How Studio Ghibli Changed Anime

Something that I have been thinking about lately is "How has studio Ghibli changed anime?". And honestly, sometimes I think we forget just how deep that influence actually runs. It’s just one of those things where you kinda take it for granted now. I mean, Ghibli’s just there and it's influences also extends beyond anime, but that is a discussion for another time. So for now let's go back, and look at the landscape for anime, the before and after, and yeah they changed the game. There's No doubt about it.

First off, I know that they didn’t invent anime films or anything like that and there were movies way before Ghibli ever showed up on the scene. Toei, for example, was doing films in the 60s, and Astro Boy was flying around. But what Ghibli did was prove that anime could be more than just stuff for kids or hardcore fans. It could be art and moving in ways you never thought of before. So, in my mind it can even stand next to live-action films on the world stage and hold its own. 

So when did it all begin? Well, You can trace it back to Nausicaä of the Valley of the Wind, which yes I know isn’t technically a Ghibli film but c’mon, it’s the proto-Ghibli blueprint. You’ve got this big sweeping world, it’s got environmental themes the Miyazaki is known for, it’s thoughtful, it’s got weight to it. What's even better is that it wasn’t trying to sell toys or milk a franchise it stood on it's own for what it was. Then soon after that you start rolling into Laputa, Totoro, Kiki’s, and before you know it, by the time Princess Mononoke and Spirited Away drop, you’ve got audiences worldwide sitting up and paying attention. That Oscar win for Spirited Away, was for me a moment where you could say “Okay, anime films are officially on the map.”

But what I think was one of the biggest things that they did was change the tone of what anime could be. I mean, think about it, before that a lot of it was big flashy action or goofy comedy or niche genres. Nothing wrong with any of that, obviously, we love that stuff, some of us more then other but Ghibli came in and said, "What about driving for a deeper more meaningful story? What about something that really makes you think or look at things in a different way?" And they nailed it in my opinion. You’ve got a family moving to the countryside in Totoro, a young witch trying to figure life out in Kiki’s, and don't even get me started on Howl’s Moving Castle. They were able to make things even the ordinary feel magical.

And that ripple effect is everywhere now. You look at cozy shows like Barakamon, Natsume’s Book of Friends, Non Non Biyori, stuff that takes its time and finds joy in small moments. You think that stuff gets made or finds an audience without Ghibli paving the way? Nah there is no way in my opinion.

They also visually raised the bar. The backgrounds in anime were always there, but Ghibli backgrounds? They breathe. The way they paint nature, the attention to food (which always looks good and makes me hungry), it’s just next level. And every modern area anime film is chasing that exact same vibe to some degree, even if they put their own spin on it. Look at movies like Your Name, yeah that’s Shinkai’s style, but the DNA of Ghibli is in there for sure. No shame in that it is a master piece of  beautiful story telling and visuals that made me ball my eyes out. It's jus that Ghibli set the standard.

But what about the industry side of things? Ghibli made it make sense to spend money on animation again. There was a time when anime films were cheap, quick TV spinoffs, or big franchise tentpoles, basically they just turned out junk food in a manner of speaking. But Ghibli said, “Nope, we’re making prestige films. Films anyone can watch. That are are like being prepared by a Michelin chef.” That opened the door for other studios to go bigger too. Now you see studios like MAPPA pouring love into their shows and films and a lot of that courage started because Ghibli showed it could pay off.

And one of the biggest things that they changed was how anime was perceived outside of Japan. Back when I was a kid, anime was still not main stream at all, and if you liked it you were an outcast. Then Spirited Away wins the Oscar. And just like that, it wasn’t “those weird cartoons” anymore. That perception shift was huge and we’re still feeling the benefits of it now.

Of course I know that Ghibli didn’t do it all alone. You had folks like Otomo with Akira, Oshii with Ghost in the Shell, lots of others pushing the envelope too. But Ghibli brought the heart. They made anime beloved, not just respected or edgy or cool.

Now to be honest, not every Ghibli film lands for me personally. Some of them can be a little slow. or just miss the mark for me all together, but I can certainly still appreciate them as a whole still. Like with everything else they all can't be 10 out of 10 but that's okay. Because they’re not chasing trends or trying to make blockbuster hits every time. They make what they want to make. That kind of creative integrity inspired a ton of other creators.

Anyway, that’s my little ramble on how I think that Ghibli changed anime. And next time you’re watching a show where they go into detail about them making a meal or a movie with a ridiculous sky painted like a dream, remember who was doing it first. Ghibli laid the groundwork.