Ghibli gay

From Spirited Away and Howl's Moving Castle to Ponyo, here's Studio Ghibli's most iconic films ranked from most to least queer. Studio Ghibli is a Japanese animation film studio founded in June by the director Hayao Miyazaki and Isao Takahata and the producer Toshio Suzuki.

Why You Should Watch Ocean Waves, Studio Ghibli's Queer Sleeper Hit

The company's logo features the character Totoro (a large forest spirit) from Hayao Miyazaki's film "My Neighbor Totoro". Find out how Studio Ghibli's rich history resonates with queer themes, exploring iconic narratives and characters beloved by LGBTQ+ fans. And still, there’s something about Ghibli specifically that resonates with queer people, despite there being little obvious representation to speak of across the studio’s forty-year history.

Studio Ghibli's When Marnie Was There is structured like a queer coming-of-age story, but the ending brings a surprise twist that changes everything. As an older Taku lands back home, Yutaka pulls up beside him and offers to drive him home. For a film that barely runs over an hour, this kind of detail comprises a lot of the film and makes everything seem more alive - it highlights that although the drama of the love triangle might feel all-consuming to the kids, life still very much carries on around it.

Director Hiromasa Yonebayashi. How to Pitch IndieWire.

Ocean Waves: The queer film Studio Ghibli didn’t know they were making

Contact Us. Awards Spotlight. Even if no romance ever came from their budding relationship, there are enough implications to foster subtext. Search for:. Queering the Canon. Anna, a shy year-old girl, is sent to spend time with her aunt and uncle who live in the countryside, where she meets Marnie. The story is told via flashbacks, narrated by Taku - who is now in college - as he flies home for a high school reunion.

The budding relationship between Anna and Marnie is a bridge leading Anna to a discovery of self that could easily be interpreted as the awakening of her sexuality, until viewers discover that Marnie is actually the ghost of Anna's biological grandmother. Rolling Stone. It's here that Taku's infatuation for Rikako is revealed, and Yutaka says, "I know you were holding back because of me.

While Ursula desperately tries to find her way in the big world around her, she helps Kiki ground herself and helps Kiki on her path of self-discovery. Deep Dive. IndieWire's Future of Filmmaking. As Taku watches Yutaka drive, he seems to focus on his arms and hands, a shot that both suggests a longing for their touch and a remembrance of Yutaka's punch.

Marnie briefly took care of Anna following the death of Anna's parents before then passing away herself and orphaning Anna. Sara Takatsuki. Not long after, Kiki encounters two older women living together eyebrows raise who demonstrate what love and acceptance can look like for her in the future. Robb Report. Except, they actually seem far more interested in each other.

Similarly, Anna felt abandoned and unworthy of love, especially after realizing her foster parents were earning money from fostering her. Most Popular 1. It also contextualizes her longing to understand where she came from and who her family was. In the early 90s, Studio Ghibli did an experiment — it put together some of its young animators, all in their twenties and thirties, and gave them a chance to make a film all on their own, quickly, cheaply and with quality.

The pair chat and catch up. Plus icon. Of course, that isn't a critique on the quality of these films, considering they rarely focused on any kind of romantic relationships at all. Combined, these two scenes suggest what could be interpreted as a sapphic journey that helps Kiki embrace what makes her different, and even feel empowered by it.