"Nowhere is the level of sophistication of Japanese animation more apparent than in the work of Studio Ghibli (Princess Mononoke, Spirited Away, The Cat Returns). It also happens to produce the most artistically advanced examples of cel animation in the world" - writer, filmmaker, MIFF curator and anime scholar, Philip Brophy

Named after a WWI Italian scout plane (from an Arabic word for the hot wind that blows across the desert in North Africa), Studio Ghibli was formed in the mid-1980s by Hayao Miyazaki, Isao Takahata and Toshio Suzuki. To settle all those anime bar bets, the studio name is pronounced 'Jee-blee'. This lovingly assembled documentary is a glorious homage to 21 years of exceptional animated features, a dozen films that stand as landmarks for the art in both the old and new centuries.

The documentary scrupulously covers the Ghibli history from the founders' formative years right up to their latest production, Howl's Moving Castle. For fans it boasts abundant clips, unseen drawings and storyboards, probing interviews with Miyazaki, Takahata and their admirers, as well as insightful analysis of their amazing body of work.