Studio Ghibli

Studio Ghibli is a well known animation studio who produce breathtakingly beautiful work, such as Kiki's Delivery Service, Howl's Moving Castle and Spirited Away. (The studios head director, Hayao Miyazaki created the name and began to create amazing animation films).

One of the first Studio Ghibli films was Nausicaa of the Valley of the Wind, which was originally a manga by the head director, Hayao Miyazaki. In my opinion, this film sets a quality for other animations through how beautiful the frames flow and takes into consideration of the movement of the clothes, hair, the arcs of the limbs.

The story of the animation absorbs not only the main objective but background context of the world it is set in which relates to our reality, such as in the film My Neighbour Totoro, it is interpreted to show how the characters cope with death, with Totoro actually being a shinigami (a grim reaper) that only children who are close to death are able to see. For example, when the sisters are in the Cat Bus, the destination reads 'Grave Road' and part of the song which they sing is translated to "those guests who ride are cheerful ghosts". It is also suggested that when Mei, the younger sister is lost, she is actually dead, so when the older sister Satsuki, runs to try and find Totoro, and asks for his help, she can finally see the spirit/god being, suggesting that Satsuki is now close to death.

Many viewers believe that Miyazaki related the story to a murder which happened in 1963 in Sayama, when a young girl was kidnapped for ransom and then murdered. Unfortunately her older sister discovered the body and she was so traumatised that she believed she saw a Tanuki (a creature that looks like a raccoon) and a cat monster; a film made in respect towards the incident. (source: http://my.opera.com/sukekomashi-gaijin/blog/tonari-no-totoro)

I believe that My Neighbour Totoro is not about the death of the sisters, but about two sisters that are worried for their mother as she is currently in the hospital, and also slowly coming to terms with what would happen if they were to lose their mother, about moving on.

My Neighbour Totoro

Nausicaa of the Valley of the Wind

Kiki's Delivery Service

Howl's Moving Castle

Spirited Away

My favourite film from Studio Ghibli is Spirited Away through the fantasy aspect of the animation, and how it absorbs the traditional cultural aspects of Japan, which is seen through the clothing, Yokai (Japanese mythical creatures), and the beautiful illustrative style of the scenery and character designs.
The plot works hand in hand with the style of the animation through the fantasy twist to it, and also considers a contextual background which relates to our reality. I believe that some animations cant seem to balance the plot and the animation in which to make a functioning short that stays with the audience and in my opinion, Studio Ghibli films have mastered this.

Miyazaki is retiring but not before he creates one last film called The Wind Rises.