The Red Turtle (Le Tortue Rouge) (2016)

Studio Ghibli is back! And in fine form. After closing shop, Studio Ghibli co-produced this film by Michael Dudok de Wit. De Wit, an Academy Award winning short filmmaker, first caught the eye of the Japanese master Miyazaki with a short film. And presented the chance at a collaboration, he made his first feature length film. It is complete devoid of dialogue, save for a few screams, universal in any language. The music is hauntingly magical, even though not composed by Ghibli regular Joe Hisaishi. It is extraordinarily high pitched, ethereal, other worldly. And the animation does transport you to another world. It is a necessarily simple story without dialogue, straight out of Castaway.  It is actually an extraordinarily lovely story once the eponymous Red Turtle is introduced. What it can show us without telling us is very impressive. It is beautifully if simply rendered. And continuing the theme of animals as the manifestation of God (see Two Lovers and a Bear), there is the Red Turtle.

The Tale of the Princess Kaguya (2013)

Isao Takahata spent many years on this film, allegedly his final film, and it paid off.  Takahata is a master at his craft, proving Studio Ghibli to truly be one of the most prolific studios for bringing the world the works of two legends.  Adapted from an ancient Japanese folktale, The Tale of the Princess Kaguya is a majestic triumph. The artwork is truly stunning.  In an age when most all of the animated films produced are computer animated in the same style, it is refreshing and comforting to see hand-drawn lines, soft edges, and beautiful watercolors.  The scenes with a lot of movement are particularly stunning but the stills allow the viewer to admire the exquisite artwork.  I have never seen a movie that looked quite like this and it is brilliant.

The Kingdom of Dreams and Madness (2013)

This documentary takes us behind the scenes of the famed Studio Ghibli in Japan; home to legendary filmmakers Hayao Miyazaki and Isao Takahata. The film focuses primarily on Miya-san and his final film The Wind Rises.  It also alludes to Takahata and his final film The Tale of the Princess Kaguya dragging along.  Miyazaki hypothesizes that Takahata had no intention of finishing this movie, though it was released last year to much acclaim.

This documentary is a fitting end to an era of Japanese animated film. I grew up with these films and it is bittersweet; the film is somber hinting at the impending closure of the studio.  This movie is a eulogy of sorts for Studio Ghibli and it is beautiful.  Miyazaki is candid, musing about his art and life.  It is truly special to watch the hand-drawn animation process, an art that is losing steam to computer animation.  In the grand spectrum of cinema, this movie may not be a hallmark in film history, but it documents one of the most important men in one of the most important studios in film history.