Chris and Alex continue their discussions of Studio Ghibli for Episode 72 with a look at animated war feature Grave of the Fireflies (Isao Takahata, 1988), a film that was initially released as a double bill with partner My Neighbor Totoro (Hayao Miyazaki, 1988). Telling the story of teenage boy Seita and his younger sister Setsuko who, after fleeing the city of Kobe, must navigate the public horrors and personal traumas of World War II, Grave of the Fireflies offers a graphic and emotional portrait of conflict and society through the isolation and struggle experienced by the siblings. Joining the podcast this week to discuss the film’s potent political message is Alex Dudok de Wit, Associate Editor at Cartoon Brew, freelance journalist (including work for the BFI/Sight and Sound) and author of the upcoming BFI Film Classic on Grave of the Fireflies (London: Bloomsbury, 2021). Listen as the trio examine the historical, political and artistic contexts for the film, and its important place within the Ghibli canon; the cartoon short tradition and wartime propaganda in both the U.S. and Japan; pacing, rhetoric and the narrative framing of Grave of the Fireflies through fantasy and subjectivity; ghostliness, death and the afterlife, and what the pull between naturalism and fantasy means for the film’s tragedy; the interplay between the fantastical elements of Takahata’s film and its anti-war sentiment; the possible narrative judgment of Seita’s actions and protection of Setsuko; and how Grave of the Fireflies opens up questions about the many relationships between animation and politics, and what it means for popular animation to ‘do’ political enquiry.
Footnote #11 - Society for Animation Studies (with Chris Pallant)
Osmosis Jones (2001) (with Tom Sito)
Footnote #10 - Hybridity
100th Episodes
Footnote #9 - Sword and Sorcery
Your Name (2016) (Live at the British Film Institute)
Footnote #8 - Plasmaticness
Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness (2022)
Footnote #7 - The Fantastic
Rogue One (2016) (with Jonathan Wroot)
Footnote #6 - Anthropomorphism
The Secret of Moonacre (2008) (with Lucy Shuttleworth)
Footnote #5 - High Fantasy and Low Fantasy
Contemporary Ukrainian Animation (with Joshua First)
Footnote #4 - Stop-Motion
Encanto (2021) (with Dolores Tierney)
Fantasy/Animation supports the #UCUstrike
Fantasy/Animation supports the #UCUstrike
Howl’s Moving Castle (2004) (with Brian Attebery)
Footnote #3 - Fantasy
Join Podbean Ads Marketplace and connect with engaged listeners.
Advertise Today
Create your
podcast in
minutes
It is Free
The Multiverse Fancast
Cinema: A to B
I Finally Watched...
Pod Meets World
Pop Culture Happy Hour