Studio Ghibli is well known for creating some of the worlds most iconic anime featured films with a distinctive visual style and storytelling that is expressed in their film posters. When observing the range of Japanese theatrical film posters to each other, a similar formula is clearly seen and expressed through out the years.
When analysing the studios original Japanese artwork we see several of the following presented; the main character of the movie, the very bright or dark background and a subtle hint of wonder. There is a certain style to Studio Ghibli and to understand more we will examine specific details in some of there pieces.
Spirited Away:
A darker tone is prominent in this Japanese version of the poster with our character being place in the foreground sharing the space with the imagery of the pigs behind a bar fence, this give the feeling of entrapment and the subtle hint that these pigs have a bigger meaning in the film and their connection with our character. The lightly lit town with haunting shadowy figures throughout gives the sense of a fantasy world which is under a dread.
When compared to it's American counterpart we see a completely different tone as we have our same main character in the foreground but without the inclusion of the pigs and we have a more friendly looking background with the use of a cleaner and more pleasingly lit buildings, even the shadowy figures are lighter and less intimidating. This changes the tone of a more haunting setting to something more innocent.
Comparing each poster the Japanese version holds true to the core of the movie while the American version has been changed to portray a more innocent story. We can see the different uses of imagery where the original uses the pigs as they do hold a big meaning in the film which shows that Studio Ghibli knows how to use the elements they have without giving away or changing the tone.
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| Japanese Theatrical Poster |
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| American Theatrical Poster |
Ponyo:
I bright fantasy tone is what is represented in the Japanese Theatrical Version of the poster, here we have our main character again in the foreground and our setting which is represented in our island and ship. The use of the imagery gives a sense that this is all set in a small island with a close community of people. The bright colors represent the feeling of the innocent and wondering character on the rock.
This cheerful done is changed when compared with the American version of the poster as we see a darker shades of color and the removal of the island and ships, instead we have out character floating in the water. By doing this the positive feeling is replace with suspense and the tone of the film while intensifying the fantasy element.
Comparing the two posters we get two different tones. The Japanese version focuses on a more everyday life with the fantasy slightly included while the American version focuses solely on the fantasy.
Comparing these two posters is difficult as they both represent two different kinds of movies in tone and in what the film could be about. We have our main character in two different situations that only connect with each other through our character and the use of water.
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| Japanese Theatrical Poster |
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| American Theatrical Poster |
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