Amazon to Import Series from 'Spirited Away' Studio

Amazon to Import Series from 'Spirited Away' Studio

If you're not already familiar with Japanese animation powerhouse Studio Ghibli, then I'm incredibly jealous.  After taking a dive into their filmography, not only will you discover some of the greatest animated films of all time, but some of the greatest films period.  Princess Mononoke (1997), My Neighbor Totoro (1988), and Spirited Away (2001) can all stand toe-to-toe with the best of Pixar or Disney.   

In fact, the Academy Award winning studio and its co-founder Hayao Miyazaki have been heralded by some as the Japanese Disney.  This is obviously meant as a compliment, but it comes off a bit reductive.  Where many of the best Disney films expertly toy with the iconography of good and evil (think Cinderella and her Stepmother, Ariel and Ursela, or Simba and Scar) , the best films from Miyazaki and Studio Ghibli almost never have conventional villains.  There is conflict, for sure, but no one is purely evil or without their own reasonable motivations.  What truly separates Studio Ghibli from most others is unflinching expertly-observed humanity.  Among the fantastic visions of flying castles, dragons and various mystical spirits emerges a glimpse of reality to which we can all relate. 

So, when Variety reports that Amazon's streaming service will import Studio Ghibli's animated television series Ronja the Robber's Daughter and oversee a complete English translation for the series featuring Gillian Anderson as the narrator, the story deserves some attention.  Not only does this represent the first project for Studio Ghibli after announcing the end of their film division upon Hayao Miyazaki's retirement, but it is also the studio's first foray into episodic television.  Unfortunately, There are a few catches here that can dampen any unbridled excitement.  The show was not spearheaded by retired storytelling genius Hayao Miyazaki, but rather his son Goro Miyazaki.  The younger Miyazaki has been intimately involved with Studio Ghibli for quite some time, and has even directed a couple of the studio's films (Tales of Earthsea, From Up on Poppy Hill)  to mixed critical and commercial success.  

However, with a story that feels like a mix between Robin Hood and The Jungle Book, the chance to see more gorgeously artistic forest backgrounds, and themes of community , nature, and self discovery, the series may fit snugly within the studio's established filmography.  Hopefully, it will also be interesting to watch.

 

 

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