All Ghibli films follow the studios codes and conventions, some more than others, but always to a notable extent. While there is no defining narrative structure that all the studios films cling to, there are recurring themes present.


Anthropomorphism is a running feature, which although quite common outside of Ghibli in children’s films and animations, is used with much more finesse and often narrative purpose. Perhaps most obviously is in Takahata’s Pom Poko, where the characters level of anthropomorphism alters according to their state of mind, Changing from realistic Racoon animations to full human form. Similar metamorphosis can be seen in Spirited away and Tales from Earthsea, where seemingly Human characters are revealed to actually be dragons. Most examples of metamorphosis are caused by magic, deliberate or otherwise. for example in Howls Moving Castle, Howls transformation is deliberate, whereas a witch forces Sophie’s upon her. Metamorphosis in Ghibli films always represents some other invisible change, usually to the characters well-being, mental or emotional state.


This is very clear in Porco Rosso, where the main character is a bipedal pig who used to be a man, it is suggested that his transformation was somewhat voluntary as he felt a need to distance himself from humanity. This is of course zoomorphism, which although present, is much more uncommon than anthropomorphism in western animation. In Spirited Away, Chihiro’s parents are turned into pigs because of their gluttony, whereas Princess Mononoke makes a conscious decision to separate from the humanity that is destroying her forest and run with the wolves. She however does not take on the physical form of a wolf, rather only mimicking their habits and behavior.

This disharmony with mankind can also be seen to some extent in the likes of Grave Of The Fireflies, Howls Moving Castle and Kiki’s Delivery Service, where a witch and her cat search for independence and are somewhat segregated for their differences. Although Kiki is not given any animal form or traits, her cat is able to communicate with her, and could be viewed as an extension of her character, no matter how mild their societal separation is compared to other Ghibli works the cats presence still highlights this distance.

References:

Filmography

Pom Poko (1994) directed by Isao Takahata. JPN, Studio Ghibli [DVD]

Spirited Away (2001) directed by Hiyao Miyazaki. JPN, Studio Ghibli [DVD]

Tales From Earthsea (2006) directed by Goro Miyazaki. JPN, Studio Ghibli [DVD]

Howls Moving Castle (2004) directed by Hiyao Miyazaki. JPN, Studio Ghibli [DVD]

Porco Rosso (1992) directed by Hiyao Miyazaki. JPN, Studio Ghibli [Video:DVD]

Princess Mononoke (1997) directed by Hiyao Miyazaki. JPN, Studio Ghibli [video:DVD]

Grave Of The Fireflies (1988) directed by Isao Takahata. JPN, Studio Ghibli [video:DVD]

Kiki's Delivery Service (1989) directed by Hiyao Miyazaki. JPN, Studio Ghibli [video:DVD]

Introduction

When discussing animation, one might be forgiven for being drawn to Disneys classics, or Pixars almost two decade long standard bearing slew of family oriented CGI affairs. After all, both are so firmly established that they are widely agreed to constitute genres in themselves. One company that is often overlooked is that of Japanese Studio Ghibli, founded by Hayao Miyazaki and Isao Takahata in 1986, off the back of the success of Miyazaki’s film Nausicaa Of The Valley Of The Wind.
Studio Ghibli is the only major foreign animation studio to consistently and successfully break through to western audiences, with considerable critical acclaim. The studio has had multiple newcomers appearing for directorial roles over the years including Yoshifumi Kondo, Hiroyuki Morita and recently Miyazaki’s own son, Goro Miyazaki, but the studio has always retained the same stylistic tone and core values, in no small part because of Miyazaki's close scrutiny of all productions under the house.
Therefore I propose that Studio Ghibli can be viewed as a genre, it would be possible for somebody outside the studio to create a Ghibli-esque animation, in the same way that new directors debut films are frequently lauded as Tarantino-esque. The studio is Miyazaki and to a lesser extent Takahatas Auteuristic creation and so I will also be referencing Auteur theory in this discussion as a backdrop for the argument of Studio Ghibli as a genre.
Because of Hayao Miyazaki’s strong presence throughout the studios history this could easily be a discussion only of his work, and would likely be easier to argue, as his films have a very developed tone and style that he rarely deviates from. However I believe that because of his involvement in all productions there are enough constants running through all the studios work to make my argument a valid one.
Therefore, in speaking of Studio Ghibli, I will be referring to all the feature films produced by the studio, including Nausicaa Of The Valley Of The Wind, which although not technically Ghibli, gave Miyazaki the success to start the studio, is generally labeled as part of the canon, and should therefore be considered.