Fairy tales that inspired Ghibli films

Fantasy stories are born of reinvention. When Walt Disney Animation Studios set out to make its first feature-length animated film, it decided to retell the story. snow White. The fairy tale of Snow White was first published in 1812 in a collection of fairy tales by the Brothers Grimm. The plot was quite dark and sinister. But as the story became widely popular and well-known, Disney went ahead with the plan and made some changes to better suit his style.

Many people were skeptical at first, but Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs The film premiered in 1937 and captured the hearts of millions of people around the world, remaining the highest-grossing animated film for 55 years. Disney Animation continued this successful pattern by retelling other classic fairy tales, such as Cinderella, sleeping Beauty and Peter PanAs the animation industry grew around the world, other studios followed suit, bringing to life folk tales and literary heroes that had previously been confined to the pages of a book.

The beauty of classic fairy tales is that they endure, yet are constantly reinterpreted with new ideas and twists. Writers and filmmakers draw inspiration from their favorite characters and stories, and their work reflects all of these past experiences.

In one interview In an interview with the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, Studio Ghibli’s legendary director Hayao Miyazaki explained that he was physically weak as a child, but he did a lot of imagining and read a lot of books in which he could imagine himself becoming a strong hero. Years later, he and his team instinctively drew inspiration from childhood memories and characters that really impressed them.

Here are some similarities between classic fairy tales and Studio Ghibli films that will give you a whole new perspective on these stories.

Spirited Away and Alice in Wonderland

Chihiro’s Journey Spirited Away Reminiscent of other young girls’ adventures in strange lands, such as Lewis Carroll’s Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland Alice in Wonderland and Dorothy of L. Frank Baum The Wonderful Wizard of Oz. When Miyazaki wrote 50 of his Favorite Children’s Books, Alice in Wonderland Right in it.

although Spirited Away While the plot and aesthetic are different, the core themes and messages are very similar. Much like Alice and Dorothy at the beginning of the story, Chihiro is a naive young girl. When her parents accidentally eat the elves’ food and are transformed into giant pigs, she gets lost and is transported into the fantastic world of the elves. Although this is her first time on her own, she must save her parents and find a way out.

Japanese title Spirited Away yes Spirited Away. In Japanese folklore, Upper Hermit Refers to suddenly disappearing or being carried away by a ghost, like Alice following the White Rabbit into Wonderland.

While exploring the kingdom’s supernatural entities, Chihiro encounters various mysterious spirits and creatures that look like animals. She befriends Shiro, a boy who can transform into a dragon. He helps her complete her journey home. Along the way, Chihiro meets many interesting characters, such as Bukichi, a spiderman who runs the boiler room of the bathhouse. He looks like the caterpillar from Sherlock Holmes. Alice in Wonderland. and Boh, a big spoiled baby who looks like the twins Tweedledee and Tweedledum.

Of course, Yubaba is the overbearing owner of the bathhouse, and there is a clear contrast between her and the overbearing Queen of Hearts. Yubaba erases Chihiro’s name and plans to have her work at the bathhouse forever until she eventually forgets who she is. However, with her newfound courage and friends, Chihiro finds freedom and escapes back to the human world.

Howl’s Moving Castle and Beauty and the Beast

Howl’s Moving Castle Based on the 1986 British fantasy novel of the same name. Author Diana Wynne Jones actually wrote three books in the series. The other two are Castle in the air and Multiple Ways HomeJones also wrote Ervig and the Witch It was released in 2011 and became Studio Ghibli’s first fully 3DCG animated film, and was released in 2020.

In addition to the extended adventures and characters introduced in the sequels, Ghibli’s Howl’s Moving Castle The plot is quite faithful to the original, while adding some whimsical ideas. In addition to Jones’s novel, it also has a reflection of beauty and the Beast.

The French fairy tale was originally written by Gabrielle-Suzanne Barbot de Villeneuve in 1740 and has since been adapted into numerous versions, including a 1991 Disney version and Mamoru Hosoda’s Beauty 2021. Yet even Villeneuve was influenced by ancient legends and myths, such as the Greek story of Cupid and Psyche. It’s an ancient story.

With its themes of magical castles, curses, and unconditional love, Ghibli’s animated films ignore surface qualities. Howl’s Moving Castle Reinvention beauty and the Beast Let both “Beauty” and “The Beast” experience their own growth and transformation.

Sophie Hart works in her family’s hat shop. She is initially quite shy and simple, shutting herself into her mundane daily life, which she believes is all she is destined to do. After meeting the wizard Howl Pendragon, the Witch of the Waste curses Sophie to become a 90-year-old grandmother. This prompts her to become more proactive and confident. She is then hired as a cleaner at the castle.

At the same time, Hal created a beautiful and vain image of himself to hide his true feelings. He constantly bleached and dyed his hair to achieve the perfect blonde shade and covered himself in brightly colored capes and jewelry. He also maintained a suave, mysterious personality.

In the original novel, Howl spends hours in the bathroom getting ready for the day in order to impress the local girls. The film reveals that Howl is suppressing his cursed beast form: a giant crow-like creature. He detaches and gives away his heart because “it is a heavy burden”.

Howl falls in love with Sophie, he loses his ego and his fear of being vulnerable. Sophie returns to her normal age, Howl wins her heart back, and they set off in their new flying castle to live happily ever after.

Another similarity is Turnip, who at the end of the movie, turns into Prince Justin after getting a kiss from Sophie. Like the servant in the castle in Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone beauty and the Beast They are all transformed into enchanted objects, and Prince Justin is forced to live as a scarecrow.

Ponyo and the Little Mermaid

Rehabilitation The most direct fairy tale inspiration, adapted from Hans Christian Andersen’s 1837 story, The Little MermaidThe daughter of the magician Fujimoto and the sea nymph Granmare, Ponyo (real name Brunhilde) is an energetic, goldfish-like girl who wants to explore the human world above. Like Andersen’s mermaid and other popular variations, such as Disney’s Princess Ariel, Ponyo hopes to gain independence from her well-meaning but sometimes controlling father.

She is full of curiosity and is excited about humans and their creations. When her new human friend Sosuke brings Ponyo home to play and Sosuke’s mother makes them a bowl of instant noodles, Ponyo is mesmerized by these magical foods that came from nowhere. She immediately reaches into the hot bowl to grab some ham, her eyes wide with joy, just like Ariel’s excitement about the human “stuff” in her cave collection.

Unlike the typical love story in other adaptations, The Little Mermaid Fairy tales from Ghibli Rehabilitation Focuses on platonic family love and children gaining autonomy as they grow into teenagers. As Ponyo gradually learns about this new world and makes new friends in the community, her character focuses on her wonder and curiosity.

Her desire to come ashore and become a human girl stems from her friendship with Sousuke, but it is also because she wants to have her own space to grow up outside the bubble her father put her in with hundreds of sisters. This is a classic coming-of-age story that everyone knows.

The Borrower Arrietty and the Secret World of Thumbelina

The Borrower Arrietty Adapted from a series of children’s fantasy novels, Borrowerwritten by British author Mary Norton in 1952. In the novel, the Crocker family secretly lives in a house modeled after Norton’s childhood home.

In Studio Ghibli’s version of the story, a young boy named Sho is spending the summer with his mother and great-aunt when he witnesses tiny Arrietty and her father Pod “borrowing” things, collecting tissue paper from his bedside table.

Many fairy tales and folk tales feature small characters and fairies, such as Arrietty. Thumbelina is another classic fairy tale by Hans Christian Andersen. Thumbelina is a little girl who is born from the flower of a barley seed when a woman begs a witch for a child. She is so small that she is placed in a walnut shell crib to sleep. When she is taken away by a toad, Thumbelina must make her way through the unbearable outside world, its elements and its creatures.

Japanese folklore has its own little character, Ichishun, a “one-inch warrior” who, like Thumbelina, was born because an old childless couple wanted to have a child. According to the fairy tale, Ichishun sailed on the river using a rice bowl as a boat and chopsticks as oars. them The demon Ichishun uses Needle as a sword to save her.

Arrietty, Thumbelina, and the Inch Star show us that no matter your size or strength, you can still overcome great obstacles.

Other mentions

In addition to these examples, there are several other Studio Ghibli films that are direct adaptations of novels and folk tales. The Tale of Princess Kaguya Adapted from a famous Japanese folk tale. The story of Princess Kaguya, like Ichinofoshi, Momotaro, and Urashima Taro, is a story that Japanese children often hear in their childhood.

Interestingly, a number of these folk tales involve supernatural births of babies from plants or other unusual places. Princess Kaguya was born from a bamboo shoot. The Ghibli adaptation is a beautifully animated piece that conveys themes of immortality and the joys and sorrows of life.

Kiki’s Delivery Service, Tales from Earthsea and Nausicaa of the Valley of the Wind is a film adapted from a novel by Studio Ghibli. Stories from Earthsea, The original title was A Wizard of EarthseaFans can read about the films’ original inspirations and compare their differences while also gaining a deeper understanding of the worlds of their favorite characters.

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