Studio Ghibli is synonymous with Japanese animation. The studio’s films that relish nature and simple life have won the hearts of people all around the world. Whether it is a sweeping epic like “Spirited Away,” an anti-war tragedy like “Grave of the Fireflies,” or a simple coming-of-age movie like “Only Yesterday,” the animated movies from the studio have always delivered varied classics over the years. While the movies from the studio have been covering the familiar themes of love, friendship, politics, war, grief, and much more, there is one name without whom the studio seems as incomplete as cake without cream; that magnanimous name is Hayao Miyazaki. 

Miyazaki has made classics that resonate with kids and adults alike. His prestigious filmography has succeeded in making people feel a gamut of emotions, from his earlier works like “My Neighbour Totoro” to his latest masterpiece, “The Boy and The Heron.” Besides Isao Takahata, Miyazaki has been the only one doing the heavy lifting for the studio for decades. So, the question automatically arises: how much the 83-year-old legend has left in him? I mean, yes, he can surely pull off a Clint Eastwood, and I want him to. But let’s be real: time will run out for all of us, and fate will strike inevitably. He may live a long life (I want him to), but for how long can he be the flag barrier of Ghibli? The answer is probably not too long. 

This posits a question worth contemplating: What is Ghibli’s future beyond Miyazaki’s legacy? Will the studio fall into the pits of mediocrity, or will some new name rise to keep the studio’s prestigious legacy intact? Let’s examine this question and try to find answers. 

Miyazaki hasn’t taken anyone under his wing

Starting this assessment with a very cynical point, but well, someone has to burst the bubble. I have to be the bearer of this bad news, but Hayao Miyazaki isn’t grooming anyone for the future. I mean, yes, Yoshifumi Kondō was lowkey groomed and ended up making one of the Ghibli masterpieces, “Whispers of The Heart” (1995), but sadly he passed away in 1998. So, as of now, there’s no one under his wing. Ghibli is Ghibli because of its singular artistic vision, and it is not the committee that makes the studio. I mean, it is not Pixar, where there are sequels to keep the tentpoles alive. Takahata’s death made this clearer to me at first. I have always been cynical about the studio’s future since Takahata’s death and Miyazaki’s retirement, or God forbid his departure will ensure the end of the studio if no new name arises. 

I don’t take pleasure in this negativity, trust me. But the headquarters literally got torched a couple of years ago. Now, I am not that superstitious, but that is like the universe itself is saying it’s over. But it is not really over until it is over, right? There could be something salvageable in the studio’s inevitable terrible fate, right? Well, I am not sure of that because, as I said, there is no one under Miyazaki’s wing. 

Miyazaki’s Justified Pessimism Towards the Studio

You must have heard of Miyazaki’s famous line that the studio will inevitably fall apart. This wasn’t just a line Miyazaki said out of ego or something. He was echoing the sentiments of millions of Studio Ghibli fans around the world. The 2006 release of the anime studio “Tales from Earthsea” remains one of the most forgettable ventures of the studio to this date. Despite getting good box office results, the movie failed to leave a mark on fans or critics. Following this failure came “The Secret World of Arrietty in 2010,” which, once again, failed to match the level of earlier studio classics. 

Once again, Miyazaki came to the rescue in 2013 with “The Wind Rises” and salvaged the sinking ship. But the string of failures for them didn’t end just here. In 2014, “When Marine was There” faced the same fate as other non-Miyazaki Studio Ghibli works. Hell, the director of “Arriety” and “When Marine was There,” Hiromasa Yonebayashi, was done with the studio following the failures of his movies and left the studio to open his own. The film failed to wow a single fan of the studio and acted as a testament to the plummeting graph of the anime studio. What do all these failures suggest? They simply tie to the statement I made earlier: Studio Ghibli is nothing but a singular vision that sinks or swims with the support of Miyazaki. 

Films Like ‘The Red Turtle’ remain a beacon of hope 

With Ghibli’s consistently poor performance outside of Miyazaki’s and Takahata’s works, if there was one film that gave me a glimpse of hope for the anime studio’s future. It was the 2016 film, “The Red Turtle.” For 80 minutes in that film, I forgot I was watching moving drawings. I didn’t know I was gonna get a parable about the cycle of life, a plea to not ignore Mother Nature. “The Red Turtle” was a sublime piece of work with a universality that anyone can understand. Truly pure cinema! 

But guess what? Many people don’t even know of its existence. It is treated as the bastard child of the studio. The film by Michael Dudok de Wit was overshadowed by another Japanese magnum opus that year: Makoto Shinkai’s “Your Name.” So, what does that suggest? Well, it suggests that outside of Miyazaki and Takahata’s works, no one really cares about Ghibli. This sad reality hit me like a truck and made me feel sick to my stomach. Therefore, a glimpse of hope provided by “The Red Turtle” is instantly shattered after knowing the fate of the film. 

The Failure of The Tale of Princess Kaguya contributes to the Cynicism

Ever heard of The Tale of Princess Kaguya? Yes? Okay, so did you know it’s a Ghibli film? Probably not. That was how the final film of legendary filmmaker Isao Takahata was perceived by the audience. “The Tale of Princess Kaguya” wasn’t considered a commercial flop, but its performance at the box office was relatively modest compared to other films of the studio. Isao Takahata put his all into that sublime piece of animation, yet he was only rewarded with a modest response and a small cult fanbase. 

So, this does nothing but contribute to the cynicism that Ghibli was already dusted by then. The Wind Rises and The Tale of Princess Kaguya despite releasing in the same year didn’t soar as much as the earlier releases of Miyazaki and Takahata. Are people really tired of 2-D animation, or is it their poor attention span? Well, whatever it is, things have started to fare badly for Ghibli, and it is not too long until the studio will totally crash. 

What is next for Ghibli after Miyazaki? 

I am quite unsure how to answer this question. “The Boy and the Heron” will be celebrated by fans of Ghibli all around the world. However, I am more concerned about the future of the studio since Miyazaki is the only one who delivers for the studio. Ghibli is too singular-driven. It’s like a sole proprietorship where the company lives and dies by the one in charge. Also, the 2-D hand drawing doesn’t seem to be making a return anytime soon.  It’s costly to hire true talent. 3-D is the norm now because it is also cost-effective. Furthermore, because of its struggle to find a successor to Miyazaki, the studio is now acquired by Nippon TV, “supposedly” securing its long-term future. Even Miyazaki’s own son, Goro Miyazaki rejected the idea of being his successor in the studio. He thinks “It is too much to shoulder by myself. It is better to leave it to somebody else.” Now, who is this somebody else? A rent-a-director by Nippon TV I suppose? Hah! 

To top this all, there is the Spider-verse style of animation ruling Hollywood, which is where the major audience of Studio Ghibli films comes from. Now, I must end this write-up on an optimistic note, but I am clueless about how to be optimistic here. The studio is not getting any more daring voices like Miyazaki and Takahata, and even when someone like Michael Dudok de Wit steps up, people don’t pay enough attention to them. 

Maybe directors with enough flex, like Makoto Shinkai, need to join the studio to salvage the situation for them, I mean no Japanese artist currently working today has the goodwill Shinkai has. He’s in his early 50s, sure, but that doesn’t mean he doesn’t have more stories to tell. I always thought Shinkai was so “him” that he couldn’t fit under another label. Ghibli has its own unique vibe. More pastoral and folktale-ish. But who knows, Shinkai or someone of his pedigree could just as easily transition to Ghibli to spice things up. Honestly, who am Iying? Shinkai won’t join Ghibli to save them at this point, no Japanese director with enough flex will, for that matter. 

While I don’t want to come off as an overly cynical person thinking only bad things by the end of this article, I have no choice but to be one. I can just hope that post-Miyazaki studio finds some miracle that flips its inevitable crashing fate, but at this point, it seems highly unlikely. With all that being said, when the camera switched to Studio Ghibli celebrating for The Boy and the Heron at the Oscars, I saw a faint glimmer of hope…… These people felt genuinely proud of what they made…. Who am I to say they have no future?