An Unofficial Guide to the World of Studio Ghibli

by Michael Leader

From the creators of the podcast and bestselling book Ghibliotheque , this is a young film fan's comprehensive guide to one of the most exciting and influential film studios in cinema history, creators of beloved classics ranging from Spirited Away and My Neighbour Totoro to Ponyo and Kiki's Delivery Service . Across eight chapters, we will get up close and personal with the movies, learn who's who at the Oscar-winning studio and explore the impact that Ghibli World has left on our planet.

Genres: Nonfiction, Japan

144 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 2023

About the author

Michael Leader is a film writer, curator, and co-creator of the animation-focused podcast series Ghibliotheque. He is co-author of the books Ghibliotheque: The Unofficial Guide to the Movies of Studio Ghibli and the Ghibliotheque Anime Movie Guide. His writing has appeared in the pages of Sight and Sound and Little White Lies magazines, and from 2019 to 2022, he was Series Producer and Commissioning Editor of the BBC iPlayer short-form documentary series Inside Cinema and Inside Games. He lives in Sussex with his partner and a small child.

Reviews

[Andi Zee]

banger book the only thing keeping it from 5 stars for me is the fact that arrietty only gets mentioned twice but that's just personal bias

[Elina Mäkitalo]

Kiva opas Studio Ghiblin maailmaan. Kirjassa on testejä ja neuvoja miten esimerkiksi piirtää Totoro tai kuinka tehdä lennokki. Kirjassa on myös paljon muuta tietoa. Pidin kirjan lyhyistä mutta riittävän informatiivisista tekstiosuuksista, kuvista sekä selkeästä ja houkuttelevasta ulkonäöstä ja sisällön sijoittelusta.

[Tabitha Hensley]

4.5 🥰🥰

[PiaReads]

Very cute illustrated and with great studio ghibli inspired diy and cooking ideas. I love browsing through the colourful pages but hoped for more information on the movies i like, which aren’t as popular. Though I did get inspired to check out Marnie.

[Alicia]

I'll probably borrow their other book because this was a fun dive into factoids about the world of Studio Ghibli from the creators and composers to the imagery and storytelling that make these moves so special. The podcasters (didn't know there was a podcast until I started reading the book) detail why the characters are important heroic figures and help humans navigate the world with their sticktoitness and creativity and curiosity while highlighting elements of the movies that avid fans want to know more about.

Love the scenes and images, the questions, and the vibe it gives off.

[Daisy]

Quality Rating: Four Stars
Enjoyment Rating: Four Stars

A lovely illustrated guide perfectly designed for young readers to learn more about Studio Ghibli's work. With fun little activities and the cutest moments and characters recreated on the pages, it's an enjoyable read for fans of the animations and fills a gap in the young cinephile's collection (I would've read this to pieces as a kid).

[Nanna]

Short, to-the-point with trivia here and there, as well as plenty of visualisation, and small activity breaks, this book is made by fans and for the fans.

But, as expected, it is mostly Miyazaki and the more popular productions. I do appreciate the shout for the scores of Takahata's Princess Kaguya though.

Should be a nice read for kids and teens. 3.5 stars actually.

[T.E. Antonino]

This is a great book to introduce children to Studio Ghibli. The book is lively and colorful. It gives you an overview of the main people behind the animation. The book also gives you information about the movies that a have come out of Studio Ghibli. I found the book fun and entertaining. I loved the illustrations that were on every page.

[♡⊹.* gabriella ┆★ ˙ᵕ˙]

Lovely gift from a friend! 💚

Great book, I love the physical edition with it's matte, soft-touch hardback cover. The colours are absolutely beautiful and capture the same spirit that Studio Ghibli films give off.

Great for younger children and adults who always want to keep a spark of Studio Ghibli magic in their lives.

[Jnani Pradeep]

the best palate cleanser after reading sunrise on the reaping. i didn’t weep, i actually began to feel better again. ghibli movies will always have a special place in my heart, hayao miyazaki you will be remembered forever and ever.

[Beth Oehler]

Fun!! ❤️

[Clo-Star]

It’s a great and short inside look into the world of studio Ghibli. I’ve also read their Ghibliotheque, which was awesome too.

[Sophie Crane]

You can't say anything else, good print quality, obviously it's not up to date until 2023, but most of them are still great movies.

[Florencia Facal]

I bought this guide when I became a Studio Ghibli fan. It was the first one I found with beautiful illustrations and in Spanish. It's a quick read, not too long.

[Charlie ☆]

Best believe I locked the fuck in to draw my little shit Totoro

[Hayley]

Informative as I have recently discovered my love for Studio Ghibli

[Oona]

Fantastiska bilder!

[Denise {børnelitteraturformidler}]

Fin og enkel indføring i Ghiblis fantastiske univers!

[Scarlett]

This book is a fun collection of a ton of Ghibli related activities.

[Kayla Zabcia]

there's a reason this is unofficial - it isn't very good

[Jasmin]

If you’re a Studio Ghibli fan, this is such a good read. I want to watch more movies & I want to visit Japan already 😜