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All aboard the Chatbus for the final stop on our route - to comedian, presenter and writer Bec Hill for tales of her first Ghibli watches, going to Tokyo alone on an unplanned trip, and why Totoro reminds her of a kiwifruit. More information on Bec's book, Horror Heights: https://www.hachette.co.uk/titles/bec-hill-2/horror-heights-now-livescreaming/9781444962345/ Join us on Patreon for ad-free and bonus episodes, Discord access and more: Patreon.com/ghibliotheque Email us: ghibliotheque@gmail.com or follow us on Twitter: @ghibliotheque @MichaelJLeader – Michael @jakehcunningham – Jake @_stephwatts - Steph Produced by Michael Leader, Jake Cunningham, Harold McShiel and Steph Watts. Music by Anthony Ing. Get bonus content on Patreon See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

All aboard the Chatbus once more! Maisie Williams of Game of Thrones, The New Mutants, and host of the Frank Film Club podcast, talks about seeing Ponyo for the first time, her journey through the Ghibli catalogue, and her experiences of voice acting for animation. Join us on Patreon for bonus episodes, Discord access and more: Patreon.com/ghibliotheque Email us: ghibli@littledotstudios.com or follow us on Twitter: @ghibliotheque @MichaelJLeader – Michael @jakehcunningham – Jake @_stephwatts - Steph Produced by Michael Leader, Jake Cunningham, Harold McShiel and Steph Watts. Music by Anthony Ing. Get bonus content on Patreon See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

This week on our Chatbus miniseries, playwright and screenwriter Julia Cho joins us to talk about writing Turning Red with director (and former Ghibliotheque guest!) Domee Shi, plus how she got into Studio Ghibli movies, and visiting the Ghibli Museum. Join us on Patreon for bonus episodes, Discord access and more: Patreon.com/ghibliotheque Email us: ghibli@littledotstudios.com or follow us on Twitter: @ghibliotheque @MichaelJLeader – Michael @jakehcunningham – Jake @_stephwatts - Steph Produced by Michael Leader, Jake Cunningham, Harold McShiel and Steph Watts. Music by Anthony Ing. Get bonus content on Patreon See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

This week on our Chatbus interview miniseries, we talk to two people who worked on the Oscar nominated documentary, Flee: Background artist Jess Nicholls and Animation Director Kenneth Ladekjær. Join us on Patreon for bonus episodes, Discord access and more: Patreon.com/ghibliotheque Email us: ghibli@littledotstudios.com or follow us on Twitter: @ghibliotheque @MichaelJLeader – Michael @jakehcunningham – Jake @_stephwatts - Steph Produced by Michael Leader, Jake Cunningham, Harold McShiel and Steph Watts. Music by Anthony Ing. Get bonus content on Patreon See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

All aboard the Chatbus! For the first episode of our new interview miniseries, we talk to the designer of the incredible open world game Sable, Gregorious Kythreotis, and musician Michelle Zauner, aka Japanese Breakfast, who composed the score, about their favourite Ghibli films and their influences on the game. Sable is nominated for Best British Game at this year's BAFTA Game Awards. Japanese Breakfast's latest album, Jubilee, is nominated for Best Alternative Album at this year's Grammy Awards. Join us on Patreon for bonus episodes, Discord access and more: Patreon.com/ghibliotheque Email us: ghibli@littledotstudios.com or follow us on Twitter: @ghibliotheque @MichaelJLeader – Michael @jakehcunningham – Jake @_stephwatts - Steph Produced by Michael Leader, Jake Cunningham, Harold McShiel and Steph Watts. Music by Anthony Ing. Get bonus content on Patreon See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Get bonus content on Patreon See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

The final episode in our Hosodathon mini series is a bumper special, as Michael, Jake and Steph explore Mamoru Hosoda's early works, and read letters from listeners on their thoughts on Hosoda's films. Check out Hosoda's early works: Digimon: Our War Game One Piece: Baron Omatsuri and the Secret Island Ojamajo Doremi - Doremi and the Witch That Stopped Being a Witch Superflat Monogram Samurai Champloo - opening credits sequence Thank you for listening along to the Hosodathon with us! Email us with suggestions of what to cover next - ghibli@littledotstudios.com Follow us on Twitter: @ghibliotheque @MichaelJLeader – Michael @jakehcunningham – Jake @_stephwatts - Steph Produced by Michael Leader, Jake Cunningham, Harold McShiel and Steph Watts. Music by Anthony Ing. Get bonus content on Patreon See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

In this special episode of our Hosodathon mini series, Michael and Jake talk to the director himself, Mamoru Hosoda, all about the making of Belle. The interview has been edited in a style that lets you hear only the English translation, but if you want to hear the full conversation with Mamoru Hosoda's answers in Japanese, skip forward 25 minutes. Let us know what you think of Hosoda's works via email: ghibli@littledotstudios.com or follow us on Twitter: @ghibliotheque @MichaelJLeader – Michael @jakehcunningham – Jake @_stephwatts - Steph Produced by Michael Leader, Jake Cunningham, Harold McShiel and Steph Watts. Edited by Steph Watts. Music by Anthony Ing. Get bonus content on Patreon See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

This week on our Hosodathon miniseries, Michael, Jake and Steph put on their headsets and dive into the magical world of U to discuss Mamoru Hosoda's latest film, Belle, a modern reworking of Disney's Beauty and the Beast told via the director's unique point of view and storytelling methods. Belle is out now in UK cinemas. Let us know what you thought of the film, or any of Hosoda's works, via email: ghibli@littledotstudios.com or follow us on Twitter: @ghibliotheque @MichaelJLeader – Michael @jakehcunningham – Jake @_stephwatts - Steph Produced by Michael Leader, Jake Cunningham, Harold McShiel and Steph Watts. Edited by James Payne. Music by Anthony Ing. Get bonus content on Patreon See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Our Hosodathon miniseries continues this week with a time-bending tale of a boy whose life is turned upside down by the arrival of a newborn sister. Mirai found director Mamoru Hosoda once again drawing inspiration from his family life, and remains a landmark entry in his filmography for, among other things, premiering at the Cannes Film Festival and becoming the first Japanese animation not made by Studio Ghibli to receive an Oscar nomination for Best Animated Feature. Get in touch with Ghibliotheque at ghibli@littledotstudios.com or follow us on Twitter: @ghibliotheque @MichaelJLeader – Michael @jakehcunningham – Jake @_stephwatts - Steph Produced by Michael Leader, Jake Cunningham, Harold McShiel and Steph Watts. Music by Anthony Ing. Get bonus content on Patreon See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

This week in our Hosodathon miniseries, Mamoru Hosoda's biggest hit to date: The Boy and the Beast. Inspired by Hosoda becoming a dad, this is an ambitious story of a boy estranged from his family in real-life Tokyo, who finds an unlikely father-figure in the fantasy world filled with beasts and gods. Get in touch with Ghibliotheque at ghibli@littledotstudios.com or follow us on Twitter: @ghibliotheque @MichaelJLeader – Michael @jakehcunningham – Jake @_stephwatts - Steph Produced by Michael Leader, Jake Cunningham, Harold McShiel and Steph Watts. Edited by James Payne. Music by Anthony Ing. Get bonus content on Patreon See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

In this third episode of our Hosodathon miniseries, Michael, Jake and Steph discuss Mamoru Hosoda's Wolf Children, the first feature produced by his independent production company Studio Chizu. Once again mixing personal themes and high-concept storytelling, Hosoda turns his awestruck feelings upon seeing his friends become parents into a sweeping fable about a single mother tasked with bringing up a pair of half-human, half-wolf kids. Get in touch with Ghibliotheque at ghibli@littledotstudios.com or follow us on Twitter: @ghibliotheque @MichaelJLeader – Michael @jakehcunningham – Jake @_stephwatts - Steph Produced by Michael Leader, Jake Cunningham, Harold McShiel and Steph Watts. Edited by James Payne. Music by Anthony Ing. Get bonus content on Patreon See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

In this second episode of our Hosodathon miniseries, Michael, Jake and Steph team up to tackle Mamoru Hosoda's Summer Wars, an epic tale of an everyday, dysfunctional family banding together to face a world-threatening threat in a virtual world - bringing together two of the director's recurring themes: family dynamics and the impact that the internet has on our lives. Get in touch with Ghibliotheque at ghibli@littledotstudios.com or follow us on Twitter: @ghibliotheque @MichaelJLeader – Michael @jakehcunningham – Jake @_stephwatts - Steph Produced by Michael Leader, Jake Cunningham, Harold McShiel and Steph Watts. Edited by James Payne. Music by Anthony Ing. Get bonus content on Patreon See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Michael, Jake and Steph return with an all-new Ghibliotheque spin-off miniseries, leaping into the filmography of one of today's leading anime filmmakers, Mamoru Hosoda, whose latest film Belle is a hotly anticipated new release in early 2022. We start our Hosodathon journey with 2006's The Girl Who Leapt Through Time, the fan-favourite anime gem that first introduced many viewers to Hosoda and his work. Coming off the back of years working on long-running anime series at Toei Animation, including Digimon and One Piece, as well as an ill-fated stint at Studio Ghibli as the initial director of Howl's Moving Castle (before Hayao Miyazaki came back out of retirement and took the reins), Mamoru Hosoda sets in motion much of his unique style and many of his recurring themes in this collision of slice-of-life high school comedy and high-concept sci-fi storytelling. Get in touch with Ghibliotheque at ghibli@littledotstudios.comor follow us on Twitter: @ghibliotheque @MichaelJLeader – Michael @jakehcunningham – Jake @_stephwatts - Steph Produced by Michael Leader, Jake Cunningham, Harold McShiel and Steph Watts. Edited by James Payne. Music by Anthony Ing. Get bonus content on Patreon See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

It's the annual Ghibliotheque Christmas episode! At the virtual Christmas party, Michael, Jake, Steph and Harold look back at 2021, declare their favourite books, films, games and music of the year, read out some superb casting choices for a Ghibli Nativity play, and of course it wouldn't be a Ghibliotheque Christmas episode without Harold singing some Ghibli remixes of some festive favourites. Follow Ghibliotheque on Twitter: @ghibliotheque @MichaelJLeader – Michael @jakehcunningham – Jake @_stephwatts - Steph And get in touch via email at ghibli@littledotstudios.com Produced by Michael Leader, Jake Cunningham, Steph Watts & Harold McShiel. Get bonus content on Patreon See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Since we're now on hiatus we thought we'd give a nod to a new podcast from some friends and colleagues of the pod, that also digs into the wonderful world of Anime! Anime To Z features comedian Bec Hill and rapper Che Lingo digging through the intricate worlds of some massive anime franchises, starting with the Evangelion rebuild film series. Have a listen, and if you like it, please subscribe over here - https://podfollow.com/anime-to-z. Get in touch with Ghibliotheque at ghibli@littledotstudios.com or follow us on Twitter at @ghibliotheque or Instagram at ghibliotheque.pod. @MichaelJLeader - Michael @jakehcunningham - Jake @_stephwatts - Steph Produced by Michael Leader, Jake Cunningham, Harold McShiel and Steph Watts. Music by Anthony Ing. Get bonus content on Patreon See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

As the Ghibliotheque book is now available in shops and from online retailers in the UK, Michael and Jake have a short chat to mark the occasion. Listeners - thank you for all your support of the podcast to date, and if you do pick up the book, we hope you enjoy it! If you haven't picked up a copy yet, you can do so from your local bookshop in the UK, or you can order online from various online stores, such as Amazon or Bookshop.org. Get in touch with Ghibliotheque at ghibli@littledotstudios.com or follow us on Twitter at @ghibliotheque or Instagram at ghibliotheque.pod. @MichaelJLeader - Michael @jakehcunningham - Jake @_stephwatts - Steph Produced by Michael Leader, Jake Cunningham, Harold McShiel and Steph Watts. Music by Anthony Ing. Get bonus content on Patreon See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

In this final episode of The Chat Returns, we're very excited to welcome Siobhan Reddy into the walls of the Ghibliotheque, to talk about how the works of Ghibli have inspired and crossed over with her hugely successful, ambitious and creative works. Studio Director at Media Molecule, the video game developers behind LittleBigPlanet, Tearaway and last year's acclaimed Dreams, we spoke to Siobhan about the nature of storytelling in her works, her approach to a creative a workplace and a lot more. Our book, Ghibliotheque - The Unofficial Guide to Studio Ghibli, will be on sale from all good bookshops in the UK from 2nd September, and is available for preorder now. Pre-order today: Amazon UK: https://amzn.to/3usAw0h Or for free international shipping: https://bit.ly/3oRQr7c Get in touch with Ghibliotheque at ghibli@littledotstudios.com or follow us on Twitter: @ghibliotheque @MichaelJLeader - Michael @jakehcunningham - Jake @_stephwatts - Steph Produced by Michael Leader, Jake Cunningham, Harold McShiel and Steph Watts. Music by Anthony Ing. Get bonus content on Patreon See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

We are very excited to welcome comic artist and big Ghibli fan Erica Henderson into the Ghibliotheque for this episode. Erica's stunning work can be found in the revolutionary Marvel comic Squirrel Girl, the Archie comics standout Jughead and much more, she joins us for a conversation about the Cantonese language Ghibli films that got her into the studio, the Chinatown basement that housed some huge anime discoveries and the mouth-watering food moments in Ghibli's work.  Keep an eye out for weekly episodes in our Chat Returns miniseries - featuring conversations with filmmakers, writers, and animators who have either worked directly with Ghibli, or have been heavily inspired by them - over the next couple of months. Our book, Ghibliotheque - The Unofficial Guide to Studio Ghibli, will be on sale from all good bookshops in the UK from 2nd September, and is available for preorder now. Pre-order today: Amazon UK: https://amzn.to/3usAw0h Or for free international shipping: https://bit.ly/3oRQr7c Get in touch with Ghibliotheque at ghibli@littledotstudios.com or follow us on Twitter: @ghibliotheque @MichaelJLeader - Michael @jakehcunningham - Jake @_stephwatts - Steph Produced by Michael Leader, Jake Cunningham, Harold McShiel and Steph Watts. Music by Anthony Ing. Get bonus content on Patreon See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

For this episode of The Chat Returns, we're joined by the incredible, BRIT award winning, artist Arlo Parks. Whilst recording her acclaimed debut album 'Collapsed in Sunbeams', Arlo and her producer would watch a different Ghibli film each day, so we get into how much Ghibli crossed over into the record, the first time she discovered Ghibli and her fairly controversial choice for a Ghibli hidden gem...  Keep an eye out for weekly episodes in our Chat Returns miniseries - featuring conversations with filmmakers, writers, and animators who have either worked directly with Ghibli, or have been heavily inspired by them - over the next couple of months. Our book, Ghibliotheque - The Unofficial Guide to Studio Ghibli, will be on sale from all good bookshops in the UK from 2nd September, and is available for preorder now. Pre-order today: Amazon UK: https://amzn.to/3usAw0h Or for free international shipping: https://bit.ly/3oRQr7c Get in touch with Ghibliotheque at ghibli@littledotstudios.com or follow us on Twitter: @ghibliotheque @MichaelJLeader - Michael @jakehcunningham - Jake @_stephwatts - Steph Produced by Michael Leader, Jake Cunningham, Harold McShiel and Steph Watts. Music by Anthony Ing. Get bonus content on Patreon See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.