The films from the Japanese animation studio and director Hayao Miyazaki have captivated imaginations around the world for decades \u2014 this reporter with my four tattoos of favorite Studio Ghibli characters included.<\/p>\n
This is now the second time the Miracle Mile museum has dedicated an exhibition to Miyazaki\u2019s works, with the focus on Ponyo arriving more than four years after the retrospective of all his animated feature films.<\/p>\n
\u201cThese drawings have never been shown outside of Japan,\u201d Shraddha Aryal, the museum\u2019s executive vice president of exhibitions, told LAist. \u201cWe have an amazing conservation team who actually cell by cell took care of these, conserved these and that was what led us to say let\u2019s do another exhibition really highlighting their artwork.\u201d<\/p>\n
Keep up with LAist.<\/p>\n
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The exhibition includes more than 100 items from Studio Ghibli, including animation cells from Ponyo.<\/p>\n
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Makenna Sievertson<\/p>\n
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LAist<\/p>\n
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The cult of Studio Ghibli<\/p>\n
Since Studio Ghibli\u2019s founding in 1985, <\/b>the animation powerhouse<\/a> has created more than 20 feature films, including My Neighbor Totoro<\/a>, Kiki\u2019s Delivery Service<\/a> and most recently The Boy and the Heron<\/a>, steadily gaining international acclaim.<\/p>\n Its Spirited Away<\/a> is among the most celebrated animated movies of all time, becoming Japan\u2019s highest-grossing film<\/a> and holding that record for 19 years. It was also the first hand-drawn film to win the Oscar for Best Animated Feature in 2003<\/a>.<\/p>\n The studio and Miyazaki would achieve the same feat again two decades later<\/a> with The Boy and the Heron in 2024.<\/p>\n Studio Ghibli\u2019s films are often fantastical with a lens of childlike wonder, but they also touch on difficult topics like the horrors of war, fascism, greed and environmental destruction. Characters are complex, with women and girls regularly in strong roles, such as the spear-wielding San<\/a> or the brave but stubborn Kiki<\/a>.<\/p>\n For me, there\u2019s something about the carefully crafted storylines and colorful style that still make me feel like I\u2019m exploring the forest with Princess Mononoke or stuck in a secret world of sorcery with Spirited Away, even as an adult.<\/p>\n Miyazaki’s magical world<\/p>\n Ponyo is one of Miyazaki\u2019s most kid friendly films \u2014 <\/b>with positive themes of courage and curiosity as the audience tags along with the adventures of the young main characters. Plus, there\u2019s no unnerving scenes of parents being turned into pigs like in Spirited Away (if you know you know).<\/p>\n The 2008 film tells the story of its namesake, the magical goldfish-like creature, Ponyo, and her budding friendship with a 5-year-old human boy named S\u014dsuke. The film follows Ponyo\u2019s desire to leave her underwater world and become a human to be with S\u014dsuke, disrupting the balance of nature and having to contend with challenges like a tsunami along the way.<\/p>\n<\/p>\n The exhibit creates a 3D version of the filmic world where visitors can climb inside an interactive version of S\u014dsuke\u2019s green bucket or walk on wave displays like Ponyo in the tsunami.<\/p>\n \u201cPonyo exhibition is all about this character\u2019s perseverance, and the joyful nature and triumph through ups and downs, [being] willing to explore a new world,\u201d Aryal said. \u201cAnd it’s such a beautiful love story about friendship.\u201d<\/p>\n Reimagining Ponyo<\/p>\n The exhibition includes rare Studio Ghibli donations on display in North America for the first time ever, such as original Miyazaki drawings and Ponyo animation cells, according to the Academy Museum. Guests can explore more than 100 items hand-picked by the studio, including an original animation desk and a make-your-own stop-motion station.<\/p>\n The experience is designed for all ages, reporter superfans with several tattoos of Studio Ghibli characters included.<\/p>\n But Jessica Niebel, the museum\u2019s senior exhibitions curator, told LAist she hopes the Ponyo exhibition helps children feel inspired by the “beautiful messages\u201d of the movie, especially after last year\u2019s L.A. fires<\/a> and the COVID pandemic.<\/p>\n \u201cSometimes you live through times where you have a tsunami, where you lose your magic or your mojo, you know, you’re not quite sure of your identity,\u201d she said. \u201c[Miyazaki] gives us hope and courage that we can be free and run on the waves like Ponyo.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cAnd instead of seeing things as a threat, maybe we use them to carry us,\u201d she continued.<\/p>\n Dipping into the 3-D world<\/p>\n The exhibition is split into four sections focused on different aspects of the film.<\/p>\n The first dives inside Ponyo\u2019s magical underwater home, introducing some main characters with a scene played on a screen spanning nearly the entire room.<\/p>\n \n The Ponyo exhibition takes visitors inside the 2008 film’s magical water worlds.\n <\/p>\n (<\/p>\n Makenna Sievertson<\/p>\n \/<\/p>\n LAist<\/p>\n )<\/p>\n \n The first section includes Ponyo’s goddess mother.\n <\/p>\n (<\/p>\n Makenna Sievertson<\/p>\n \/<\/p>\n LAist<\/p>\n )<\/p>\n
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