By Jared Free
Studio Ghibli movies have been getting theatrical rereleases for several years now. As was recently proved in China when the decades old Spirited Away smashed Toy Story 4 at the box office, it’s basically a guaranteed cash cow for distributors and theaters alike. In the past, I’ve balked at the idea of spending extra money to see movies that I’ve seen truly countless times, but this year something changed.
For a long time, I’ve thought about what the first movies I’d want to show my future kids would be. It’s one of my favorite questions to ask people – it gives you a good sense of what kind of values people want to instill in their kids, as well as the kinds of movies that they grew up loving. And now, my niece is starting to be of the age where I can show her some of the movies that I grew up loving.
Just a few weeks ago, I rented My Neighbor Totoro to show my niece, one of Miyazaki’s few movies that I felt was truly uncomplicated enough to show a four-year-old. We had to haggle a little; she wanted to watch one of the Barbie movies, but I managed to win her over – eventually.
Watching this movie, that I have truly seen countless times, through her eyes for the first time was incredible. I experienced the wonder and amazement at Totoro and Catbus as never before, But, as an adult I was able to appreciate so much more — the film’s gorgeous countryside setting, vast rice paddies, and a mysterious forest. Not long after watching, I went to the theatre to see one of my favorite Ghibli movies, Whisper of the Heart. Seeing everything unfold on the big screen for the first time was incredible and drew such attention to the craft of these dedicated filmmakers that I have to recommend everyone who can attend the Ghibli Fest. Hand drawn animation is largely falling out of favor for hyper realistic CGI, but these movies are a testament to the unique power of cel animation, (the art of creating 2D animation by hand on sheets of transparent plastic).
