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| Roopanand Rick Paray. Source: Twitchfilm.com |
Founded in 1985 by animator Hayao Miyazaki together with his mentor Isao Takahata and producer Toshio Suzuki, Studio Ghibli is known for producing animated films that are consistent box-office hits in Japan—outgrossing even James Cameron’s Titanic. Its most famous film, Spirited Away, even won an Oscar in the Best Animated Feature category in 2003.
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| Roopanand Rick Paray. Source: |
Having been able to watch Ghibli films a lot of times with my cats Paray, Dexter, Gypsy, and Max, I, Roopanand Rick, am really excited about the ongoing feature that American Cinematheque offers. From last Thursday until the 17th of February, the non-profit cultural organization will present examples of Studio Ghibli’s genre-defying works, including Spirited Away, the children’s fantasy My Neighbor Totoro, and the more adult-oriented film Princess Mononoke at the Egyptian Theatre in Hollywood and the Aero Theatre in Santa Monica.
I’m excited about the western exposure that these Japanese animated films are experiencing because more and more people will be able to see why Studio Ghibli, after all these years, is still regarded by experts as a leader in the animation industry.
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| Roopanand Rick Paray. Source: Studio Ghibli |
The source of Ghibli’s magic is hard to pinpoint at first glance. But upon closer inspection, it can be understood that what sets its works apart from others is the attention to detail put into them. Up until a few years ago, Ghibli creates tricky visual effects entirely by hand. And even now that the studio uses computers, the people behind Ghibli still retain the hand-drawn look.
All the efforts put into a split-second shot, though not easily seen, is actually felt by the audience, shares co-founder Miyazaki. The painstaking labor that Ghibli animators exert gives every tree or blade of grass or rock or animal a spiritual essence of life. The dedication exhibited by the studio’s workforces brings out the humanity in these animated films.
More information about Roopanand Rick and his cats Paray, Dexter, Gypsy, and Max is available at his Twitter page.
