Favorite And Least Favorite Studio Ghibli Movie?

[Randall]

Only Yesterday Blu-0ray review!

http://animatedviews.com/2016/only-yesterday-blu-ray/

[EricJ]

From Up On Poppy Hill reveals Miyazaki, Jr. to have some chops after all! I really liked this one...

Finally got around to that one (at the public library, where quite a few former owners had donated their copies):
From the "Slice of life romance at iconic time in sentimental 20th-cty. Japanese history" description, and Goro directing, I settled in for a long, hard Whisper of the Heart slog...
But by the time they got into the plot of rebuilding the Club house, the crazy club chaos going on, the quirky club members, and the big pans up the four-story tower balconies, bore a STRONG resemblance to Spirited Away's bathhouse, and looked like its creator had had his hand in the storyboard and script.

I'd have been up for Hayao doing more "ghostwriting" for other Ghibli directors, even Goro, to work on, but that seems less likely.

[Dacey]

So is Studio Ghibli still "done with movies forever," or has there been talk I'm not aware of regarding that changing?

[Randall]

Nothing in the pipeline from what I've heard. I think even Marnie was a co-production.

[Vernadyn]

Only Yesterday Blu-0ray review!

http://animatedviews.com/2016/only-yesterday-blu-ray/

I'm as big of a fan of Hayao Miyazaki's films as anyone, but I have to say that Isao Takahata's The Tale of Princess Kaguya is my favorite Ghibli film and that Only Yesterday is probably in my top 5 as well. Maybe I'm just used to Japanese TV dramas with no fantasy elements, but I found Only Yesterday, particularly in the childhood scenes, so richly realized, so engrossing, and so deft in its verisimilitude and portrayal of events that may not be earth-shattering but are no less emotionally potent. The young Taeko's emotions in that scene when they're going to the Chinese restaurant are more affecting and believable because they're not over-the-top.

Truth be told, I didn't find the adulthood scenes quite as engaging--perhaps it's telling that they weren't part of the original manga. And I don't really feel that the animators pulled off the facial/muscle animation of adult Taeko's smile. That might be one reason why the adulthood scenes, while well done, didn't "click" with me as much. The behind-the-scenes documentary has a scene in which Takahata says that he has to be careful about not making Taeko look like an "obaasan" (old woman) when she smiles. Well, I'm afraid she does look like an old woman--an almost completely different person, in fact--when she smiles. I applaud Takahata's ambition to include more nuance in facial animation, but I'm afraid the animators fell short in regards to adult Taeko's smiles. (And she smiles a lot.)

However, those are just minor quibbles I had with a quiet yet magnificent film. I've resisted watching Pom Poko and My Neighbors the Yamadas because I heard they can get kind of bizarre--though after seeing Don Hertzfeldt's films, I'd like to think I have a stronger tolerance for animated weirdness now. But because I've liked the three Takahata films I've seen so far (Grave of the Fireflies is good, though, to repeat the sentiments of many others, I don't know if I'd ever want to actually see it again), maybe I'll check them out.

[Ben]

I thought Ghibli was handling the physical animation side for another upcoming feature, though I can't remember what it is. It doesn't have the usual Ghibli look or feel, I think they are just using the artists and facilities while everything there is on "hold" - a situation I just don't understand since the studio is more than viable just because Miyazaki decided to step away.

[manga raw]

I actually enjoy Tales from Earthsea. I think it's main obstacle is that it has such long source material that breaking it down is going to difficult for standard feature film length.

[Randall]

Ocean Waves picked up by GKids! I figured this one was bound to happen...

http://www.animationscoop.com/gkids-to- ... ean-waves/

I have the UK DVD, but certainly will welcome a Blu upgrade. It's not a GREAT film, but it is good, and essential for the Ghibli collector.

[Ben]

I thought Ghibli was handling the physical animation side for another upcoming feature, though I can't remember what it is.

This is The Red Turtle, which doesn't seem to have a release date yet but is starting to get some notice. It played the London Film Festival in October and I think starts to get limited releases from Jan/Feb next year.

Not a Ghibli film per se, but animated by their artists and "presented" by them on the posters.

[James]

It may have had it's Oscar qualifying run too since it was on the Animated Feature submission list.

[Randall]

The Red Turtle, The Ghibli co-production, has been reviewed!

viewtopic.php?f=2&t=3629

[Daniel]

First images of Aya and the Witch, the studios first CG film due out this winter. They look so plasticy...

[Ben]

I wouldn’t say "plasticky", exactly...but maybe not as textured as you might expect from CG. Then again, these films are made for a fraction of big western animation features, so it was always going to be more akin to an independent studio's output. I’m not really surprised at the level, but I was hoping for something better in the designs. Looks pretty generic.

[droosan]

Last year's CG Lupin the Third movie went that route, texture-wise, as well ..



.. perhaps the intent is to make the characters resemble the inevitable character toys & figurines (most of them cast in ABS, resin and/or vinyl) as closely as possible.

[Ben]

Well, now, that’s certainly a step up from the Ghibli, though, in terms of texture, lighting, direction and most importantly, design. I don’t think I knew about this — looks awesome, did it ever get an English language release as the trailer implies?