour through an incredible exhibition. Keep an eye out for weekly episodes in our Chat Returns miniseries - featuring conversations with filmmakers, writers, and animators who have either worked directly with Ghibli, or have been heavily inspired by them - over the next couple of months.Our book, Ghibliotheque - The Unofficial Guide to Studio Ghibli, will be on sale from all good bookshops in the UK from 2nd September, and is available for preorder now.Pre-order today: Amazon UK: https://amzn.to/3usAw0hOr for free international shipping: https://bit.ly/3oRQr7cGet in touch with Ghibliotheque at ghibli@littledotstudios.com or follow us on Twitter:@ghibliotheque@MichaelJLeader - Michael@jakehcunningham - Jake@_stephwatts - StephProduced by Michael Leader, Jake Cunningham, Harold McShiel and Steph Watts. Music by Anthony Ing. Get bonus content on Patreon Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Jul 23, 2021 • 52min
Emily VanDerWerff | The Chat Returns #9
We're so excited to welcome Emily VanDerWerff, one of the finest film and TV critics working today, on to the podcast, to celebrate the 20th anniversary of Spirited Away, her favourite film of all time. Together we explore the deep depths of Miyazaki's Oscar winner, Emily's thoughts on the wider Ghibli catalogue and how Hayao Miyazaki's work compares to David Lynch's. Keep an eye out for weekly episodes in our Chat Returns miniseries - featuring conversations with filmmakers, writers, and animators who have either worked directly with Ghibli, or have been heavily inspired by them - over the next couple of months.Our book, Ghibliotheque - The Unofficial Guide to Studio Ghibli, will be on sale from all good bookshops in the UK from 2nd September, and is available for preorder now.Pre-order today: Amazon UK: https://amzn.to/3usAw0hOr for free international shipping: https://bit.ly/3oRQr7cGet in touch with Ghibliotheque at ghibli@littledotstudios.com or follow us on Twitter:@ghibliotheque@MichaelJLeader - Michael@jakehcunningham - Jake@_stephwatts - StephProduced by Michael Leader, Jake Cunningham, Harold McShiel and Steph Watts. Music by Anthony Ing. Get bonus content on Patreon Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Jul 16, 2021 • 53min
Mike Rianda | The Chat Returns #8
The Ghibliotheque dysfunctional family welcomes Mike Rianda - director of 'The Mitchells vs The Machines, one of our favourite films of the year - on to the podcast to talk about his love of Ghibli, the lessons in animation he took from watching documentaries about the studio, and how he wanted to create a unique art style for 'The Mitchells vs The Machines'Keep an eye out for weekly episodes in our Chat Returns miniseries - featuring conversations with filmmakers, writers, and animators who have either worked directly with Ghibli, or have been heavily inspired by them - over the next couple of months.Our book, Ghibliotheque - The Unofficial Guide to Studio Ghibli, will be on sale from all good bookshops in the UK from 2nd September, and is available for preorder now.Pre-order today: Amazon UK: https://amzn.to/3usAw0hOr for free international shipping: https://bit.ly/3oRQr7cGet in touch with Ghibliotheque at ghibli@littledotstudios.com or follow us on Twitter:@ghibliotheque@MichaelJLeader - Michael@jakehcunningham - Jake@_stephwatts - StephProduced by Michael Leader, Jake Cunningham, Harold McShiel and Steph Watts. Music by Anthony Ing. Get bonus content on Patreon Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Jul 9, 2021 • 41min
Peter Lord | The Chat Returns #7
We're very proud to welcome Peter Lord, one of the co-founders of legendary animation studio Aardman, on to the podcast this week to talk about Aardman's relationship to Studio Ghibli, Hayao Miyazaki's influence on an Aardman exhibition at the Ghibli Museum and a lot more.Keep an eye out for weekly episodes in our Chat Returns miniseries - featuring conversations with filmmakers, writers, and animators who have either worked directly with Ghibli, or have been heavily inspired by them - over the next couple of months.Our book, Ghibliotheque - The Unofficial Guide to Studio Ghibli, will be on sale from all good bookshops in the UK from 2nd September, and is available for preorder now.Pre-order today: Amazon UK: https://amzn.to/3usAw0hOr for free international shipping: https://bit.ly/3oRQr7cGet in touch with Ghibliotheque at ghibli@littledotstudios.com or follow us on Twitter:@ghibliotheque@MichaelJLeader - Michael@jakehcunningham - Jake@_stephwatts - StephProduced by Michael Leader, Jake Cunningham, Harold McShiel and Steph Watts. Music by Anthony Ing. Get bonus content on Patreon Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Jul 2, 2021 • 1h
Enrico Casarosa | The Chat Returns #6
The Chat Returns, or should we say 🇮🇹 Torna la Chat 🇮🇹 this week with Luca director Enrico Casarosa, on his love of early Miyazaki and how the Studio Ghibli philosophy informed his style of storytelling. From watching Future Boy Conan on TV as a kid in Italy, to screening his Pixar short La Luna at Studio Ghibli, it turns out that Enrico's connection to Miyazaki and the Studio runs deep.Keep an eye out for weekly episodes in our Chat Returns miniseries - featuring conversations with filmmakers, writers, and animators who have either worked directly with Ghibli, or have been heavily inspired by them - over the next couple of months.Our book, Ghibliotheque - The Unofficial Guide to Studio Ghibli, will be on sale from all good bookshops in the UK from 2nd September, and is available for preorder now.Pre-order today: Amazon UK: https://amzn.to/3usAw0hOr for free international shipping: https://bit.ly/3oRQr7cGet in touch with Ghibliotheque at ghibli@littledotstudios.com or follow us on Twitter:@ghibliotheque@MichaelJLeader - Michael@jakehcunningham - Jake@_stephwatts - StephProduced by Michael Leader, Jake Cunningham, Harold McShiel and Steph Watts. Music by Anthony Ing. Get bonus content on Patreon Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Jun 25, 2021 • 51min
Alex Dudok de Wit | The Chat Returns #5
This week in our Chat Returns miniseries, friend of the show Alex Dudok de Wit returns to tell us all about his new book on Isao Takahata's Grave of the Fireflies - which is available now from all good booksellers.Keep an eye out for weekly episodes in our Chat Returns miniseries - featuring conversations with filmmakers, writers, and animators who have either worked directly with Ghibli, or have been heavily inspired by them - over the next couple of months.Our book, Ghibliotheque - The Unofficial Guide to Studio Ghibli, will be on sale from all good bookshops in the UK from 2nd September, and is available for preorder now.Pre-order today: Amazon UK: https://amzn.to/3usAw0hOr for free international shipping: https://bit.ly/3oRQr7cGet in touch with Ghibliotheque at ghibli@littledotstudios.com or follow us on Twitter:@ghibliotheque@MichaelJLeader - Michael@jakehcunningham - Jake@_stephwatts - StephProduced by Michael Leader, Jake Cunningham, Harold McShiel and Steph Watts. Music by Anthony Ing. Get bonus content on Patreon Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Jun 18, 2021 • 51min
Elizabeth Ito | The Chat Returns #4
This week in our Chat Returns miniseries, we are joined by Elizabeth Ito, creator of the delightful Netflix animated series City of Ghosts, which chronicles the adventures of the Ghost Club as they discover the histories of various vibrant Los Angeles neighbourhoods.Keep an eye out for weekly episodes in our Chat Returns miniseries - featuring conversations with filmmakers, writers, and animators who have either worked directly with Ghibli, or have been heavily inspired by them - over the next couple of months.Our book, Ghibliotheque - The Unofficial Guide to Studio Ghibli, will be on sale from all good bookshops in the UK from 2nd September, and is available for preorder now.Pre-order today: Amazon UK: https://amzn.to/3usAw0hOr for free international shipping: https://bit.ly/3oRQr7cGet in touch with Ghibliotheque at ghibli@littledotstudios.com or follow us on Twitter:@ghibliotheque@MichaelJLeader - Michael@jakehcunningham - Jake@_stephwatts - StephProduced by Michael Leader, Jake Cunningham, Harold McShiel and Steph Watts. Music by Anthony Ing. Get bonus content on Patreon Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Jun 11, 2021 • 39min
Will Collins | The Chat Returns #3
This week, the Chat Returns and so does the Cartoon Salooniverse, as Michael and Jake speak with Will Collins, co-writer of both Song of the Sea and Wolfwalkers. Down the line from Ireland, Will tells Michael and Jake about his relationship with the films of Studio Ghibli and his ongoing collaboration with Cartoon Saloon filmmakers Tomm Moore and Ross Stewart.Keep an eye out for weekly episodes in our Chat Returns miniseries - featuring conversations with filmmakers, writers, and animators who have either worked directly with Ghibli, or have been heavily inspired by them - over the next couple of months.Our book, Ghibliotheque - The Unofficial Guide to Studio Ghibli, will be on sale from all good bookshops in the UK from 2nd September, and is available for preorder now.Pre-order today: Amazon UK: https://amzn.to/3usAw0hOr for free international shipping: https://bit.ly/3oRQr7cGet in touch with Ghibliotheque at ghibli@littledotstudios.com or follow us on Twitter:@ghibliotheque@MichaelJLeader - Michael@jakehcunningham - Jake@_stephwatts - StephProduced by Michael Leader, Jake Cunningham, Harold McShiel and Steph Watts. Music by Anthony Ing. Get bonus content on Patreon Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.