by It’s director Hayao Miyazaki’s masterpiece, but is it not a Ghibli film?
Nausicaä of the Valley of the Wind is a masterpiece known as a completely original theatrical animation by director Hayao Miyazaki. The animation production company led by director Hayao Miyazaki is Studio Ghibli. Despite this, it is said that Nausicaä is not strictly a Ghibli work. What is the reason for this?
Discovered in the BD/DVD Ghibli Ga Ippai COLLECTION! In search of why Nausicaä is the only exception, I checked the Studio Ghibli website. Nausicaä was on the Ghibli Works list page and in the Ghibli Ga Ippai COLLECTION lineup. It is hard to believe that Nausicaä is not a Ghibli work. Perhaps people say that Nausicaä is not a Ghibli work because it is original. Indeed, Nausicaä is based on a manga drawn by director Hayao Miyazaki in the anime magazine Animage. However, other Ghibli works are based on original stories, such as “Grave of the Fireflies” and “Tales from Earthsea,” so this is inconclusive.
Before Ghibli was born, The real reason lies in the timing of the founding of Studio Ghibli. Studio Ghibli was founded on June 15, 1985. Meanwhile, “Nausicaa” was released in theaters on March 11, 1984. In other words, “Nausicaa” preceded the founding of Ghibli. So, who produced “Nausicaa”? Why is something made by another production company treated as Ghibli’s work? In fact, “Nausicaa” was created by an animation production company called “Topcraft.” Later, Topcraft was invested by Tokuma Shoten and dissolved to produce “Castle in the Sky,” transforming into Studio Ghibli. Topcraft is the predecessor of Ghibli. In other words, although “Nausicaa” was the work that led to the founding of Ghibli, strictly speaking, it was not a work produced by Ghibli, which was the truth of the rumor.
However, since Miyazaki Hayao directed it and can be said to be the origin of Ghibli, it is now known as a Ghibli work. It remains indispensable and essential to the company’s history. Even at exhibitions such as the Friday Road Show and Ghibli Exhibition, giant Ohmu and the Sea of Decay models were displayed.
The Ghibli Collection includes Miyazaki Hayao’s first animated film, Lupin III: The Castle of Cagliostro. This film was released five years before Nausicaa (1979) and produced by a Tokyo Movie company. The company is unrelated to Studio Ghibli or Topcraft, so it is not included in the list of works on the Ghibli website.
The singularity of director Miyazaki Hayao It is strange that “The Castle of Cagliostro,” which is not included in the list of Ghibli’s works, is included in the “Ghibli Collection.” Still, for some reason, it makes sense. The reason for this is probably the presence of director Miyazaki Hayao. The Ghibli brand is not just known for works produced by Studio Ghibli but is also recognized by many as the brand of anime directed by Miyazaki Hayao.
This is very interesting and, to the best of my knowledge, is something I have never seen before. By the way, Miyazaki Hayao is currently working on his next film. At the preview of the “How Do You Live?” exhibition held in May 2024, his son Goro said, “Director Miyazaki Hayao is creating a nostalgic adventure drama.” Let’s wait patiently for his next film while hoping for further news.
