Tag: Studio Ghibli

Remembering 2015’s Best Animated Works

The best animated works came from Netflix’s streaming service. And DreamWorks offered a lot which Loved.

Disney Pixar Inside Out Movie Poster
PIXAR’s film is a strong contender come Oscar season!

2015 was very good for many fans of the animation genre. The best animated works came from Netflix‘s streaming service. And DreamWorks offered a lot which Loved. Turbo FAST’s serialized offering was okay, but in what I loved was All Hail King Julian! Other programs like Dragons: Race to the Edge, Dawn of the Croods and Adventures of Puss in Boots shows that at least the studio is dedicated.

But what does that mean for other studios? Curiously, DreamWorks has not continued 2014’s Penguins of Madagascar movie. Has Nickelodeon said no to the studio making more or has Tom McGrath, the voice of Skipper, decided to move on? Currently, he’s working on Boss Baby, slated for release in 2017.

Disney/Pixar was busy with two releases, Inside Out and The Good Dinosaur, and while I favour the prehistoric adventure more than a look at what goes on inside a little girl’s head, I do see the former being a contender come Oscar season. I do have to wonder how long Minion-mania will last. It arrived in full force because of the movie and it showed no signs of slowing down over the holidays with merchandise being deeply discounted and the film put onto home video super early!

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Finding Meaning in Tale of Princess Kaguya, A Movie Review

kaguya-poster-compressedBy Ed Sum (The Vintage Tempest)

Ever since the news broke late Summer about Studio Ghibli taking a break in producing feature films, just what this production house is able to do next is subject to speculation. Depending on what fans read into producer Toshio Suzuki’s statement, thankfully this studio is not closing its doors. This company is merely taking a break.

When everyone is back, the group will reassess their future. With the ‘retirement’ of famed director Hayao Miyazaki, who helped establish this company, the future seems bleak. Recently, it has been reported that he said that he will continue making anime until he is longer able to and that’s good news. Production may be slower and that’s fine.

Fortunately, co-founder Isao Takahata has not indicated that he is retiring. His output may be slower when considering his last film, My Neighbour the Yamadas, was made in 1999. His latest work, The Tale of Princess Kaguya took a year to arrive in North America. The wait is certainly well worth it as the film skillfully reproduces the same visual style as his previous work and goes further. This film beautifully fuses a watercolour panache upon an artistic landscape that’s found in many a Japanese wall scroll.

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