Few directors have the ability to captivate an audience like Hayao Miyazaki. Not only are the stories of his films emotionally gripping and beautifully told, they are also visually stunning. They transport you to a world where tweenage witches deliver mail on broomsticks and Castles move about the earth fueled by the power of a demonic flame. They're beautiful and riveting. Now, thanks to VIZ media, the art books from the Studio Gibli Library are available to a US audience, in English.
To date VIZ media has released eight books in the "Art of" series including: Howl's Moving Castle, Kiki's Delivery Service, Ponyo, and The Secret World of Arietty (just to name a few). Each book comes jam-packed with beautiful illustrations, concept designs, notes from the artists and the director, and some even include the recording scripts to the films. This fall the series will complete with The Art of Castle in the Sky, which was the first film produced by Studio Ghibli. The October release will also coincided with the 30th anniversary of the film's original release.
"I started working on Studio Ghibli titles at VIZ Media in 2002 when Hayao Miyazaki's Spirited Away made its theatrical release in North America," Masumi Washington, the Senior Director of Editorial Production and head of our Ghibli Library imprint states. "Since then, we have been publishing art books, picture books and film comics when their new feature films hit America, such as Howl's Moving Castle and Ponyo. In between, we published books based on their classic titles such as My Neighgor Totoro and Nausicaa: The Valley Of The Wind to establish the Studio Ghibli Library imprint."
"Since Studio Ghibli licenses their books internationally, the process to acquire titles is pretty standardized, and we work with them closely to keep the quality of the content as close to the original as we can," Washington continues, "At the same time, Studio Ghibli openly listens to what the market needs. For example, the Japanese editions of the art books are paperback, but we made changes for our editions: we shifted to a hardcover format and also use different cover art to make them suitable as coffee-table books in the English-speaking market. This year, I am thrilled we finally have a chance to bring THE ART OF CASTLE IN THE SKY to our audience on the thirtieth anniversary of the film's original release in Japan. I know Castle In The Sky is one of the most beloved of Miyazaki's animations. I cannot wait to share this art book to show how the film was created."
These beautiful editions take the readers down the path of the animated films from their conception to the final cut. They are sturdy and well constructed. It is just as easy to get lost in the pages of these books, as it is to get lost in the movies themselves. They are a true testament to what a master Miyazaki is at his craft and to how talented his team really is. The art, whether still or in motion, is breathtaking.
"I can't begin to explain how great their films are; the depth of themes, amazing artwork and production values, or, how Ghibli is a rare studio that still hand-draws animation cels and limits their use of computer graphics. But you know about all that already," Washington says about the fact that Studio Ghibli has remained on the top of the animation game. "One thing I can say is that their films are so exceptional due to their tireless efforts to structure and maintain the studio itself. From planning to distribution, Studio Ghibli handles every single detail with pure passion for film. It's not a single great creator like Mr. Miyazaki or Mr. Takahata. With Mr. Miyazaki's announcement of his retirement from film production, Studio Ghibli is moving into a new phase. I am looking forward to seeing their next steps."
All of the books in the "Art of" series (as well as many others) can be purchased through many online / book retailer including Amazon and Right Stuff Anime