As Studio Ghibli turns 40, fans worry about its future once Hayao Miyazaki retires
Japan's Studio Ghibli turns 40 this month with two Oscars and legions of fans young and old won over by its films' complex plots and hand-drawn animation.
The studio behind the Oscar-winning Spirited Away has become a cultural phenomenon since Miyazaki and the late Isao Takahata established it in 1985.
Its popularity has been fuelled recently by
a second Academy Award in 2024 for The Boy and the Heron, with a voice cast including Robert Pattinson, and by Netflix streaming Ghibli films around the world.
Play
In March, the internet was
flooded with pictures in its distinctively nostalgic style after the release of OpenAI's newest image generator – raising questions over copyright.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
South China Morning Post
3 hours ago
- South China Morning Post
Netflix K-drama Tastefully Yours review: happy ending for delectable if formulaic romcom
This article contains spoilers. 3/5 stars Lead cast: Go Min-si, Kang Ha-neul, Kim Shin-rok, Yoo Soo-bin Latest Nielsen rating: 3.8 per cent
South China Morning Post
4 hours ago
- South China Morning Post
Japan ‘selfie grandma', Kimiko Nishimoto, dies at 97, rises to fame at 72 for quirky portraits
A woman known as Japan's selfie grandma who redefined ageing with her quirky self-portraits, has died, aged 97. Despite taking up photography late in life, nonagenarian Kimiko Nishimoto started learning the skill at the age of 72. She showed an uncanny ability to entertain and delight with her images. She held her first solo exhibition in 2011 and published her first book of photos in 2016. After joining social media in 2018, she quickly gained more than 400,000 followers. Nishimoto was born in Brazil and moved to Japan when she was eight. Nishimoto may have been a late starter in the world of photography, but she quickly made an impact. Photo: IG@kimiko_nishimoto She settled in Kumamoto Prefecture in the central part of Japan's southwestern Kyushu Island.
South China Morning Post
5 hours ago
- South China Morning Post
Rare Labubu toy figures up for auction: Pharrell Williams' Joopiter site to offer Sacai-dressed special editions in collaboration with K-pop band Seventeen
The Labubu craze has reached new heights with a four-foot (1.2 metre) model of the plush toy fetching a price of 1.08 million yuan (US$150,260) at auction. On June 10, the teal character – 'the only piece of its kind in the world', according to Beijing Yongle International Auction, fetched the eye-watering sum at a sale held in China's capital. It was offered alongside other Labubu paraphernalia, including a brown model that sold for 820,000 yuan. An auctioneer takes bids from buyers for a Labubu figurine, during an auction by Yongle International Auction in Beijing, on June 10. Photo: Reuters Advertisement But these remarkable prices may be just the beginning as the viral toy is soon to make another appearance at auction through a collaboration involving Pharrell Williams , the K-pop group Seventeen and the Japanese fashion brand Sacai. The rabbit-like figures sporting mischievous toothy grins began as a character created by Hong Kong-born artist Kasing Lung, and are made by Beijing-based toy brand Pop Mart. A Labubu toy hangs from a bidder's Hermès bag at an auction by Yongle International Auction in Beijing, on June 10. Photo: Reuters They have been endorsed by celebrities such as Rihanna and Dua Lipa , and fans have queued overnight outside stores hoping to snag one, with analysts pointing to the phenomenon as more evidence of China's growing soft power. The global frenzy for the figures is now to be further fuelled by the coming high fashion collaboration. The latest Labubu auction is a blind box limited to 14 pieces: 13 boxes contain Labubu dressed in beige Sacai jumpsuits, while the 14th box, kept secret, is decorated uniquely, paying homage to one of Pharrell Williams' favourite Sacai creations. Photo: Handout Pharrell Williams' digital platform Joopiter recently announced 'Joopiter presents: Sacai x Seventeen', a global auction marking the first time that Labubu has officially partnered with an international fashion house. The sale will feature 14 exclusive 'Pop Mart x How2work green edition' Labubus from The Monsters series, all dressed in Sacai, with 13 of them representing K-pop group Seventeen's members, plus one secret, Pharrell-inspired model.
