Is Studio Ghibli an Anime?

Most anime watchers, especially the newer ones, stick to the television series like Spy x Family and Summer Time Rendering that roll out each quarter season. And while there are a lot of beautiful and enthralling scenes to witness in them, those same watchers miss out on the masterful animated films that imprint the industry.

Studio Ghibli is an often brought up name when you finally step into Japanese animated films. However, you might be confused and ask yourself: is Studio Ghibli an anime? Thankfully, we have the answer for you!

What is Studio Ghibli?

Studio Ghibli is actually a Japanese animation film studio located in Koganei, Tokyo. It’s primarily known as the studio that produces animated feature films, but they’ve also dabbled with several short projects like television commercials and television shows. Going back to their animated films, Studio Ghibli has five films among their roster of projects that are among the ten highest-grossing anime feature films made in Japan, with the highly-acclaimed Spirited Away at second place.

Studio Ghibli’s brand grew in popularity as their films like 2004’s Howl’s Moving Castle, 2008’s Ponyo (I was lucky to see it in theaters), and 1997’s Princess Mononoke took the industry by storm. In fact, “Ghibli” roughly translates to “hot desert wind” in Libyan Arabic, a phrase that symbolized that the studio would “blow a new wind through the anime industry.”

Headed by Japanese animation director Hayao Miyazaki, they would fulfill that symbol due to their films’ whimsical aesthetic with vivid colors, intricate watercolor, and acrylic 2D animation. Paired with storytelling themes of youth, loss, environmentalism, and the beauty of the natural world, Studio Ghibli films always struck a chord with their audience, hoping to reflect our world in a very mystical yet relatable way.

And that’s everything you need to know to answer the burning question: is Studio Ghibli an anime? Be sure to check out the Twinfinite site for anime news, features, quizzes, and maybe answers to questions you may have!