Why are Ghibli’s Worlds So Different Yet Effective?

 Why are Ghibli’s worlds so different yet effective?

Ghibli’s filmography is filled with worlds that breathe new life into their films. Sometimes they are so vibrant and broad in scope they feel as powerful as the characters themselves. But how is this achieved? How has Ghibli managed to get a leg up on the worlds they create compared to their compatriots in the scene of not just animation but film as a whole?

In filmmaking there are two clear directions during world building, soft and hard. Both forms of worldbuilding have clear advantages and disadvantages. The Lord of the Rings and Star Trek franchises are two examples of humongously successful properties with hard world building baked into them. The Lord of the Rings in particular utilises hard world building to a huge degree creating languages within its world that can actually be transcribed and are able to engage with the audience in such a way they feel connected to the characters and world so much deeper than usual. This is effective in the mediaeval fantasy world adapted here from Tolkien’s 500,000 word long trilogy. Their conscious decisions to make deep and logical characters and races to allow the viewer to become lost in the worlds unfolding before their eyes. This idea of world building stretches back to writers like Arthur C. Clarke with stories like 2001 A Space Odyssey that take account of time dilation across space or how sound travels through space when creating his worlds.

Howl’s Moving Castle and Spirited Away however, use their soft world building in such a way that the world, characters and plot are able to be elevated to the point they are just as deep and engaging as a world so lore filled as Lord of the Rings. Ghibli’s unique style of storytelling and filmmaking means audiences are forced to engage and build a connection to the world they are watching unfold in order to derive the intended meaning and appreciate the scope of the tales Miyazaki likes to tell. Miyazaki’s unusual story structures allow for an experience unlike anything Hollywood produces. His directorial abilities are truly a gift. The establishing shots at the beginning of Howl’s Moving Castle are imperative to the success of the first act and the set up of the film and its world. The dedication and artistry that goes into the animation, colouring and shading of the castle are an instant way of gripping the audience with absolutely zero information and this opening trend is extended across the first act. The main character Sophie knows as much of this world as we do and her journey is instantly more intriguing. Witch of the West and her minions made of a goo-like substance aren’t explained but we can interpret her great power and shortly after when Sophie ventures out to the wastes to find a remedy for this curse small pieces of dialogue and the introduction of Turnip Head slowly but surely give us a greater idea of the world we are witnessing. This is the same in Spirited Away. Chihiro are main character has no knowledge of the fantastical world she is in and the discovery that she has to endure across the film is a wonderful journey that the audience feels equally connected to. The strange character design, excellent animation and whimsical soundtrack all work in tandem to create something wholly unique that the audience can feel attached to on an unprecedented level. The scene in Ubaba’s bathhouse for example where Chihiro is tasked with cleaning a spirit with a foul scent before relieving of the pain it’s going through due to ‘a thorn in its side’ which is revealed to be a load of man made rubbish. He then is revealed to be a powerful river spirit and leaves gold as a payment which seems close to invaluable to the other workers. This is an amazing example of soft world building as it leaves the viewer with the task of interpreting just what exactly takes place during this scene and piece it together with the context of the rest of the film. From this we are able to imagine a world where powerful spirits have been corrupted by the waste of mankind giving context as to why the presence of Chihiro as a human in the bathhouse is so shocking and causes such a stir. The reaction to the reveal of the river spirit and the way it is treated upon exit compared to the reaction no face is given once his species is fully revealed implies some kind of loose social hierarchy here. But none of this is concrete and that is the beauty of what Miyazaki does with his directing. With his world building at times everything and nothing is possible in the mind of the viewer and they are tasked with piecing together the fantastical scenes which transpire before our eyes. In an interview Miyazaki was quoted as saying “everybody can make a film with logic. But my way is to not use logic… At a certain moment in that process, the lid is opened and very different ideas and visions are liberated… I [should not] handle a scene in a certain way for the sake of the audience”. In this process the train scene in Spirited Away can be created. It's something unlike most other other things a director can make and do so in a way that leaves the audience so attached. “I remember the first time I took the train alone and what my feelings were at the time. To bring those feelings across in the scene, it was important to not have a view through the window of the train, like mountains or a forest… because they are so focused on the ride itself. It’s while working on that scene that I realised that I work in a non-conscious way. There are more profound things than simply logic that guide the creation of the story”.  This interview shows clearer than any scene why Miyazaki and Ghibli and their soft world building is so effective. He has such a clear feel for human emotion and character themes and growth and is able to convey that to the audience in such a unique way and does it through the world.

It is important to note however, neither of these methods are better than the other. While Ghibli’s films do feel so foreign and mysteriously brilliant this is not to the discredit of the Lord of the Rings. The geopolitical and economic detail within that trilogy do an impeccable job of dragging them into the world with such a deep and alluring sure connection to the world and its themes. Films like Spirited Away and Howl’s Moving Castle though have imagined depth. If the same level of information about the Spirit world was given to the viewer in Spirited Away for example as in Lord of the Rings, this need for knowledge about the world in a place full of questions wouldn’t be effective. The foreign feeling that Chihiro feels toward the world wouldn’t replicate itself onto the audience and the deep connection we feel to her and her growth.

We are immersed into Miyazaki’s worlds through the unknown, the flexible rules that we can interpret however we feel most connected to us and the imaginative involvement to derive information from the otherworldliness within his films. It is this creative freedom that allows for Spirited Away, Howl’s Moving Castle and even something like Kiki’s Delivery Service, that doesn’t go as deep into the complete unknown, to feel so emotionally powerful and engaging in such an unprecedented manner. The soft world building also allows for a lack of pacing lulls in the first and second acts as exposition is less necessary. 

It is fair to say however, that the soft worlding done by Ghibli wouldn’t be nearly as effective if it wasn't for supporting factors such as the excellent animation, scores and voice acting prevalent across all of their films with Howl’s Moving Castle most notably benefitting. The performance from Christian Bale as Howl lifts the character. Howl himself is deeply intertwined to the world and we know little truly about his powers and his connection to Calcifer for large stretches of the film but Bale’s kooky performance which jumps from melodramatic to stoic perfectly lifts the film. The animation also as mentioned earlier plays a huge factor into the strength of mystery that leaves the viewer asking constant questions. If these factors weren’t up to scratch with the tight screenplay then Miyazaki’s vision simply wouldn’t be able to truly be brought to life.