Studio Ghibli Closes Down

Today is indeed a very sad day in the animation world. Studio Ghibli, the Japanese anime studio that made masterpieces such as My Neighbour Totoro, Princess Mononoke, Grave of the Fireflies and Spirited Away, has closed down.

It was actually rumored to be closing down for quite some time, but to see a studio that has made such an impact on people and has created such a following is really upsetting. After Hayao Miyazaki, the man who was arguably the best filmmaker at the studio and pretty much defined the studio, retired almost a year ago, people were left questioning the fate of the studio.

Honestly, the only anime I ever watched came from Studio Ghibli. I was never really a fan of the over-the-top expressiveness on the faces of the characters that you see in so many anime shows and movies. Studio Ghibli did not do that over-the-top stuff. It was a studio that made very creative films with very quirky and inventive stories. That was what made the studio so appealing.

Studi Ghibli was also one of the very few animation studios that made hand drawn animated films. With the studio closing down, the fate of hand drawn animation continues to worry me. I'm sure Disney has plans to keep hand drawn animation alive, but this is still very saddening.

I have many memories related to Studio Ghibli's films. The studio might have closed down, but their films will still be watched and remembered by many people. They had a good run and they will never be forgotten.