Science & Magic: The Films of Studio Ghibli

In the final episode (for now...), Neil, Ruben, and Jamie give their picks for what Ghibli films deserve special awards. This is the only episode to have been recorded live together!

Along with our amazing guest Pete Mummert, the crew discusses 2014's When Marnie Was There, written and directed by Hiromasa Yonebayashi and based on the 1967 novel by Joan G. Robinson of the same name. We all scored this film highly and wish it had more of a following!

Written and directed by Isao Takahata, The Tale of Princess Kaguya (2013), this movie is an adaptation of The Tale of the Bamboo Cutter, a 10th-century Japanese literary tale. Join the crew and guest Chrysanthe Tan on a discussion of this beautifully animated and scored gem, complete with Chrysanthe's wonderful knowledge of musical scores.

Written and directed by Hayao Miyazaki, The Wind Rises (2013) is a biopic about Japanese aeronautical engineer Jiro Horikoshi, who designed the Mitsubishi A6M "Zero" fighter plane used in World War II. This was originally going to be Miyazaki's final film, but he reversed that decision to make 2023's The Boy and the Heron. Join our hosts and guest Richard Dunham as we grapple with this strange film, from its incredible depiction of an earthquake in Tokyo to its bizarre fictionalized romance.

The second film directed by Hayao Miyazaki's son, Gorō Miyazaki, this film touches on many of the themes of previous Studio Ghibli movies, such as war, memory, and young people learning about how they connect to older generations. The crew speaks with our first ever recurring guest, Abby Loebenberg, about another Gorō-directed film and as usual she brings incredible insight to it.

The crew discusses Arrietty (2010), also known as Arrietty the Borrower in Japan and The Secret World of Arrietty in North America, along with guest Erin Hamer-Beck. This film is the directorial debut of Hiromasa Yonebayashi; the British dub features the cinematic debut of Spiderman himself, Tom Holland.

Guest Jonfen Parker joins the hosts to discuss Ponyo (2008), a film about questionable parenting, weird fishes, and water.

Loosely based on an Ursula K Le Guin novel, and marking the directorial debut of Hayao Miyazaki's son, Gorō Miyazaki, Tales from Earthsea (2006) is certainly one of the movies from Studio Ghibli. Guest Dr Abby Loebenberg, a professor at Arizona State University, brings a lot of fascinating deep analysis to this episode.

Howl's Moving Castle (2004) is an adaptation of the 1986 Diana Wynne Jones novel of the same name. It features anti-war imagery inspired by Miyazaki's opposition to the 2003 Iraq War. Guest John Ingle helps the crew break it down.

With their guest Andrew Hawthorn, the crew discusses The Cat Returns, one of the only Ghibli films that is a spin off of another -1995's Whisper of the Heart. It follows the adventures of a teenage girl who can communicate with cats into the Cat Kingdom. This lesser-known Ghibli film turned out to be a surprise favorite!