Science & Magic: The Films of Studio Ghibli

In the final episode (for now...), Neil, Ruben, and Jamie give their picks for what Ghibli films deserve special awards. This is the only episode to have been recorded live together!

Along with our amazing guest Pete Mummert, the crew discusses 2014's When Marnie Was There, written and directed by Hiromasa Yonebayashi and based on the 1967 novel by Joan G. Robinson of the same name. We all scored this film highly and wish it had more of a following!

Written and directed by Isao Takahata, The Tale of Princess Kaguya (2013), this movie is an adaptation of The Tale of the Bamboo Cutter, a 10th-century Japanese literary tale. Join the crew and guest Chrysanthe Tan on a discussion of this beautifully animated and scored gem, complete with Chrysanthe's wonderful knowledge of musical scores.

Written and directed by Hayao Miyazaki, The Wind Rises (2013) is a biopic about Japanese aeronautical engineer Jiro Horikoshi, who designed the Mitsubishi A6M "Zero" fighter plane used in World War II. This was originally going to be Miyazaki's final film, but he reversed that decision to make 2023's The Boy and the Heron. Join our hosts and guest Richard Dunham as we grapple with this strange film, from its incredible depiction of an earthquake in Tokyo to its bizarre fictionalized romance.

The second film directed by Hayao Miyazaki's son, Gorō Miyazaki, this film touches on many of the themes of previous Studio Ghibli movies, such as war, memory, and young people learning about how they connect to older generations. The crew speaks with our first ever recurring guest, Abby Loebenberg, about another Gorō-directed film and as usual she brings incredible insight to it.

The crew discusses Arrietty (2010), also known as Arrietty the Borrower in Japan and The Secret World of Arrietty in North America, along with guest Erin Hamer-Beck. This film is the directorial debut of Hiromasa Yonebayashi; the British dub features the cinematic debut of Spiderman himself, Tom Holland.

Guest Jonfen Parker joins the hosts to discuss Ponyo (2008), a film about questionable parenting, weird fishes, and water.

Loosely based on an Ursula K Le Guin novel, and marking the directorial debut of Hayao Miyazaki's son, Gorō Miyazaki, Tales from Earthsea (2006) is certainly one of the movies from Studio Ghibli. Guest Dr Abby Loebenberg, a professor at Arizona State University, brings a lot of fascinating deep analysis to this episode.

Howl's Moving Castle (2004) is an adaptation of the 1986 Diana Wynne Jones novel of the same name. It features anti-war imagery inspired by Miyazaki's opposition to the 2003 Iraq War. Guest John Ingle helps the crew break it down.

With their guest Andrew Hawthorn, the crew discusses The Cat Returns, one of the only Ghibli films that is a spin off of another -1995's Whisper of the Heart. It follows the adventures of a teenage girl who can communicate with cats into the Cat Kingdom. This lesser-known Ghibli film turned out to be a surprise favorite!

Guest Bethany Van Scoo joins the crew for discussion of Spirited Away (2001), written and directed by Hiyao Miyazaki. This was the first non-English film to win Best Animated Feature at the Academy Awards and was the highest grossing film in Japan from 2001-2020. It also has some truly epic depictions of food.

My Neighbors the Yamadas (1999) has a very different style than any other Ghibli film. Based on a yonkoma manga (a format similar to US newspaper comics like Peanuts), it follows a family in a slice-of-life format, written and directed by Isao Takahata. Our hosts are joined this week by artist Phil Dragash.

Cléa from Radio Clash Revival joins us to discuss Princess Mononoke (1997), written and directed by Hayao Miyazaki, the first Ghibli film to break through to wide release outside of Japan, featuring a dubbed English script written by Neil Gaiman.

Rob Lumley joins our hosts to discuss Whisper of the Heart (1995), a film written by Hiyao Miyazaki and directed by Yoshifumi Kondō. It tells the story of a boy and girl who bond over John Denver's classic track, "Take Me Home, Country Roads". Also there's two magical cat statues, one of whom gets his own spinoff.

Pom Poko (1994), written and directed by Isao Takahata, focuses on tanuki, Japanese raccoon dogs, who in folklore are known for their shape shifting abilities. Unfortunately in the English dub of the movie, they are incorrectly known as raccoons. Join our three hosts and our guest, Dr Becca Tarsa, to find out who doesn't love these adorable little scamps.

Originally planned as an in-flight short for Japan Airlines based on Hayao Miyazaki's manga "The Age of the Flying Boat", Porco Rosso tells the tale of a former WWI flying ace who has undergone a remarkable transformation. Guest Niall McGowan joins Neil, Ruben, and Jamie to discuss Neil's favourite of the Ghibli films.

Written and directed by Isao Takahata, Only Yesterday (1991) is a beautiful film about nostalgia, childhood, and choices. Guest Doris Weiss joins us to discuss Japan's top grossing film of 1991.

Kiki's Delivery Service (1989) is based on Eiko Kadono's 1985 novel of the same name. The fictional city in the movie is based on real cities in Sweden and the animators travelled there to get inspiration. Our guest is artist Crystal McDowell, here to provide insight into the animation and other artistic elements. You can see some of Crystal's beautiful work here: https://www.fernandfoil.com/

My Neighbor Totoro (1988), written and directed by Hayao Miyazaki, was sometimes screened as a double feature with Grave of the Fireflies (see episode 3). George Hendricks of the Mogwai Minute is our first guest on the podcast and brings his young daughter's perspective to the movie.

Grave of the Fireflies (1988) is notorious for being one of the saddest films ever made. It was written and directed by Isao Takahata, and produced by Studio Ghibli.