Two of the greatest animation studios, Studio Ghibli and Disney, are known for bringing heartfelt stories to life with brilliant and stunning animations.
The two studios are from two different cultures, one from humble and polite Hayao Miyazaki and the other created by the shy but brilliant Walt Disney.
I had grown up watching both of them, I had a year long obsession with the forest spirit Totoro and had spent a birthday wish for blonde hair and blue eyes like Cinderella, my favorite princess at the time.
While both animation studios aim to create heartfelt stories through stunning art, they reach the audience in different ways. Disney touches the heart but Studio Ghibli indulges the soul.
Disney has always been stories of “true love”, of a damsel in distress and her prince charming. All of their females are made of the same cardboard cut out, beauty beyond compare, a voice as pure as their souls, and as sweet as sugar.
All of them are waiting for their prince charming.
I love Disney, the magnificent flowing gowns, adorable animal sidekicks, and cheerful musicals, but at times it feels like I’m being spoon-fed the same lesson; a damsel in distress who only got to live the life of her dreams because of pretty privilege.
Studio Ghibli, on the other hand, tells stories of comfort and self-strength. Their characters feel much more real, with their unique flaws, their own passions and dreams.
The female leads in Studio Ghibli movies are stronger, not viewed as half a soul searching for their counterpart. Instead the characters felt whole and wanted a companion or a partner, but didn’t truly need one.
The love stories in Studio Ghibli feel so much more authentic.
It’s obvious that Hayao Miyazaki knows more about true love than Walt Disney, saying “True love is two people inspiring each other to live and recognizing just how hard living is-putting one foot in front of the other every day, how easy it is to lose our passion for it.”
Hayao Miyazaki is officially the one man who understands true love.
Hayao Miyazaki explains his way of creating strong female characters, claiming, “Many of my movies have strong female leads- brave self-sufficient girls that don’t think twice about fighting for what they believe in with all their hearts. They all need a friend, or a supporter, but never a savior.”
Ghibli doesn’t define a heroine by their success in finding “true love”. They are instead measured by their growth and their inner strength.
Disney by contrast has promoted impossible beauty standards, with waists the size of hydroflasks, bulging doe-like eyes, and the natural no-makeup look. Looking back, I realize how toxic it was, for a six year old to spend their birthday wish to become someone else.
Although both animation styles have their own charm, Studio Ghibli is constantly breathtaking. With hand drawn paintings rich in detail, the fluidity of the animation makes it feel like a painting brought to life.
Their artwork romanticizes daily life, turning something simple into something that belongs on the silver screen. I’ve come to think of my room not as cluttered, but as Studio Ghibli inspired. It’s made life a little more fun.
Hayao Miyazaki’s mission is to “create a film to tell children ‘it’s good to be alive”.
One is the beginning of imagination, the other the land where dreams come true. However, what is a dream worth without a sprinkle of imagination?