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Studio Ghibli: Is this the end for the Japanese studio that inspired Pixar?
The international premiere of Studio Ghibli’s latest film took place last night, after breaking box office records in Japan in July. The Boy and the Heron is the final film from one of cinema’s most influential animators, the reclusive genius Hayao Miyazaki. But does his retirement mark the end of the studio that inspired Disney and Pixar?
This podcast was brought to you thanks to the support of readers of The Times and The Sunday Times. Subscribe today: thetimes.co.uk/storiesofourtimes.
Guest: Richard Lloyd Parry, Asia Editor, The Times and The Sunday Times.
Host: Manveen Rana.
Articles:
Great Ghibli! How one Japanese studio wowed the world: https://www.thetimes.co.uk/article/studio-ghibli-the-boy-and-the-heron-hayao-miyazaki-film-lzkxdtlzl
10 best Studio Ghibli films: https://www.thetimes.co.uk/article/10-best-studio-ghibli-films-from-spirited-away-to-howls-moving-castle-dtrdpdsfg
Clips: Konbini, StudioCanal, BFI, Toho co, Ghibli Museum, 10 Years with Hayao Miyazaki/NHK WORLD, GKIDS Films.
Studio Ghibli clips: Princess Mononoke, Howl’s Moving Castle, The Wind Rises, Spirited Away, The Boy and the Heron.
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