Japanese cartoons on the silver screen for a whole month. Hell. Yeah. The Cinematheque is presenting a series-feature on the works of Studio Ghibli: the pinnacle of anime, the cream of the sakumotsu (crop). A deep twenty-five year-old pool full of beloved characters, storylines, and yellow japanese subtitles. With the most recent From Up on Poppy Hill (2011) to Castle in the Sky (1986), and all the cute anime girls and forest critters in between, The Cinematheque is providing chairs for those who wish to lose themselves in the magical world of Ghibli throughout the month of July. Often referred to as the Japanese Walt Disney, Studio Ghibli’s large creative brain provides outside-the-box characters. Straying from the usual template of (insert animal) then (insert accent), Ghibli will throw you a curveball with…a wise flame or a tongueless broomstick, such as those found in Howl’s Moving Castle (2004). Sometimes characters aren’t anything at all, but a pile of ooze that goops around corners and can seep through the crack within a crack. See what I’m getting at? The creativity leaps off the screen and reminds us of the magical qualities of the imagination. A Studio Ghibli film can be likened to a walking, talking (in Japanese, of course) Dali painting: you never really know what to expect, but it’s always impressive and colourful (being animated helps). Bring your wife, bring your kids, bring your girlfriend, or go alone and quietly sob because your wife and kids found out about your girlfriend. Either way, these films are classics and shouldn’t be missed!
The Cinematheque is inviting all ages to come and enjoy these wonderfully-woven animated tales for the month of July (and a little of August). Click here to find out showtimes.
Editor’s picks: Spirited Away, Howl’s Moving Castle, My Neighbour Totoro
