After Hayao Questions for Studio Ghibli as its genius ages

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 beauty of its hand-drawn animation and its commentary on the ambivalence of the human condition.

- Justin McCurry

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. Making a feature-length anime the old-fashioned way may require a large and multitalented cast, but Miyazaki is the thread running through Ghibli's creative genius.

Now, as the studio marks its 40th anniversary, it faces an uncertain future, amid renewed speculation that its figurehead auteur really has wielded his pencil for the last time.

Roland Kelts, a visiting professor at the school of culture, media and society at Waseda University, said Ghibli had failed to anticipate a time when Miyazaki, who is 84, would no longer be at the helm, even since the death in 2018 of its co-founder Isao Takahata.

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