In 2015, when Studio Ghibli – founded by Hayao Miyazaki, Isao Takahata, and Toshio Suzuki – celebrated its 30th anniversary, Anthony Lioi aptly described it as “one of the most influential animation studios in the world,” attracting not only a devoted fanbase but also growing academic attention thanks to its “global reach, cinematic force, and thematic range,” including, among others, “the long-term effects of industrial waste (Nausicaä); the damage done by atomic bombs (Grave of the Fireflies, My Neighbor Totoro); the relationship of ecotopia and artificial intelligence (Castle in the Sky); the resistance of animals to habitat loss (Pom Poko); the destruction of forests by industry (Princess Mononoke); and the persistence of deep time in the present (Ponyo)” (p. 111).

10 years later, on the occasion of Studio Ghibli’s 40th anniversary, we invite scholars to once again reflect on its legacy and the contributions of its creators – thus continuing the lines of inquiry pursued in such works as the frequently reissued Studio Ghibli: The Films of Hayao Miyazaki and Isao Takahata by Colin Odell and Michelle Le Blanc (2009), the collective volume Princess Mononoke: Understanding Studio Ghibli’s Monster Princess, edited by Rayna Denison (2018), Denison’s monograph Studio Ghibli: An Industrial History (2023), and in Poland – the multi-author collection Studio Ghibli. Miejsce filmu animowanego w japońskiej kulturze [Studio Ghibli: The Place of Animated Film in Japanese Culture], edited by Joanna Zaremba-Penk and Marcin Lisiecki (2012, new edition – 2024).

The journal Dzieciństwo. Literatura i Kultura welcomes contributions that examine Studio Ghibli films, their reception, and their impact on the transformation of animated cinema. Possible areas of focus include, but are not limited to:

  • From Nausicaä of the Valley of the Wind to The Boy and the Heron – the work of Hayao Miyazaki in terms of themes and aesthetics;
  • Ghibli beyond Miyazaki – e.g., the films of Isao Takahata, Tomomi Mochizuki, Yoshifumi Kondō, Hiroyuki Morita, Gorō Miyazaki, and Michaël Dudok de Wit, in terms of themes and aesthetics;
  • Studio Ghibli in the world and in Poland – questions of reception, from local to global cultural phenomenon, the role of audiovisual translation and localisation, international fandoms;
  • Intertextuality, transmediality, transfictionality, and metafiction in or in relation to Studio Ghibli films – e.g., adaptations of literary works, influences on literature, cinema, television, and visual arts;
  • Folklore and mythology in Studio Ghibli films – e.g., Japanese folk culture; multicultural fairy-tale influences; transcultural borrowings;
  • Nature and ecology in Studio Ghibli films – e.g., representations of nature from an ecocritical perspective, animal subjectivity, elements of shintō and Buddhism;
  • The image in Studio Ghibli films – e.g., technical aspects of animation, special effects, the notion of a distinctive “Ghibli style(s)”;
  • Sound in Studio Ghibli films – e.g., soundtracks, soundscapes, sound design;
  • Ghibli and childhood – e.g., the child as protagonist and viewer, cinematic visions of childhood, educational elements;
  • The place of Studio Ghibli in culture (especially Japanese) and the anime industry.

Of course, the topics listed above do not exhaust the scope of the proposed issue; the journal also welcomes themes formulated by contributors.

They also encourage submission of texts unrelated to the special issue’s theme for the Talks, Varia, Essays, and Review Articles sections.

Submission deadline: January 4, 2026
Submit via the journal’s platform: 

https://www.journals.polon.uw.edu.pl/index.php/dlk

 

Bibliography


Lioi, A. (2015). Introduction to Studio Ghibli. Resilience: A Journal of the Environmental Humanities, 2(3), 111–112. https://dx.doi.org/10.5250/resilience.2.3.0111.

[Quelle: Pressemitteilung]