Will Ghibli's magic fade as the studio turns 40?

The beloved Japanese animation house faces an uncertain future, with its figurehead, 84-year-old Hayao Miyazaki, claiming he has made his final film

- By Justin McCurry TOKYO

Disney, Pixar ... Ghibli. For its legions of admirers, the Japanese studio hasn't just held its own against the American powerhouses, it has surpassed them with the impossible beauty of its hand-drawn animation and its commentary on the ambivalence of the human condition.

Although he would refuse to acknowledge it, much of Studio Ghibli's success is down to one man: Hayao Miyazaki, a master animator whose presence towers over the studio's output. Now, as the studio marks its 40th anniversary, it faces an uncertain future.

Roland Kelts, a visiting professor at the school of culture, media and society at Waseda University, says Ghibli had failed to anticipate a time when Miyazaki, who is 84, would no longer be at the helm, even after the succession question grew more urgent following the death in 2018 of co-founder Isao Takahata.

Instead, the studio shifted its focus to commercial activities. “The studio failed to produce heirs to Miyazaki and Takahata, and now it's a merchandising monster,” says Kelts, author of Japanamerica: How Japanese Pop Culture Has Invaded the US.