6 FACTS TO KNOW ABOUT STUDIO GHIBLI

“Don’t expect perfection at first” – Shirou Nishi, Whisper of the Heart

1. The films that Miyazaki directs are actually created completely in his vision. He’s the one to storyboard everything, and then use those images to create his films
2. Before the company’s break, there was around 400 people on staff. These members had a range of jobs – from drawing frames by hand to then copying them and then digitally colouring them
   
3. Studio Ghibli has produced 7 films that rank among the 15 highest-grossing anime films made in Japan
   
4. Toshio Suzuki was Studio Ghibli’s producer for over 35 years before retiring from the role in 2014 (when he then took the position of general manager)
5. Miyazaki doesn’t write scripts or screenplays. Instead, he works off of his extensive and detailed storyboards to create images for his stories and dialogue
6. The name ‘Ghibli’ is based on what is known as the ‘Arabic sirocco’ (which is ‘the Mediterranean wind’). The studio decided on this name because they wanted to, “blow a new wind through the Japanese anime industry”