It's awards season! And we're jumping into the fray. In this first episode of a two-part awards miniseries, Michael and Jake talk about the two CG-animated offerings from Hollywood studios in contention for Best Animated Feature this year: Inside Out 2 and The Wild Robot.

Scroll back through our archive for interviews with Oscar nominees Chris Sanders (The Wild Robot), Nick Park & Merlin Crossingham (Wallace and Gromit: Vengeance Most Fowl) and Adam Elliot, and look forward to our interview with Gints Zilbalodis (Flow), coming to podcast your feeds in March.

Subscribe to our Patreon for ad-free episodes and bonus conversations in our Library Cafe series.

Follow us on Twitter or Instagram, or drop us an email at ghibliotheque@gmail.com.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In this episode, Michael speaks with Australian stop-motion filmmaker Adam Elliot (Mary & Max, Harvie Krumpet) about his new, Oscar-nominated film Memoir of a Snail. In this wide-ranging conversation, Adam speaks about the enduring influence of David Lynch, how he crafts his distinctive films, his love of stories that mix the dark with the light and his memories of working with Philip Seymour Hoffman on Mary & Max.

Subscribe to our Patreon for ad-free episodes and bonus conversations in our Library Cafe series.

Follow us on Twitter or Instagram, or drop us an email at ghibliotheque@gmail.com.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

"It's a podcast machine, you idiot. Podcasters go in, podcasts come out." This week, Michael, Jake and Steph discuss Aardman's feature debut, co-directed by Nick Park alongside studio co-founder Peter Lord, the farmyard break-out comedy-adventure, Chicken Run.

Subscribe to our Patreon for ad-free episodes and bonus conversations in our Library Cafe series.

Follow us on Twitter or Instagram, or drop us an email at ghibliotheque@gmail.com.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Before we close the swing doors of the Cartoon Salooniverse, Michael, Jake and Steph cast the new wide to discuss everything the studio does that isn't feature length, from the Oscar-nominated short film Late Afternoon, to the delightful children's series Puffin Rock, and everything in between, including a conversation about Cartoon Saloon's pitch for a Winnie the Pooh series, and a tantalising look at what's next for the studio. And, of course, we must rank the Cartoon Saloon films - with a little help from our listeners.

• Watch the short film Late Afternoon here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CvHj_AwFg_g
• Watch There's a Monster in My Kitchen here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8rIjVDo_u8c
• Watch other Cartoon Saloon shorts, trailers, teasers and clips on their YouTube channel: https://www.youtube.com/user/CartoonSaloon
• Visit Monica Armiño's portfolio site for a look at Cartoon Saloon's concept art for Winnie the Pooh: https://monicaarmino.com/winnie-the-pooh/
• Listen to the Best Bits podcast, co-hosted by Will Collins: https://podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/the-best-bits/id1555161900?uo=4&itscg=30200&itsct=podcast_box
• Listen to The Screenwriting Life podcast, co-hosted by Meg Lefauve: https://podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/the-screenwriting-life-with-meg-lefauve-and-lorien-mckenna/id1501641442

Get in touch with Ghibliotheque at ghibli@littledotstudios.com or follow us on Twitter:

@ghibliotheque

@MichaelJLeader - Michael

@jakehcunningham - Jake

@_stephwatts - Steph

Produced by Michael Leader, Jake Cunningham, Harold McShiel and Steph Watts. Music by Anthony Ing.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This week's episode of our Cartoon Salooniverse miniseries brings us up to date, as Michael, Jake and Steph talk about Cartoon Saloon's latest, Oscar-nominated feature, Wolfwalkers, which sees Tomm Moore completing his Irish folklore trilogy of stories, this time working in collaboration with co-director Ross Stewart.

Get in touch with Ghibliotheque at ghibli@littledotstudios.com or follow us on Twitter:

@ghibliotheque

@MichaelJLeader - Michael

@jakehcunningham - Jake

@_stephwatts - Steph

Produced by Michael Leader, Jake Cunningham, Harold McShiel and Steph Watts. Music by Anthony Ing.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This week in our Cartoon Salooniverse miniseries, Michael, Jake and Steph leave behind the folklore-filled landscape of Tomm Moore's Ireland for The Breadwinner, the animated drama about a young girl growing up in Afghanistan in the dying days of Taliban rule, directed by Cartoon Saloon co-founder Nora Twomey. What happens when such a distinctively Irish studio looks abroad?

Read the article 'The Breadwinner, or the Cinema as Secular Hegemony' by Jalil Kochai here: https://www.milestonesjournal.net/reviews/2018/7/2/the-breadwinner-or-the-cinema-as-secular-hegemony

Get in touch with Ghibliotheque at ghibli@littledotstudios.com or follow us on Twitter:

@ghibliotheque

@MichaelJLeader – Michael

@jakehcunningham – Jake

@_stephwatts - Steph

Produced by Michael Leader, Jake Cunningham, Harold McShiel and Steph Watts. Music by Anthony Ing.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

How do you follow a widely-renowned, Oscar-nominated debut feature? In this episode in our miniseries about the Irish animation studio Cartoon Saloon, Michael, Jake and Steph discuss their second feature, Tomm Moore's coastal fantasy Song of the Sea - a film about a young boy, his little sister (who also happens to be a magical selkie creature), and the rich folklore that rises out of the very landscape of Ireland itself.

Get in touch with Ghibliotheque at ghibli@littledotstudios.com or follow us on Twitter:

@ghibliotheque

@MichaelJLeader – Michael

@jakehcunningham – Jake

@_stephwatts - Steph

Produced by Michael Leader, Jake Cunningham, Harold McShiel and Steph Watts. Music by Anthony Ing.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Michael, Jake and Steph return with a new Ghibliotheque spin-off miniseries, dedicated to the wonderful work of Irish animation studio Cartoon Saloon, who are often referred to as the Ghibli of Kilkenny. Listeners may remember our interview with Cartoon Saloon directors Tomm Moore and Ross Stewart about their latest film WolfWalkers and the enduring influence of Studio Ghibli, but in this episode we're going right back to the beginning for The Secret of Kells, the company's distinctive, Oscar-nominated debut feature film.

Get in touch with Ghibliotheque at ghibli@littledotstudios.com or follow us on Twitter:

@ghibliotheque

@MichaelJLeader – Michael

@jakehcunningham – Jake

@_stephwatts - Steph

Produced by Michael Leader, Jake Cunningham, Harold McShiel and Steph Watts. Music by Anthony Ing.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This week, Michael and Jake are thrilled to tackle something new for the Ghibliotheque podcast... a brand-new Studio Ghibli film! The latest from Goro Miyazaki, Earwig and the Witch may come from a familiar source, as it's adapted from a novel by Howl's Moving Castle author Diana Wynne Jones, but it showcases a radical new direction for Ghibli as the Studio's first 3D, CG-animated feature. But how has the experiment turned out?

Follow Ghibliotheque on Twitter:

@ghibliotheque

@MichaelJLeader – Michael

@jakehcunningham – Jake

@_stephwatts - Steph

Produced by Michael Leader, Jake Cunningham, Harold McShiel and Steph Watts.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

It's the annual Ghibliotheque Christmas episode! At the virtual Christmas party, Michael, Jake, Steph and Harold look back on the strange year that was 2020, read some excellent letters from listeners and their Ghibli plus ones, and even do a bit of Ghibli-themed karaoke. So grab a drink and a buffet plate, and join in the fun.

Follow Ghibliotheque on Twitter:

@ghibliotheque

@MichaelJLeader – Michael

@jakehcunningham – Jake

@_stephwatts - Steph

And get in touch via email at ghibli@littledotstudios.com

Produced by Michael Leader, Jake Cunningham, Steph Watts & Harold McShiel.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This special interview miniseries comes to a close with Pixar writing veteran Mike Jones (Soul, Luca), who talks with Michael and Jake about his experiences adapting the screenplays for The Wind Rises and The Tale of the Princess Kaguya for English-speaking audiences, as well as the similarities and differences in Studio Ghibli and Pixar's approaches to storytelling.

Follow Ghibliotheque on Twitter:

@ghibliotheque

@MichaelJLeader – Michael

@jakehcunningham – Jake

@_stephwatts - Steph

And get in touch via email at ghibli@littledotstudios.com

Produced by Michael Leader, Jake Cunningham, Steph Watts & Harold McShiel.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Our series of conversations with writers, animators and filmmakers about their relationship with Studio Ghibli continues with Rebecca Sugar, creator of the Cartoon Network series Steven Universe, talking with Steph and Jake about her lifelong love of anime, and how the work of Miyazaki and Takahata influenced her approach to animation.

Follow Ghibliotheque on Twitter:

@ghibliotheque

@MichaelJLeader – Michael

@jakehcunningham – Jake

@_stephwatts - Steph

And get in touch via email at ghibli@littledotstudios.com

Produced by Michael Leader, Jake Cunningham, Steph Watts & Harold McShiel.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Steve Alpert, the one-time "resident foreigner" at Studio Ghibli and author of the memoir Sharing a House With the Never-Ending Man, joins Michael, Jake and Steph to talk about his 15-year tenure at the Studio, including working on the international distribution of Princess Mononoke and Spirited Away.

Follow Ghibliotheque on Twitter:

@ghibliotheque

@MichaelJLeader – Michael

@jakehcunningham – Jake

@_stephwatts - Steph

And get in touch via email at ghibli@littledotstudios.com

Produced by Michael Leader, Jake Cunningham, Steph Watts & Harold McShiel.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Tragic romance! Sheep rustling! Dirty windows! Michael, Jake and Steph don their favourite woolly jumpers and settle in for a chat all about Nick Park’s third Wallace and Gromit adventure, A Close Shave.

Subscribe to our Patreon for ad-free episodes and bonus conversations in our Library Cafe series.

Follow us on Twitter or Instagram, or drop us an email at ghibliotheque@gmail.com.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In this new miniseries, Michael, Jake and Steph are joined by filmmakers, animators and writers to talk about their relationships with Studio Ghibli. This week, director Domee Shi talks with the gang about the influence Ghibli had on her as a young animator, and how the work of Isao Takahata informed her Oscar-winning Pixar short, Bao.

Follow Ghibliotheque on Twitter:

@ghibliotheque

@MichaelJLeader – Michael

@jakehcunningham – Jake

@_stephwatts - Steph

And get in touch via email at ghibli@littledotstudios.com

Produced by Michael Leader, Jake Cunningham, Steph Watts & Harold McShiel.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In this new miniseries, Michael, Jake and Steph are joined by filmmakers, animators and writers to talk about their relationships with Studio Ghibli and the enduring influence of Hayao Miyazaki and Isao Takahata. To start, Tomm Moore and Ross Stewart join the gang to talk about their new film, WolfWalkers, and how the work of their studio, Cartoon Saloon (Song of the Sea, Secret of Kells, The Breadwinner), draws inspiration from Ghibli.

Follow Ghibliotheque on Twitter:

@ghibliotheque

@MichaelJLeader – Michael

@jakehcunningham – Jake

@_stephwatts - Steph

And get in touch via email at ghibli@littledotstudios.com

Produced by Michael Leader, Jake Cunningham, Steph Watts & Harold McShiel.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In this special bonus episode, we talk to actress and activist Shakina Nayfack on providing the voice of Hana in the new English dub of Satoshi Kon's Tokyo Godfathers, produced by GKIDS.

Follow Ghibliotheque on Twitter:

@ghibliotheque

@MichaelJLeader – Michael

@jakehcunningham – Jake

@_stephwatts - Steph

Follow Shakina on twitter @Shakeenz

And get in touch via email at ghibli@littledotstudios.com

Produced by Michael Leader, Jake Cunningham, Steph Watts & Harold McShiel.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In this special mailbag episode, Michael, Jake and Steph discuss Satoshi Kon's final short film, Ohayo, his unfinished works and his legacy, with help from listeners and special guests Paul Williams, Zack Davisson, Shakina Nayfack and Natalie Ng.

Follow Ghibliotheque on Twitter:

@ghibliotheque

@MichaelJLeader – Michael

@jakehcunningham – Jake

@_stephwatts - Steph

Follow this episode's guests on Twitter:

@artporu - Paul Williams

@ZackDavisson - Zack Davisson

@Shakeenz - Shakina Nayfack

@wednesdaydreams - Natalie Ng

And get in touch via email at ghibli@littledotstudios.com

Produced by Michael Leader, Jake Cunningham, Steph Watts & Harold McShiel.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Michael, Jake and Steph come to the end of Satoshi Kon's short filmography with a voyage into a world of dreams. To many, Paprika is Kon's best-known film, widely released, broadly praised and, if you believe the internet, ripped off by Christopher Nolan in Inception. But is watching Paprika a dream or a nightmare?

Follow Ghibliotheque on Twitter:

@ghibliotheque

@MichaelJLeader – Michael

@jakehcunningham – Jake

@_stephwatts - Steph

And get in touch via email at ghibli@littledotstudios.com

Produced by Michael Leader, Jake Cunningham, Steph Watts & Harold McShiel.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Michael, Steph and Jake's journey into the animated work of Satoshi Kon continues with the director's foray into TV: the twisty, twisted mystery series Paranoia Agent.

Follow Ghibliotheque on Twitter:

@ghibliotheque

@MichaelJLeader – Michael

@jakehcunningham – Jake

@_stephwatts - Steph

And get in touch via email at ghibli@littledotstudios.com

Produced by Michael Leader, Jake Cunningham, Steph Watts & Harold McShiel.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

It’s Christmas this week on the Konology, the miniseries that looks at the work of anime legend Satoshi Kon. Michael, Jake and Steph watch Kon's holiday comedy drama, Tokyo Godfathers.

Follow Ghibliotheque on Twitter:

@ghibliotheque

@MichaelJLeader – Michael

@jakehcunningham – Jake

And get in touch via email at ghibli@littledotstudios.com

Produced by Michael Leader, Jake Cunningham, Steph Watts & Harold McShiel.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Next in the Konology miniseries that looks at the work of anime legend Satoshi Kon, Michael, Jake and Steph discuss Kon's second feature film, Millennium Actress.

Follow Ghibliotheque on Twitter:

@ghibliotheque

@MichaelJLeader – Michael

@jakehcunningham – Jake

And get in touch via email at ghibli@littledotstudios.com

Produced by Michael Leader, Jake Cunningham, Steph Watts & Harold McShiel.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Kicking off the Konology miniseries that looks at the work of anime legend Satoshi Kon, Michael, Jake and Steph watch Kon's influential debut, the psychological thriller Perfect Blue.

Follow Ghibliotheque on Twitter:

@ghibliotheque

@MichaelJLeader – Michael

@jakehcunningham – Jake

And get in touch via email at ghibli@littledotstudios.com

Produced by Michael Leader, Jake Cunningham, Steph Watts & Harold McShiel.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

A quick tease of what's to come from Ghibliotheque... The Konology! A miniseries looking at the work of Satoshi Kon, from Perfect Blue to Paprika, taking in Millennium Actress, Tokyo Godfathers and the anime series Paranoia Agent along the way.

Kon's international reputation, singular artistic vision and unbeatable body of work put him in the annals of animation alongside the masters at Studio Ghibli, so if we were to add a new wings to the Ghibliotheque to cover non-Ghibli filmmakers, we thought Kon would be the perfect place to start. Tune in next week for the first episode...

Follow Ghibliotheque on Twitter:

@ghibliotheque

@MichaelJLeader – Michael

@jakehcunningham – Jake

And get in touch via email at ghibli@littledotstudios.com

Produced by Michael Leader, Jake Cunningham, Steph Watts & Harold McShiel.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Is that a chicken, or a penguin? Steph, Michael and Jake are here to investigate, as they look into Nick Park's second Wallace and Gromit tale The Wrong Trousers.

Subscribe to our Patreon for ad-free episodes and bonus conversations in our Library Cafe series.

Follow us on Twitter or Instagram, or drop us an email at ghibliotheque@gmail.com.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This week, Michael and Jake welcome to the Ghibliotheque stand-up comedian, writer and podcaster Ed Gamble (Off Menu) to undertake that most excruciating, ambitious of feats: assembling the perfect meal from the delicious dishes served up in Ghibli films.

Follow Ghibliotheque on Twitter:

@ghibliotheque

@MichaelJLeader – Michael

@jakehcunningham – Jake

And get in touch via email at ghibli@littledotstudios.com

Produced by Michael Leader, Jake Cunningham, Steph Watts & Harold McShiel.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In this ever so slightly off-topic bonus episode of Ghibliotheque, Michael, Jake and Steph talk about the latest, and some say greatest, instalment in Nintendo's long-running Legend of Zelda video game franchise, Breath of the Wild. The game tempted both Jake and Steph to sink hundreds of accumulated hours into their Switch consoles. But what did they learn on their respective adventures? And does this have anything to do with Ghibli?

Follow Ghibliotheque on Twitter:

@ghibliotheque

@MichaelJLeader – Michael

@jakehcunningham – Jake

@_stephwatts - Steph

And get in touch via email at ghibli@littledotstudios.com

Produced by Michael Leader, Jake Cunningham, Steph Watts & Harold McShiel.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In this second part of our Ghibliotheque documentary double bill, Michael and Jake discuss the TV special Never-Ending Man: Hayao Miyazaki, which originally aired on Japanese TV in 2016 before getting a short cinema run in the USA and, finally, a DVD/Blu-ray release in the UK just this year. Shot in the aftermath of Miyazaki's retirement following the release of The Wind Rises, this doc charts the old master's attempts to incorporate CGI animation into his process, as he works on the short film Boro the Caterpillar for the Ghibli Museum.

Follow Ghibliotheque on Twitter:

@ghibliotheque

@MichaelJLeader – Michael

@jakehcunningham – Jake

And get in touch via email at ghibli@littledotstudios.com

Produced by Michael Leader, Jake Cunningham, Steph Watts & Harold McShiel.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Michael and Jake return to the Ghibliotheque for the first in a documentary double-bill. Mami Sunada's 2013 documentary started life as a promotional feature chronicling the making of Hayao Miyazaki's The Wind Rises and Isao Takahata's The Tale of the Princess Kaguya, but the finished film - observational, subtle and insightful - is a compelling and poignant portrait of the Studio at the height of its powers, contemplating an uncertain future as its two genius filmmakers make what, at the time, was believed to be their final films.

Follow Ghibliotheque on Twitter:

@ghibliotheque

@MichaelJLeader – Michael

@jakehcunningham – Jake

And get in touch via email at ghibli@littledotstudios.com

Produced by Michael Leader, Jake Cunningham, Harold McShiel and Steph Watts.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In this special episode of Ghibliotheque, Michael, Jake and producer Steph dial in remotely to catch up on life during lockdown, with the help of listeners, former guests and other Ghibliotheque friends.

Follow Ghibliotheque on Twitter:

@ghibliotheque

@MichaelJLeader – Michael

@jakehcunningham – Jake

Produced by Michael Leader, Jake Cunningham, Harold McShiel and Steph Watts.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In this very special miniseries of Ghibliotheque, hosts Michael and Jake and producers Steph and Harold travel to Tokyo for a distinctly Ghibli-themed pilgrimage. In this final episode, the team talk with British-born animator Paul Williams about working on Ghibli co-production The Red Turtle, the Japanese animation industry, and an animator's perspective on both Studio Ghibli and, specifically, the work of Isao Takahata.

Find more pics, videos and treats from our trip to Japan at ghibliotheque.tumblr.com.

Follow Ghibliotheque on Twitter:

@ghibliotheque

@MichaelJLeader – Michael

@jakehcunningham – Jake

Produced by Michael Leader, Jake Cunningham, Harold McShiel and Steph Watts. Audio wizardry from Jamie Maisner.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In this very special miniseries of Ghibliotheque, hosts Michael and Jake and producers Steph and Harold travel to Tokyo for a distinctly Ghibli-themed pilgrimage. In this episode, the team visit Studio Ponoc, the animation studio founded by Ghibli veteran Yoshiaki Nishimura (producer of The Tale of the Princess Kaguya and When Marnie Was There). There, Michael and Jake talk with Ponoc's Chief of International, Geoffrey Wexler, about his work at both Ponoc and Ghibli presenting films such as Mary and the Witch's Flower, Modest Heroes, The Wind Rises and From Up on Poppy Hill to the world - as well as answering the eternal question: subs or dubs?

Find more pics, videos and treats from our trip to Japan at ghibliotheque.tumblr.com.

Follow Ghibliotheque on Twitter:

@ghibliotheque

@MichaelJLeader – Michael

@jakehcunningham – Jake

Produced by Michael Leader, Jake Cunningham, Harold McShiel and Steph Watts. Audio wizardry from Jamie Maisner.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In this very special miniseries of Ghibliotheque, hosts Michael and Jake and producers Steph and Harold travel to Tokyo for a distinctly Ghibli-themed pilgrimage. In this second episode, the team visit the Ghibli Museum, the Studio's shrine to the art of animation, and also share their spoils in a segment dedicated to their favourite merchandise finds from the trip.

Find more pics, videos and treats from our trip to Japan at ghibliotheque.tumblr.com.

Follow Ghibliotheque on Twitter:

@ghibliotheque

@MichaelJLeader – Michael

@jakehcunningham – Jake

Produced by Michael Leader, Jake Cunningham, Harold McShiel and Steph Watts. Audio wizardry from Jamie Maisner.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In this very special miniseries of Ghibliotheque, hosts Michael and Jake and producers Steph and Harold travel to Tokyo for a distinctly Ghibli-themed pilgrimage. In this first episode, the team visit three key locations that should be at the top of any Ghibli fanatic's must-see list: an intricate public clock designed by Hayao Miyazaki, the Tama suburbs that provided the location for Ghibli gem Whisper of the Heart, and Shiro-Hige’s Cream Puff Factory, home of the official, Miyazaki-approved Totoro cream puff.

Find more pics, videos and treats from our trip to Japan at ghibliotheque.tumblr.com.

Follow Ghibliotheque on Twitter:

@ghibliotheque

@MichaelJLeader – Michael

@jakehcunningham – Jake

Produced by Michael Leader, Jake Cunningham, Harold McShiel and Steph Watts. Audio wizardry from Jamie Maisner. Edited by Jack Claramunt.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Merry Christmas from the Ghibliotheque! Producer Steph joins Michael and Jake once more for an episode filled with festive shenanigans, including Ghibli-themed Christmas carols sung by Producer Harold, a Ghibli quiz, and a mailbag of listeners' picks for the ideal Ghibli dinner guests. There is also chat about the past, present and future of all things Ghibliotheque. See you in 2020!

Follow Michael, Jake and Steph on Twitter:

@MichaelJLeader – Michael

@jakehcunningham – Jake

@_stephwatts - Steph

Produced by Michael Leader, Jake Cunningham, Harold McShiel and Steph Watts

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This week, Nick Park's career takes off with the very first Wallace and Gromit adventure, A Grand Day Out.

Subscribe to our Patreon for ad-free episodes and bonus conversations in our Library Cafe series.

Follow us on Twitter or Instagram, or drop us an email at ghibliotheque@gmail.com.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Michael and Jake bring this season of Ghibliotheque to a close with the feature debut of Mr Hayao Miyazaki. A very promising director of anime series, Miyazaki made the leap to feature animation in 1979 with this spin-off from the long-running Lupin III series. But is there much Miyazaki magic to be found in this franchise entry?

Follow Ghibliotheque on Twitter:

@ghibliotheque

@MichaelJLeader – Michael

@jakehcunningham – Jake

Produced by Michael Leader, Jake Cunningham, Harold McShiel and Steph Watts. Audio wizardry from Jamie Maisner.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

After trekking through the entirety of the Studio Ghibli library, Michael and Jake go back to the beginning... to Isao Takahata's ground-breaking 1960s animated feature Little Norse Prince. A hugely influential film that was something of a box office disaster on initial release, Little Norse Prince set in motion many of the themes, collaborations and techniques that would come to define Ghibli two decades later. But how does it play to a modern-day viewer?

Follow Ghibliotheque on Twitter:

@ghibliotheque

@MichaelJLeader – Michael

@jakehcunningham – Jake

Produced by Michael Leader, Jake Cunningham, Harold McShiel and Steph Watts. Audio wizardry from Jamie Maisner.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

22 episodes later... Michael and Jake reach the final feature in the Studio Ghibli library. This curio - a teen romance in the vein of Only Yesterday, Whisper of the Heart and From Up On Poppy Hill - is not only unique because it is Ghibli's only made-for-TV movie, it's also the first feature from the Studio to be directed by someone other than co-founders Hayao Miyazaki and Isao Takahata. No pressure, Tomomi Mochizuki... How did the newbie fare?

Follow Ghibliotheque on Twitter:

@ghibliotheque

@MichaelJLeader – Michael

@jakehcunningham – Jake

Produced by Michael Leader, Jake Cunningham, Harold McShiel and Steph Watts. Audio wizardry from Jamie Maisner.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Isao Takahata returns! This week, Michael & Jake fill in the final gap in the old master's work at Studio Ghibli. 5 years after Pom Poko and 14 years before The Tale Of The Princess Kaguya, Isao Takahata experimented with Ghibli's first all-digital animation, the slice-of-life domestic comedy My Neighbours The Yamadas. Full of worldly wisdom and gentle, observational humour, and rendered in an astounding art style that looks like a watercolour sketch come alive, Yamadas is unlike any other entry in the Ghibli canon.

Follow Ghibliotheque on Twitter:

@ghibliotheque

@MichaelJLeader – Michael

@jakehcunningham – Jake

Produced by Michael Leader, Jake Cunningham, Harold McShiel and Steph Watts. Audio wizardry from Jamie Maisner.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

A follow-up to one of Ghibli's most controversial releases, From Up On Poppy Hill was director Goro Miyazaki's second crack at the whip after his debut, Tales From Earthsea. But Poppy Hill is a very different proposition: a nostalgic, wholesome, period-set romance that harks back to Ghibli gems Only Yesterday and Whisper Of The Heart. Does he find firmer footing as a filmmaker this time around?

Follow Ghibliotheque on Twitter:

@ghibliotheque

@MichaelJLeader – Michael

@jakehcunningham – Jake

Produced by Michael Leader, Jake Cunningham, Harold McShiel and Steph Watts. Audio wizardry from Jamie Maisner.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Michael and Jake return to the Ghibliotheque to tackle Hayao Miyazaki's first anime epic, the sprawling fantasy adventure Nausicaä of the Valley of the Wind. While the film actually predates the founding of Studio Ghibli, many of the key personnel, themes and qualities that would define the Studio's work are here in spades, and the success of Nausicaä put Hayao Miyazaki, Isao Takahata and Toshio Suzuki on the path to Ghibli greatness. But what do the boys make of it?

Follow Ghibliotheque on Twitter:

@ghibliotheque

@MichaelJLeader – Michael

@jakehcunningham – Jake

Produced by Michael Leader, Jake Cunningham, Harold McShiel and Steph Watts. Audio wizardry from Jamie Maisner.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Recorded live at the British Museum in support of their Manga Exhibition, this episode features Michael & Jake's on-stage conversation with exhibition curator Nicole Rousmaniere and animation critic Alex Dudok de Wit, following a screening of Hayao Miyazaki's The Wind Rises.

Follow Michael and Jake on Twitter:

@MichaelJLeader – Michael

@jakehcunningham – Jake

Produced by Michael Leader, Jake Cunningham, Harold McShiel and Steph Watts. Editing and sound wizardry by Jamie Maisner.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Recorded live at the British Museum in support of their Manga Exhibition, this episode features Michael & Jake's on-stage conversation with academic and Ghibli expert Rayna Denison, Manga Exhibition curator Uchida Hiromi and ceramic artist Hosono Hitomi, following a screening of Isao Takahata's The Tale Of The Princess Kaguya.

Follow Michael and Jake on Twitter:

@MichaelJLeader – Michael

@jakehcunningham – Jake

Produced by Michael Leader, Jake Cunningham, Harold McShiel and Steph Watts. Editing and sound wizardry by Jamie Maisner.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Recorded live at the British Museum, this episode features Michael & Jake's on-stage conversation with Manga exhibition curator Matsuba Ryoko and Simon Wright, director of programming at Japan House London, following a screening of Isao Takahata's Pom Poko.

The British Museum's Manga exhibition runs until 26th August. For more information, visit: https://www.britishmuseum.org/whats_on/exhibitions/manga.aspx.

Follow Michael and Jake on Twitter:

@MichaelJLeader – Michael

@jakehcunningham – Jake

Produced by Michael Leader, Jake Cunningham, Harold McShiel and Steph Watts. Editing and sound wizardry by Jamie Maisner.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Recorded live at the British Museum, this episode features Michael & Jake's on-stage conversation with Manga exhibition curator Nicole Rousmaniere and renowned Studio Ghibli expert Helen McCarthy, following a screening of Hayao Miyazaki's animated classic, My Neighbour Totoro.

The British Museum's Manga exhibition runs until 26th August. For more information, visit: https://www.britishmuseum.org/whats_on/exhibitions/manga.aspx.

Follow Michael and Jake on Twitter:

@MichaelJLeader – Michael

@jakehcunningham – Jake

Produced by Michael Leader, Jake Cunningham, Harold McShiel and Steph Watts

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This week, Michael, Jake and Steph are back with a new miniseries charting the career of animation legend Nick Park and his work at the peerless plasticine-powered studio, Aardman Animations. To start, we look at his Oscar-winning first film, the chatty zoo-themed mockumentary Creature Comforts (1989), which was his first directorial credit for Aardman after contributing to projects such as the era-defining music video for Peter Gabriel's 'Sledgehammer', and while slowly working in the background on his long-gestating student project, A Grand Day Out (more on that next week!).

Subscribe to our Patreon for ad-free episodes and bonus conversations in our Library Cafe series.

Follow us on Twitter or Instagram, or drop us an email at ghibliotheque@gmail.com.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In this special episode recorded live at Latitude Festival, Michael & Jake venture out of the podcast recording booth and out of the Studio Ghibli canon altogether to discuss Mary & The Witch's Flower, the first film from Ghibli alumni Studio Ponoc. Director Hiromasa Yonebayashi and producer Yoshiaki Nishimura previously worked together at Ghibli on the radical When Marnie Was There, but Ponoc's debut feature is a tribute to the magical, fantastical animation perfected by their mentors, Hayao Miyazaki and Isao Takahata. Does it reach the Studio's standard of quality?

Follow Michael and Jake on Twitter:

@MichaelJLeader – Michael

@jakehcunningham – Jake

Produced by Michael Leader, Jake Cunningham, Harold McShiel and Steph Watts

Editing by Lister Rossell

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This season of Ghibliotheque comes to a close with the final masterpiece from the legendary filmmaker, and Studio Ghibli co-founder, Isao Takahata. Described by Hayao Miyazaki as 'descended from a giant sloth', Takahata took his sweet time with his quietly experimental take on the 10th century folk tale, working at his own glacial pace and missing many production deadlines before the film's eventual release in November 2013. Takahata's previous films, Grave of the Fireflies, Only Yesterday and Pom Poko were all hits with Jake in previous seasons - will the streak continue?

Find out more about the Studio Ghibli screenings at the British Museum, with Q&As hosted by the Ghibliotheque gang, here: https://checkout.timeout.com/london/StudioGhibliscreenings/

Read Michael's interview with Isao Takahata - https://medium.com/@Film4/isao-takahata-on-the-tale-of-the-princess-kaguya-4221f5df60a9

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This week, Michael & Jake zero in on Hayao Miyazaki's most recent release, the wildly ambitious biographical, historical, and very technical aviation drama The Wind Rises. Once thought to be Miyazaki's final film, this magnificent mic-drop masterpiece showed the old master still innovating even as he contemplated retirement - blending the magical animation of his beloved classics with deeper themes relating to inspiration, the purity of craft, and the inescapable blight of the Second World War. And planes, so many planes.

Follow Michael and Jake on Twitter:

@MichaelJLeader – Michael

@jakehcunningham – Jake

Produced by Michael Leader, Jake Cunningham, Harold McShiel and Steph Watts

Editing by Lister Rossell

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.