Studio Ghibli’s Animated Wonders

Studio Ghibli’s animated masterpieces are among the most beloved films of all time.

This series from the Explosion Network explored the studio’s classic library, celebrating its artistry and storytelling. For now, the podcast has been spirited away into retirement — but if enough fans kick up the dust bunnies, it just might return for more Ghibli magic.

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Thank you for listening to Studio Ghibli's Animated Wonders

We've enjoyed hearing all your Studio Ghibli stories since we debuted this podcast in 2020. The studio has released a few films since, notably The Boy & The Heron in 2023, which are yet to be covered on this podcast.

Let us know in the comments section on the last episode or on social media if you'd like to see the series return to cover some more Studio Ghibli films!

Episodes

Monday Aug 10, 2020

Before we look forward, we look back. In the season finale of Studio Ghibli’s Animated Wonders, we discuss the documentary film, ‘The Kingdom of Dreams & Madness’ and then discuss what the future of the animation studio could be. Will there be a new wave of talent injected into Ghibli? Will Hayao Miyazaki finish his final film? And what are Dylan, Ciaran and Ashley’s final rankings of the Ghibli films?Hosts:Dylan Blight: https://twitter.com/vivaladilAshley Hobley: https://twitter.com/ashleyhobleyCiaran Marchant: https://twitter.com/YaboyRingoStudio Ghibli’s Animated Wonders Credits:Music: “Lo-Fi Hip Hop Chill Beats For Study Game Sleep” by ReckonerLicense: CC BY (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/)Art: Cherie HenriquesThe Kingdom of Dreams and Madness (2013)Directed by: Mami SunadaStarring: Hayao Miyazaki, Yumiko Miyoshi, Toshio Suzuki, Hideaki Anno, Goro Miyazaki, Isao TakahataAll Episodes: https://explosionnetwork.com/studio-ghiblis-animated-wondersSupport Us: http://www.ko-fi.com/explosion

When Marnie Was There (2014)

Monday Aug 03, 2020

Monday Aug 03, 2020

Due to 12 y.o. Anna's asthma, she's sent to stay with relatives of her guardian in the Japanese countryside. She likes to be alone, sketching. She befriends Marnie. Who is the mysterious, blonde Marnie?Hosts:Dylan Blight: https://twitter.com/vivaladilAshley Hobley: https://twitter.com/ashleyhobleyCiaran Marchant: https://twitter.com/YaboyRingoStudio Ghibli’s Animated Wonders Credits:Music: “Lo-Fi Hip Hop Chill Beats For Study Game Sleep” by ReckonerLicense: CC BY (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/)Art: Cherie HenriquesWhen Marnie Was ThereDirected by: Hiromasa YonebayashiWritten by: Keiko Niwa, Masashi Ando, Hiromasa Yonebayashi, Joan G. Robinson (based on the novel by)Starring: Sara Takatsuki, Kasumi Arimura, Nanako Matsushima, Susumu Terajima, Toshie Negishi, Ryoko Moriyama, Kazuko Yoshiyuki, Hitomi Kuroki, Yuko KaidaAll Episodes: https://explosionnetwork.com/studio-ghiblis-animated-wondersSupport Us: http://www.ko-fi.com/explosion

Monday Jul 27, 2020

Found inside a shining stalk of bamboo by an old bamboo cutter and his wife, a tiny girl grows rapidly into an exquisite young lady. The mysterious young princess enthralls all who encounter her, but ultimately she must confront her fate, the punishment for her crime.Hosts:Dylan Blight: https://twitter.com/vivaladilAshley Hobley: https://twitter.com/ashleyhobleyCiaran Marchant: https://twitter.com/YaboyRingoStudio Ghibli’s Animated Wonders Credits:Music: “Lo-Fi Hip Hop Chill Beats For Study Game Sleep” by ReckonerLicense: CC BY (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/)Art: Cherie HenriquesThe Tale of Princess KaguyaDirected by: Isao TakahataWritten by: Isao Takahata (story & screenplay), Riko Sakaguchi (screenplay)Starring: Aki Asakura, Kengo Kora, Takeo Chii, Nobuko Miyamoto, Atsuko TakahataAll Episodes: https://explosionnetwork.com/studio-ghiblis-animated-wondersSupport Us: http://www.ko-fi.com/explosion

The Wind Rises (2013)

Monday Jul 20, 2020

Monday Jul 20, 2020

A look at the life of Jiro Horikoshi, the man who designed Japanese fighter planes during World War II.Hosts:Dylan Blight: https://twitter.com/vivaladilAshley Hobley: https://twitter.com/ashleyhobleyCiaran Marchant: https://twitter.com/YaboyRingoStudio Ghibli’s Animated Wonders Credits:Music: “Lo-Fi Hip Hop Chill Beats For Study Game Sleep” by ReckonerLicense: CC BY (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/)Art: Cherie HenriquesThe Wind RisesDirected by: Hayao MiyazakiWritten by: Hayao MiyazakiStarring: Hideaki Anno, Hidetoshi Nishijima, Miori Takimoto, Masahiko Nishimura, Mansai Nomura, Jun Kunimura, Mirai ShidaAll Episodes: https://explosionnetwork.com/studio-ghiblis-animated-wondersSupport Us: http://www.ko-fi.com/explosion

From Up on Poppy Hill (2011)

Monday Jul 13, 2020

Monday Jul 13, 2020

A group of Yokohama teens look to save their school's clubhouse from the wrecking ball in preparations for the 1964 Tokyo Olympics.Hosts:Dylan Blight: https://twitter.com/vivaladilAshley Hobley: https://twitter.com/ashleyhobleyCiaran Marchant: https://twitter.com/YaboyRingoStudio Ghibli’s Animated Wonders Credits:Music: “Lo-Fi Hip Hop Chill Beats For Study Game Sleep” by ReckonerLicense: CC BY (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/)Art: Cherie HenriquesFrom Up on Poppy HillDirected by: Goro MiyazakiWritten by: Hayao Miyazaki (screenplay), Keiko Niwa (screenplay), Chizuru Takahashi (comic), Tetsuro Sayama (comic, original story)Starring: Masami Nagasawa, Jun’ichi Okada, Keiko Takeshita, Yuriko Ishida, Rumi Hiiragi, Jun Fubuki, Takashi Naito, Shunsuke KazamaAll Episodes: https://explosionnetwork.com/studio-ghiblis-animated-wondersSupport Us: http://www.ko-fi.com/explosion

Monday Jul 06, 2020



























































































The Clock family are four-inch-tall people who live anonymously in another family's residence, borrowing simple items to make their home. Life changes for the Clocks when their teenage daughter, Arrietty, is discovered.Hosts:Dylan Blight: https://twitter.com/vivaladilAshley Hobley: https://twitter.com/ashleyhobleyCiaran Marchant: https://twitter.com/YaboyRingoStudio Ghibli’s Animated Wonders Credits:Music: “Lo-Fi Hip Hop Chill Beats For Study Game Sleep” by ReckonerLicense: CC BY (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/)Art: Cherie Henriques The Secret World of ArriettyDirected by: Hiromasa YonebayashiWritten by: Hayao Miyazaki (screenplay), Keiko Niwa (screenplay), Mary Norton (novel) Starring: Mirai Shida, Tomokazu Miura, Kirin Kiki, Ryunosuke Kamiki, Tatsuya FujiwaraAll Episodes: https://explosionnetwork.com/studio-ghiblis-animated-wondersSupport Us: http://www.ko-fi.com/explosion
More Episodes





Ponyo (2008)

Monday Jun 29, 2020

Monday Jun 29, 2020

A five-year-old boy develops a relationship with Ponyo, a young goldfish princess who longs to become a human after falling in love with him.Hosts:Dylan Blight: https://twitter.com/vivaladilAshley Hobley: https://twitter.com/ashleyhobleyCiaran Marchant: https://twitter.com/YaboyRingoStudio Ghibli’s Animated Wonders Credits:Music: “Lo-Fi Hip Hop Chill Beats For Study Game Sleep” by ReckonerLicense: CC BY (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/)Art: Cherie HenriquesPonyoDirected by: Hayao Miyazaki Written by: Hayao MiyazakiStarring: Tomoko Yamaguchi, Kazushige Nagashima, Yuki Amami, George Tokoro, Yuria Nara, Hiroki DoiAll Episodes: https://explosionnetwork.com/studio-ghiblis-animated-wondersSupport Us: http://www.ko-fi.com/explosion

Tales from Earthsea (2006)

Monday Jun 22, 2020

Monday Jun 22, 2020

In a mythical land, a man and a young boy investigate a series of unusual occurrences.Hosts:Dylan Blight: https://twitter.com/vivaladilAshley Hobley: https://twitter.com/ashleyhobleyCiaran Marchant: https://twitter.com/YaboyRingoStudio Ghibli’s Animated Wonders Credits:Music: “Lo-Fi Hip Hop Chill Beats For Study Game Sleep” by ReckonerLicense: CC BY (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/)Art: Cherie HenriquesTales from EarthseaDirected by: Goro MiyazakiProduced by: Tomohiko Ishii, Toshio SuzukiWritten by: Ursula K. Le Guin (novel), Goro Miyazaki (screenplay), Keiko Niwa (screenplay), Hayao Miyazaki (concept)Starring: Jun’ichi Okada, Aoi Teshima, Bunta Sugawara, Yuko Tanaka, Teruyuki KagawaAll Episodes: https://explosionnetwork.com/studio-ghiblis-animated-wondersSupport Us: http://www.ko-fi.com/explosion

Monday Jun 15, 2020

When an unconfident young woman is cursed with an old body by a spiteful witch, her only chance of breaking the spell lies with a self-indulgent yet insecure young wizard and his companions in his legged, walking castle.Hosts:Dylan Blight: https://twitter.com/vivaladilAshley Hobley: https://twitter.com/ashleyhobleyCiaran Marchant: https://twitter.com/YaboyRingoStudio Ghibli’s Animated Wonders Credits:Music: “Lo-Fi Hip Hop Chill Beats For Study Game Sleep” by ReckonerLicense: CC BY (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/)Art: Cherie HenriquesHowl’s Moving CastleDirected by: Hayao Miyazalo Produced by: Tomohiko Ishii, Hayao Miyazaki, Toshio Suzuki Written by: Diana Wynne Jones (novel), Hayao Miyazaki (screenplay)Starring: Cheiko Baisho, Takuya Kimura, Akihiro Miwa, Tatsuya Gashuin, Ryunosuke KamikiAll Episodes: https://explosionnetwork.com/studio-ghiblis-animated-wondersSupport Us: http://www.ko-fi.com/explosion

The Cat Returns (2002)

Monday Jun 08, 2020

Monday Jun 08, 2020

After helping a cat, a seventeen-year-old girl finds herself involuntarily engaged to a cat Prince in a magical world where her only hope of freedom lies with a dapper cat statuette come to life.Hosts:Dylan Blight: https://twitter.com/vivaladilAshley Hobley: https://twitter.com/ashleyhobleyCiaran Marchant: https://twitter.com/YaboyRingoStudio Ghibli’s Animated Wonders Credits:Music: “Lo-Fi Hip Hop Chill Beats For Study Game Sleep” by ReckonerLicense: CC BY (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/)Art: Cherie HenriquesThe Cat ReturnsDirected by: Hiroyuki Morita Produced by: Hironori Aihara, Koji Hoshino, Tomohiko Ishii, Takeyoshi Matsushita, Hayao Miyazaki, Toshio Suzuki, Nozomu Takahashi, Hideyuki Takai, Chiyoshi Tanaka, Seiichiro Ujiie Written by: Aoi Hiiragi (comic), Reiko Yoshida (screenplay) Starring: Chizuru Ikewaki, Yoshihiko Hakamada, Aki Maeda, Takayuki Yamada, Hitomi Sato, Kenta Satoi, Mari Hamada, Tetsu WatanabeAll Episodes: https://explosionnetwork.com/studio-ghiblis-animated-wondersSupport Us: http://www.ko-fi.com/explosion

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CREDITS & LINKS

Your Hosts

🎙️ Dylan Blight

🎙️ Ashley Hobley

🎙️ Ciaran Marchant

Behind the Show

🎵 Music: “Lo-Fi Hip Hop Chill Beats For Study Game Sleep” by Reckoner — Licensed under CC BY 3.0

🎨 Artwork: Cherie Henriques

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