Is Studio Ghibli Better than Disney?
On the Qualities that Make a Story Inherently Good for Children
When I read about the two men, Hayao Miyazaki and Walt Disney, I imagined that they would get along extremely well and really understand each other well. Based on what I’ve read about them, both men not only loved children, but they loved that innocent aspect of childhood that we must all take care not to snuff out with the vicissitudes of adult life. Both men wanted to, and did, make movies that used beautiful art to tell good stories to children. They did so without avarice and without ulterior motive and both experienced immense success in the world. Nevertheless, what Walt Disney’s company has become is not what it once was. And if you’re wondering who Hayao Miyazaki even is, you’re in for a treat today because if storytelling, quality craftsmanship, and a revival of the spirit of optimism and virtue is your business, then you must certainly know about this man.
“I would like to make a film to tell children ‘it’s good to be alive’” - Hayao Miyazaki, the founder and chair of Studio Ghibli
Disney is a name that has become synonymous today with the children’s story because it combined two very powerful things: the unique visual impact of beautiful animation with the unique penetration of the American Corporation. But despite its gargantuan profits and distribution power, Disney is waning in cultural relevance and power. Disney still primarily makes its money from Intellectual Property that was created half a lifetime ago and its new releases lose millions every year. While Disney as a business might be doing well, Disney as a story-teller for children is not.
There is a competitor that I believe is increasingly taking up more of Disney’s previous audience, and I believe it is well deserved. The competitor is Japan’s boutique animation studio, Studio Ghibli, for the very simple reason that Hayao Miyazaki remembers what Disney, in its greed for power and money, has long forgotten.
“Over at our place, we’re sure of just one thing: everybody in the world was once a child. So in planning a new picture, we don’t think of grown ups and we don’t think of children, but just of that fine clean, unspoiled spot deep down in every one of us that maybe the world has made us forget and that maybe our pictures can help recall” - Walt Disney, 1938
In this essay comparing Studio Ghibli and Walt Disney Studios, I will not only trace the history and philosophy of these two companies, but also examine what it is that makes a good Children’s Story that not only entertains but nourishes the spirit. Is Studio Ghibli really better than Modern Disney and in what ways?
