Studio Ghibli Films and Beyond

In 2015, when Studio Ghibli – founded by Hayao Miyazaki, Isao Takahata, and Toshio Suzuki – celebrated its 30^th anniversary, Anthony Lioi aptly described it as “one of the most influential animation studios in the world,” attracting not only a devoted fanbase but also growing academic attention thanks to its “global reach, cinematic force, and thematic range,” including, among others, “the long-term effects of industrial waste (Nausicaä); the damage done by atomic bombs (Grave of the Fireflies, My Neighbor Totoro); the relationship of ecotopia and artificial intelligence (Castle in the Sky); the resistance of animals to habitat loss (Pom Poko); the destruction of forests by industry (Princess Mononoke); and the persistence of deep time in the present (Ponyo)” (p. 111).

10 years later, on the occasion of Studio Ghibli’s 40^th anniversary, we invite scholars to once again reflect on its legacy and the contributions of its creators – thus continuing the lines of inquiry pursued in such works as the frequently reissued Studio Ghibli: The Films of Hayao Miyazaki and Isao Takahata by Colin Odell and Michelle Le Blanc (2009), the collective volume Princess Mononoke: Understanding Studio Ghibli’s Monster Princess, edited by Rayna Denison (2018), Denison’s monograph Studio Ghibli: An Industrial History (2023), and in Poland – the multi-author collection Studio Ghibli. Miejsce filmu animowanego w japońskiej kulturze [Studio Ghibli: The Place of Animated Film in Japanese Culture], edited by Joanna Zaremba-Penk and Marcin Lisiecki (2012, new edition – 2024).

We welcome contributions that examine Studio Ghibli films, their reception, and their impact on the transformation of animated cinema. Possible areas of focus include, but are not limited to:

• From Nausicaä of the Valley of the Wind to The Boy and the Heron – the work of Hayao Miyazaki in terms of themes and aesthetics;
• Ghibli beyond Miyazaki – e.g., the films of Isao Takahata, Tomomi Mochizuki, Yoshifumi Kondō, Hiroyuki Morita, Gorō Miyazaki, and Michaël Dudok de Wit, in terms of themes and aesthetics;
• Studio Ghibli in the world and in Poland – questions of reception, from local to global cultural phenomenon, the role of audiovisual translation and localisation, international fandoms;
• Intertextuality, transmediality, transfictionality, and metafiction in or in relation to Studio Ghibli films – e.g., adaptations of literary works, influences on literature, cinema, television, and visual arts;
• Folklore and mythology in Studio Ghibli films – e.g., Japanese folk culture; multicultural fairy-tale influences; transcultural borrowings;
• Nature and ecology in Studio Ghibli films – e.g., representations of nature from an ecocritical perspective, animal subjectivity, elements of shintō and Buddhism;
• The image in Studio Ghibli films – e.g., technical aspects of animation, special effects, the notion of a distinctive “Ghibli style(s)”;
• Sound in Studio Ghibli films – e.g., soundtracks, soundscapes, sound design;
• Ghibli and childhood – e.g., the child as protagonist and viewer, cinematic visions of childhood, educational elements;
• The place of Studio Ghibli in culture (especially Japanese) and the anime industry.

Of course, the topics listed above do not exhaust the scope of the proposed issue; we also welcome themes formulated by contributors.

We also encourage submission of texts unrelated to the special issue’s theme for the Talks, Varia, Essays, and Review Articles sections.

Submission deadline: January 4, 2026
Submit via the journal’s platform: https://www.journals.polon.uw.edu.pl/index.php/dlk

Bibliography
Lioi, A. (2015). Introduction to Studio Ghibli. Resilience: A Journal of the Environmental Humanities, 2(3), 111–112. https://dx.doi.org/10.5250/resilience.2.3.0111.