Studio Ghibli in trouble

[Max Payne]

Cut Magazine has an interview with Hayao Miyazaki where the venerable animator confesses that if their upcoming Arietty the Borrower doesn’t do well in the box office, plans are already in place to shut down Studio Ghibli.

Suzuki-san is making a dissolution program for Ghibli. No joke, we talked about it the other day. For example, Ghibli should be able to continue with about five staff members as a copyright management company even if we smash the studio. So, Ghibli can say ‘We stop film production. Goodbye’. I do not have to be there.
​

Presumably Miyazaki means the American box office, as the film has already been released in Japan.

If Arietty does do well, however, Miyazaki confessed that he has a certain Porco Rosso sequel in mind, set in the Spanish Civil War, but that that particular film won’t be made unless Ghibli can make successes of Arietty and two more films.

http://www.geekosystem.com/studio-ghibli-closing/

What the fuck. Fuck this noise. This is unacceptable. Fuck everything.

 

[Max Caulfield]

WHAT?! Studo Ghibli produces some of the best anime movies around! If they close, what/who will we be left with?!

 

[Interslicery]

...da fuck? Is the american box office really what drives the studio? I mean, I dont see the reasoning behind shutting it down :/

If this goes through though my inner child will get leprosy.

 

[crack]

If this news is true it's a terrible shame, but I've been looking around and it looks like the journalist was taking a quote out of context for the sake of sensationalism. I could be wrong though.

 

[Tennyo]

I guess it remains to be seen. Before I jump to any conclusions I would like to read that magazine article in it's entirety.

 

[Celes Chere]

WTF, if it shuts down, I will seriously be upset. There is not a single movie from it that I have not been impressed or interested with. The work that is done is truly amazing, it would be such a huge shame to see it go.

 

[Dashell]

It's always weird how the places that seem to produce the best stuff are always the first to go out of business

 

[Max Payne]

The very idea of SG going out of business is unacceptable.

 

[Ghost X]

Surely they must be getting tons of money from their awesome movies. Why would they be needing to shut down? Someone managing their money poorly, or what.

 

[looneymoon]

I... honestly have trouble believing this. The Japanese film industry has little going for it besides its animation, and Ghibli is undoubtably reigns when it comes to that.

I dunno, I just find it a little out of the blue. It's be as if John Lasseter was like "IF CARS 2 DOESN'T DO WELL PIXAR IS GONNA GO OUT OF BUSINESS." Or something. Not to mention, I wouldn't put it past Disney/Pixar to bail the studio out if it did come to that.

 

[Max Payne]

I... honestly have trouble believing this. The Japanese film industry has little going for it besides its animation, and Ghibli is undoubtably reigns when it comes to that.

I dunno, I just find it a little out of the blue. It's be as if John Lasseter was like "IF CARS 2 DOESN'T DO WELL PIXAR IS GONNA GO OUT OF BUSINESS." Or something. Not to mention, I wouldn't put it past Disney/Pixar to bail the studio out if it did come to that.

I dunno, a few studios have gone out of business over the last few years, and people have been saying the anime industry has had a decline in revenue steadily as well.

I just don't even remotely like the idea of this happening.

 

[Lelouch]

don't they have any profit anymore? WTH

 

[Sheva Alomar]

But I love Porco Rosso.

 

[The Twilight Mexican]

I won't believe it until I see the studio go down like Irontown.

 

[Alessa Gillespie]

http://www.geekosystem.com/studio-ghibli-closing/

What the fuck. Fuck this noise. This is unacceptable. Fuck everything.

I can sort of understand Hayao wanting to dissolve the studio after this movie, since he's getting up there in age and he really did not like what his son did for the studio. As it stands, he may just have too much difficulty trying to find someone to replace himself. They are pretty big shoes to fill.

 

[Strangelove]

I can sort of understand Hayao wanting to dissolve the studio after this movie, since he's getting up there in age and he really did not like what his son did for the studio. As it stands, he may just have too much difficulty trying to find someone to replace himself. They are pretty big shoes to fill.

What did his son do? I remember he directed that Earthsea film, but did he do something else that would have displeased him?

Also

 

[Mantichorus]

I can't believe this. The Cat Returns was on earlier, and even my mum's boyfriend, who usually doesn't like that "Japanese crap" was enjoying it. =(

 

[Strangelove]

That was on and I was missing it? D:

 

[Mantichorus]

Fraid so. It was on Film4.

 

[Hisako]

What did his son do? I remember he directed that Earthsea film, but did he do something else that would have displeased him?

Also

Tales from Earthsea wasn't that bad, I quite liked it even though it was exceptionally slow-paced ;-;

I think his son would be a decent choice to step in once Hayao moves on from directing. Not a replacement, hell no, but at least someone with a fraction of the vision that Miyazaki had.

 

[Raquelborn]

Considering Howl's Moving Castle was going to be Miyazaki's last film originally I'm not surprised he wants to close SG. It's just a shame. An end to a glorious studio, however.

Tales from Earthsea wasn't that bad, I quite liked it even though it was exceptionally slow-paced ;-;

I believe the author of the original book, Ursula Le Guin, was incredibly pissed off with the result. She was disappointed when the Sci-Fi channel did their own version too and had decided never to let someone adapt her books again. The only reason she let Studio Ghibli do their own was because she thought Hayao Miyazaki would direct it. But, alas, he gave it to his son.

I believe a lot of friction built up between them (Hayao and his son) over it. Hayao remained silent throughout the preview of ToE and at one point simply left the screening.

For the record, Tales of Earthsea was terrible, especially as I read the books. It should have been the next Howl's Moving Castle.

 

[X-SOLDIER]

This, along with Satoshi Kon's death makes me super sad about the future of original and unique anime.


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[Anzu Mazaki]

This sucks! I completely grew up on Miyazaki films; it was one of the few cartoons I watched over and over before I was 5 (and probably how I learned to speak what pathetic amount of Japanese I know ). I can't understand how such a successful studio would end up like this .

 

[Ghost X]

Oh, if its a case of Miyazaki closing it because he doesn't have an heir, and all the products are a result of his creative genius, then I guess its justifiable for him to shut it down. Then it wouldn't be a money issue, but a creative issue, but then basing one's decision to close down the studio on the results of a movie they're releasing doesn't seem to fit that theory. Hmmm?

I have a solution. I want to be his heir =D.

 

[X-SOLDIER]

http://kotaku.com/5626886/studio-ghiblis-gorgeous-ni-no-kuni-gets-hands+on-at-tokyo-game-show

Isn't this contributing to them possibly staying alive? I don't remember it being mentionted earlier....


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