Caitlyn Hutson Kornhaber E344L Filmography 8/13/16

Hayao Miyazaki and Studio Ghibli 8 Films: Castle of Cagliostro Nausicaä of the Valley of the Wind Castle in the Sky My Neighbor Totoro Princess Mononoke Spirited Away Howl’s Moving Castle Ponyo Common tropes visible in all Miyazaki films: -Balance/harmony between man and nature is of utmost importance for the preservation of our world; humans vs nature; respect/beauty of nature. -The importance and magical qualities concerning a child’s innocence and the purity and wonder behind their imagination vs an adult’s lack of imagination. -Absence of parents; one or more parent usually in danger at some point. -Main character is always a child or adolescent; a “Coming of Age” story where the child matures as they experience the story usually prevalent. -Director Trademark- character who is skilled at flying; flying apparatus’. Castle of Cagliostro (1979)

Main Characters: Arsene Lupin III (aka “The Wolf”) Princess Clarisse Cagliostro Count Lazare Cagliostro Inspector Koichi Zenigata

Plot: An honorable thief (Lupin) crosses paths with a girl (Clarisse) whom he knew long ago when he derails a car chase she is involved in; she leaves him unconscious, but with a ring he recognizes upon waking. After some sleuthing he discovers Clarisse’s predicament involving a corrupt Count. Lupin vows to help and protect her from the Count who wishes to marry Clarisse in the hopes that with their houses of “Light and Dark” combined that the prophetic treasure said to be hidden underneath the ancient Cagliostro castle will be revealed. Setting: Town of Cagliostro Influences/Techniques: -Genre mashing- Mixture of smooth jazz (an odd choice, but one that works, for scenes like the Clarisse car chase), fairy tales, satire, nods to the American Gangster genre of the ‘40s (apparent in Lupin, as well as his associated Jigen, in both their demeanor and dialogue) as well as James Bond (mostly seen in Lupin and his gadgets combined with his behavior), and classical animation blended with Japanese anime. -Hauntology- Lupin III is a manga originally (but critics and fans alike disagree that this film is a loyal adaptation of the series); Lupin is commonly described as a “Gentleman Thief”, this along with his gadgets (like the dice microphone) and antics offers an interesting parallel to America’s favorite spy, James Bond; nods to Ancient Roman mythology with the infamous treasure being a sunken city raised to the surface at the end, seemingly an homage to Atlantis. -Realism- featured cars (Fiat 500 and Citroen 2CV) are both exact models of head animator Yasuo Ōtsuka and Miyazaki’s cars, respectively; it is suggested in the film that the Count’s counterfeit dealings caused the Stock Market Crash of 1929; political message apparent in U.N. setting and the corrupt dealings often seen in politics when one person (here, the Count) can buy an entire council which warns the dangers of corruption and power seen in the political world; West and the East come together in Miyzaki’s characters, Jigen and Ishikawa (Lupin’s associates): Jigen is the epitome of the 40’s gangster (Ex: uses a machine gun) while Ishikawa is wholly Japanese (Ex: uses a staff). -Phenomenology of Color- since the Count’s house is the House of Dark and Clarisse’s the House of Light, Miyazaki uses this in his color palette when dealing with these characters (Ex: Clarisse is always shown wearing white or a light color while the Count is always shown in darker colors). -Characteristics from WB animation/Plasmaticness- Lupin’s car able to drive up and down cliffs, Lupin himself being able to run down walls, when characters are in the air for whatever reason they use a swimming motion to move (Ex: When a trap door opens under the Inspector at one point, he swims in the air for a moment in a desperate attempt to stay topside, but eventually falls into the tunnels below), and when Lupin is disguised as the Inspector and gets caught up in the group of police chasing after himself. -Plasticity of the body- Ex: When Lupin gets sucked down the water chute and goes through gears and doors that crush his torso area which no human in reality could survive. -Cinematography- tracking shots (when Lupin is climbing the roof to Clarisse’s tower), smear animation (or something like it) when he runs back down, negative space in shots with the Princess in her tower to emphasize her loneliness.

Nausicaä of the Valley of the Wind (1984)

Main Characters: Nausicaä Lord Yupa Asbel Kushana Kurotowa Plot: Taking place 1,000 years after a great war which ended most human life, the remaining survivors are still trying to rebuild the world. Scattered human settlements are separated by the Sea of Decay, a highly poisonous area of the wasteland inhabited by monstrous bugs (Ohm) and plants growing rogue due to the toxicity of the air. Nausicaä, the empathetic princess of the Valley of the Wind who can tame the Ohm, can be found daily in the Sea of Decay as she tries to discover how to fix the world. One day, an airship carrying a powerful weapon called the God Warrior crashes and a war begins over its possession. Some want to use it to destroy the Sea of Decay as they think it will rid the world of the toxic air and return it to normal again; but there are some who warn that it will only anger the Ohm and cause another war which will wipe out humanity entirely. Nausicaä believes there should be peace between the humans and the Ohm and unite with those against using the weapon in an attempt to bring harmony between the two species. Settings: Post-apocalyptic wasteland Valley of the Wind Sea of Decay Influences/Techniques: -Hauntology- Miyazaki was inspired by authors Tolkien, Asimov, Frank Herbert (Dune), and Homer to create his characters and the world; Nausicaä was a manga created by Miyazaki before it was a film; the name Nausicaä comes from The Odyssey (she is a princess who helps Odysseus). -Realism- the poisoned environment aspect of this film can be attributed to the mercury poisoning epidemic that troubled the town of Minamata Bay in the 50s and 60s. -Classical Production and Aura- Nausicaä is entirely hand-drawn; use of Cell Animation.

-Cinematography- many establishing long shots are used in Nausicaä as a way to express just how expansive the wasteland is, the gargantuan size of the Ohm, and as a way to wholly receive scenes in a more live-action way. Castle in the Sky (1986)

Main Characters: Sheeta Pazu Captain Dola and her sons Colonel Muska General Muoro Plot: After her captors’ (Muska) airship is attacked by pirates (Dola and her sons), a girl (Sheeta) and her mysterious crystal necklace literally fall into a boy’s (Pazu) hands one day. What follows is an incredible adventure filled with pirates, rogue secret agents, magic, and love when Sheeta discovers her true destiny as Princess of Laputa. She and Pazu, along with the unexpected help of Dola and her sons, must do whatever they’re able to keep the power which resides within Laputa out of Muska’s evil hands. Settings: Small mining town (Pazu’s hometown) Tiger Moth (pirates’ air ship) Goliath (government air ship) Laputa Influences/Techniques: -Hauntology- the name Laputa is borrowed from Jonathan Swift’s novel Gulliver’s Travels, where another floating island has the same name. -Realism- Biblical and Hindu influences surrounding the history of Laputa- biblical ex: Laputa, not God, destroyed Sodom and Gomorra, Hindu ex: makes references to Hindu epic Ramayana (Ex: Indra’s arrow and Sheeta may be a derivative of Sita, the main character of Ramayana); the Gothic architecture of the flying castle itself; ancient form of writing (believed to be the first form of writing) called Cuneiform Script can be found on the walls of Laputa; architecture of

Pazu’s hometown is modeled after Welsh mining towns that Miyazaki visited in preparation for the film; airships have Victorian influences in their designs; military uniforms are similar to those worn by German soliders in WWI. -Cinematography- uses of specific shots (long shots, close ups, establishing shots, etc) tell the viewer almost everything they need to know about the scene most of the time. (Ex: there is a slow close up of Sheeta on the airship in the beginning where she is surrounded by guards which suggests her vulnerability). -Reference to the Miyazaki universe- animals that Nausicaä befriends in the Sea of Decay can be seen in Laputa playing on the overgrown robot outside the base of the tree. My Neighbor Totoro (1988)

Main Characters: Satsuki Mei Tatsuo (Satsuki and Mei’s father) Totoro Kanta Nanny Catbus Plot: A father takes care of his two girls while their mother is in the hospital. One day Mei, the youngest, runs off; she finds a secret tunnel which leads into a clearing where she meets Totoro, a magical giant cat-like creature who takes a special interest in her and her family when she easily befriends him. Setting: The woods next to Satsuki and Mei’s house Techniques/Influences: -Hauntology- Mei is similar to Lucy from C.S. Lewis’ The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe; this reference is also apparent in the fact that Mei can’t show her sister, Satsuki, the clearing the same way again and no one believes her. This is exactly what happens to Lucy; Totoro seems to

borrow the concept from the Narnia series that an entrance will appear only when it needs/wants to. -Classical vs Modern- The art style marries the past (hand-drawn) and the modern (computer animation) together to create an entirely different kind of world not yet scene in Ghibli films. The style can be seen in subsequent Miyazaki films as art director, Kazuo Oga, stays on with the studio. -Realism- Mei is based on Miyazaki’s niece. Princess Mononoke (1997)

Main Characters: Ashitaka Yakul San Moro Shishigami (Forest Spirit) Lady Eboshi Gonza Jiko-bō Hii-sama Nago & Okkoto-nushi (Boar Gods) Plot: Ashitaka, in an attempt to bring peace between humans and nature, is forced to kill a boar god (Nago) who has been filled with demonic rage. Upon killing the creature, a curse is placed on Ashitaka and he is forced to leave his home to search for a cure. When he reaches Irontown, he learns that Lady Eboshi is responsible for filling Nago with rage because she shot him. San attacks the town on his first night. When Ashitaka intervenes, he becomes mortally injured. San leads him to a magical lake in the middle of the forest where the Forest God makes his first appearance. Shortly after this, Jigo, a man undercover for the Emperor, succeeds in cutting the Forest God’s head off which leads to the being transforming into a god of death, covering the world in a suffocating black ooze. Okkoto-nushi and his army of boars are also heading to Irontown because of the outrage. To save the town, San and Ashitaka suffer through peril in order to return the head to the Forest God. When they succeed, the world turns green again and Ashitaka’s curse is lifted.

Settings: Ashitaka’s hometown Irontown and the surrounding forest Techniques & Influences: -Statement against modernity- when Ashitaka kills Nago, he finds a ball of iron in his corpse. This leads him West, to Irontown. The connection between nature and modernity is encased in the battle between the inhabitants of Irontown and the creatures of the forest; modernity is destroying the natural environment (Irontown’s inhabitants are constantly mining the forest to its bare bones) and causing the rift between nature and humanity. This is a common trope going all the way back to the birth of animation (Ex: “Hotel Electrico”). Not to mention that the antagonists’ main goal is to capture the head of the majestic Forest God is a statement against humans and their innate desire to destroy what they need for life. -Classical vs Modern Production- While the film is mostly hand-drawn, there are instances where 3D rendering was used and superimposed onto drawn characters. (Ex: when demon snakes curl around Ashitaka after he kills Nago), but is only used for 5 minutes in the course of the film as a way to merely enhance the hand-drawn (another 10 uses digital paint which can be seen in all subsequent Ghibli films); Use of cell animation. -Hauntology and realism- Irontown having an Old West-y feel to it is a nod to Western director John Ford. Spirited Away (2001)

Main Characters: Chihiro Ogino/ Sen Haku Yubaba, aka “Bathhouse Witch”, Zeniba, aka “Money Witch” Kamajii, aka “Boiler Man” Lin Noh-Face Plot: A family encounters a seemingly abandoned town on the way to their new home where they come across a booth full of food. Ravenous, the parents dig in, but their daughter (Chihiro) refuses to partake and goes off exploring. She encounters a strange boy (Haku) who tells her to

leave by nightfall. She rushes off to find her parents, but by the time she reaches them, they have transformed into human sized pigs and the city bustles with spirits drifting about. Now stuck in the spirit world, Chihiro, with the help of magical humanoid Haku and a spirit called Noh-Face (among others), must navigate through this enchanted world in order to get back to hers. Setting: A magical forest which leads into a world between dreams and reality. Techniques & Influences: -Plasmaticness- within the dynamics of the spirit world, but still follows rules (ex: dead paper bird turns into a paper person). -Experimentation/ Classical vs Modern Production/ Aura- dabbling computer animation as opposed to hand-drawn but only using it to enhance the setting and not overpower it; most characters are still hand-drawn which still gives this film a certain handmade aura. -Relationship to Natural World/ Realism- Miyazaki based some of the buildings in the spirit world on a real museum in Tokyo. -Hauntology/ Absent Present- This film is often compared to other iconic films and stories, like Alice in Wonderland and Wizard of Oz, that involve another world. -Physical Representation of the Moral of the Story- Using the “greed” motif to get points across (ie: her parents turn into pigs because they were eating “like pigs”; Noh-Face lures frog and other townspeople with gold in order to devour him; as the heroine, Chihiro always refuses gluttonous acts). -Surrealism- plays on expectations and the fact that anything can happen in the spirit world (Ex: Yubaba turns the baby into a mouse). Howl’s Moving Castle (2004)

Main Characters: Sofî Howl Witch of the Waste Markl Calcifer Prince Turnip/Turniphead

Plot: An evil witch casts a spell over a young working class girl, Sofî, which turns her into an old woman. Embarrassed to be seen, she runs away and encounters Howl, his castle, and its inhabitants (Markl and Calcifer). The motley crew joins together to help Sofî battle the Witch of the Waste while she conversely helps them to understand and love themselves. Settings: Countryside Unnamed city (Sofi’s hometown) Howl’s castle Influences & Techniques: -Plasticity & Anthropocentricity- castle and its mechanics molds and responds to Howl, his mood, and the environment -Anthropomorphicity- Calcifer (he’s always fire, but can be used in different ways; for example, fueling the castle vs being used to cook bacon) -Classical vs modernity- hand-drawn characters and settings juxtaposed against the computer generated castle; use of keyframe animation; film produced digitally and images were manually retouched on computer if needed to give the film the hand-drawn quality we have come to expect from Miyazaki. -Realism- buildings in the city and landscapes are inspired by French countryside; imagery alludes to 19th century “Illusion art” Ponyo (2008)

Main Characters: Ponyo Sôsuke Lisa (Sôsuke’s mom) Kôichi (Sôsuke’s dad) Fujimoto Granmamare Kayo

Plot: A little boy, Sôsuke, finds a strange fish with a human face in the shallows beside his seaside home and names her Ponyo. They become quick friends only to become separated due to her frantic father, Fujimoto, who believes that Sôsuke has kidnapped his precious daughter; he “rescues” her by sending his wave minions after her. Once inside Fijumoto’s underwater lab, Ponyo voices her desire to be human and displays her powers (which far surpass her father’s) and turns into a human girl; with the help of her many sisters, Ponyo manages to escape. She creates a storm and runs across the waves back to Sôsuke and Lisa’s house where she quickly becomes part of the family. When they discover that the world has been covered with water and Lisa is missing, the children decide to go after her. Filled with wonderfully unique characters, Ponyo is a magical journey wrought with wonder and intrigue which showcases what can be accomplished with a child’s imagination and love; a splendidly crafted coming-of-age tale. Settings: An unnamed coastal town The Ocean Techniques & Influences: -The Absent Present/Hauntology- echoes The Little Mermaid in Ponyo’s desire to be human and her love for Sôsuke, a human. Miyazaki himself admits this story was inspiration for the film. -Reflexivity & a Plasmatic World- While this world has similar mechanics to ours, there are differences because magical characters like Fujimoto, Ponyo, and Granmamare exist. This concept can be seen in scenes like the one where Ponyo runs across waves that look like giant fish in order to catch up to Sôsuke, who’s riding in a car. -Handcrafted Aura- Classic hand-drawn animation; Miyazaki drew the waves and ocean sequences himself because he enjoyed experimenting with different ways to portray it. Has a record of over 17,000 hand-drawn images, the longest in Studio Ghibli’s filmography. -Realism- the coastal town is inspired by a real town called Tomonoura in Japan; music is a reference to Richard Wagner’s opera Die Walküre; Sôsuke is based on Miyazaki’s son, Gorō; Sôsuke’s name is the same as the protagonist in a Japanese novel called The Gate. -Paul Wells ideal- Offers an “appeal for adult audiences” which “lies in the indulgent regression into an adolescent state or in the opportunity to re-live the freedoms of a child’s uninhibited imagination”