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The Kingdom of Dreams and Madness
夢と狂気の王国
2013 · Film · documentary · 118 min
Directed by Mami Sunada
Follows the behind-the-scenes work of Studio Ghibli, focusing on the notable figures Hayao Miyazaki, Isao Takahata, and Toshio Suzuki.
8 positive2 neutralfrom 10 commenters
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Other than the NHK World documentary series, The Kingdom of Dreams and Madness was quite good: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=24wViGZKVu8
Hayao Miyazaki, in the documentary "The Kingdom of Dreams and Madness" (2013):
Interviewer: "Aren't you worried about [Studio Ghibli]'s future?"
HM: "The future is clear. It's gonna fall apart. I can already see it. What's the use worrying? It's inevitable. "Ghibli" is just a random name I got from an airplane. It's only a name."
I am currently watching The kingdom of Dreams and Madness, a documentary of Studio Ghibli, in there the director / producer tell how they feel like they are the lasts of a creative era of animation.
It does seem that even though anime is more popular than ever, there is not so many modern anime classics.
A little late to the thread, but two come to mind:
Hoop Dreams (1994) - Explores inner-city poverty through the eyes of two young boys in Chicago who want to use basketball as a way to escape their environment. I haven't seen it in a long time, but my biggest takeaway from it is how narrow the bridge to "success" can be for some. If you grow up in a well-to-do upper middle class environment, you can make a shocking number of youthful mistakes, yet still get saved by your parents, school, society. Others really only have one or two chances to make things work.
The Kingdom of Dreams and Madness (2013) - A must-watch if you're an admirer of Hayao Miyazaki movies. Goes into his creative processes; how he thinks about his work, the world at-large, etc.; and his long-standing friendship with his producer, Toshio Suzuki.
Miyazaki is a fascinating person to read about, because of his combination of luminous creativity, clarity, and lightness with plain ordinary hard work, grumpiness, and pessimism. His two books of essay-ish fragments, Starting Point and Turning Point, are well worth looking out. The documentary film "The Kingdom of Dreams and Madness" is rather good too.
(Here's a rather solipsistic piece I wrote about Starting Point and how it made me feel about my work as a programmer: https://thebreakfastpost.com/2021/01/05/hayao-miyazaki-and-work/)
I remember him saying it in "The Kingdom of Dreams and Madness" and that was almost a decade ago!
Also if you're a fan of his films, I highly recommend that documentary.
The Kingdom of Dreams and Madness (from which I believe that quote originates) actually affected me quite a bit. Rather than some kind of hedonistic bucket list, the film's depiction of Miyazaki gave me a very different model for later life: To spend a lifetime mastering one's craft, and to take joy in the everyday process of exercising and improving it.
Most of us will not become acclaimed directors like Miyazaki, or renowned sushi chefs like Jiro Ono (Jiro Dreams of Sushi is another documentary in this vein), but in my view, any skilled craftsperson, from a tatami weaver to a software developer, can follow this path. You don't have to be famous, or even best in class, to enjoy a life of mastering the craft that inspires you.
If anyone hasn't watched the documentary on Miyazaki, The Kingdom of Dreams and Madness, I'd highly recommend it. It delves a bit into his struggle to give up or continue on with his life's work.
Edit: It's on Netflix.
The simple explanation for all of this is that western audiences regard Animation as a medium solely for consumption by children. Disney/Pixar will likely always produce animated films for children first compared to Anime which produces films for all audiences.
"The Kingdom of Dreams and Madness" [1] is a documentary worth watching if you've seen any Studio Ghibli films. The opinion of Miyazaki is that Animation is a more freeing medium than traditional film. It's available on Netflix right now for those who have access.
[1] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IxI9WmgqWWU
Worth watching the documentary Kingdom of Dreams and Madness.
http://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/the_kingdom_of_dreams_and_madness/
The documentary is an amazing peek at Studio Ghibli (primarily of the group working on Miyazaki's last film "The Wind Rises"), even though the atmosphere is not what I'd call delightful, it doesn't lessen but increases my admiration of their work, to be able to create something beautiful in spite of the amazing pressures of animated feature film production is an incredible achievement in itself.