Studio Ghibli, founded in Tokyo in 1985 by animation directors Hayao Miyazaki and Isao Takahata, is one of the most successful and well-respected animation studios in the world. Cultivating a creative force of talented directors, animators and storytellers under the revered brilliance of Miyazaki and Takahata, Studio Ghibli’s films have been praised for their originality, dazzling animation and epic storytelling.
The films have become a beloved part of Japanese popular culture, and have garnered worldwide acclaim from audiences and critics alike. Miyazaki’s “Spirited Away” won the Academy Award for Best Animated Feature in 2002, and in 2005 Miyazaki was named one of “the most influential people” by TIME magazine.
From Jan. 26 to Feb. 12, the American Cinematheque is presenting a comprehensive retrospective of Studio Ghibli’s films, including new 35mm prints of several films that have never been released in North America. Don’t miss this rare opportunity to see Miyazaki’s beloved favorites “My Neighbor Totoro,” “Princess Mononoke,” “Nausicaä of the Valley of the Wind,” “Howl’s Moving Castle,” “Kiki’s Delivery Service,” “Castle in the Sky” and “Porco Rosso,” as well as seldom-seen films by Takahata, such as “Pom Poko,” “Only Yesterday” and “My Neighbors the Yamadas.”
Also included in this comprehensive program are the first Ghibli feature to be made by someone other than Miyazaki or Takahata, Tomomi Mochizuki’s “Ocean Waves,” Miyazaki protégé Yoshifumi Kondo’s sole feature “Whisper of the Heart,” and Hiroyuki Morita’s sequel to the Kondo film, “The Cat Returns.”
Half of the films will be presented in the original Japanese-language versions with English subtitles, and half will be dubbed in English for a more family-friendly experience. The venues are the Egyptian Theatre, 6712 Hollywood Blvd. in Hollywood, and the Aero Theatre, 1328 Montana Ave. in Santa Monica. The schedule is as follows.
Egyptian Theatre
“Porco Rosso” (20th anniversary), Thursday, Jan. 26, at 7:30 p.m. Subtitled.
“Nausicaä of the Valley of the Wind,” Saturday, Jan. 28, at 7:30 p.m. Subtitled.
“Princess Mononoke,” Friday, Feb. 3, at 7:30 p.m. Subtitled.
“Spirited Away,” Tuesday, Feb. 7, at 7:30 p.m. Subtitled.
“Howl’s Moving Castle,” Sunday, Feb. 12, at 4 p.m. Dubbed.
“My Neighbor Totoro,” Sunday, Feb. 12, at 7:30 p.m. Subtitled.
Aero Theatre
“Spirited Away,” Friday, Jan. 27, at 7:30 p.m. Dubbed.
“My Neighbor Totoro,” Sunday, Jan. 29, at 4 p.m. Dubbed.
“Whisper of the Heart,” Sunday, Jan. 29, at 7:30 p.m. Subtitled.
“Ocean Waves” (not available in any North American home viewing formats), Thursday, Feb. 2, at 7:30 p.m. Subtitled.
“The Cat Returns,” Saturday, Feb. 4, at 4 p.m. Dubbed.
“Castle in the Sky,” Saturday, Feb. 4, at 7:30 p.m. Subtitled.
“My Neighbors the Yamadas,” Wednesday, Feb. 8, at 7:30 p.m. Subtitled.
“Only Yesterday” (Los Angeles premiere), Thursday, Feb. 9, at 7:30 p.m. Subtitled.
“Pom Poko,” Friday, Feb. 10, at 7:30 p.m. Dubbed.
“Kiki’s Delivery Service,” Saturday, Feb. 11, at 4 p.m. Dubbed.
For ticket information and descriptions of the films, visit: