Hey guys, I was having a Ghibli film marathon the other day to try and decide for definate what my favourite film of Studio Ghibli is , and mine is Howls Moving Castle, I just wondered what other peoples were and why people favour them rather than the others.

Also I am an A-level film studies student and we were in class talking about different film styles and we got onto the subject of Japanese animation and it wasn't long before we found ourselves talking about Studio Ghibli, and, well our teacher made a great statement 'who or what is the Auteur Miyazaki or Studio Ghibli', I thought it was Studio Ghibli itself and I wondered what other people thought about the matter?

Love to know your opinions!!!! Thank You!!!!

Welcome to onlineghibli It's pretty quiet here at the moment, so all new members are appreciated. My favourite ghibli film.... well it depends on how you see it. The Ghiblil movie that I love the most and go back to time and time again is Tonari no Totoro. It's just so sweet and innocent, but with a hint of sadness. This is the movie that always cheers me up after a hard day at university. As a matter of fact, I can hardly wait for my sister and her boyfriend to have kids so that I can watch Totoro with a little Mei-chan (of course, there will be loads of candy, chips and other unhealthy treats involved)
The Ghibli movie that I admire the most is Mononoke hime. Because it was my first ghibli, it has a very special place in my heart. I don't watch it near as often as Totoro, Kiki or Porco rosso, because I have to be in the right stage of mind to be abled to fully appreciate it. It's so rich in themes that I really need to focus entirely on it to enjoy it. I still think that Ghibli has never made a more complex, interesting movie than Mononoke hime. And Ashitaka is the most interesting of all of Miyazaki's male heroes ( a certain pig-faced aviator comes very close)
What does the word "auteur" mean? I'm a literature student, so I should know this, but my first language isn't english?

Auteur is a name given to either a director or studio that has a certain style of film or films, with recurring themes or the type of characters. Thats why I thought the statement was so good because I think using that definition it is really complex to actually decide which is the auteur miyazaki or Studio Ghibli it took me ages to come to a decision on the issue!!!!

Ok, so does this question mean if there are any themes or characters in ghibli films that make them instantly recognizable as Ghibli films?

Exactly right!!!! It is something we look at in our film studies lessons!! I was just curious to know what people thought as well!!!

I think that there are many themes and visual elements that make Ghibli-films recognizable as Ghibli films. Themes that Ghibli ofen use are: ecology, human relationships, growing up , relationship between the magical world and real (mostly used in Miyazaki's films), a certain political "leftism" (the working women in Porco rosso and Mononoke hime, Only yesterday), strong female characters and the theme of flying (which seems to be Miya-sans obsession; let's face it, the only Miyazaki movies where the characters don't fly are Mononoke hime and Ponyo).

Yeah that makes sence so what your saying is that it is more Miyazaki that is the auteur rather than Studio Ghibli itself!!!

Thanks for your input by the way!!! Greatly appreciated!!

Not an expert, but I think that just Miyazaki-san being a major part of Studio Ghibli influences its output even if only in a minor way, although to attribute any input from him as 'minor' is an injustice, IMO...

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Thanks for your opinion!!!!

Do-itashi-masu...

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What is 'Do-itashi masu'

Don't mention it... (more or less)

groan, I mispelled it.

dou-itashi-mas-te

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