The Kingdom of Dreams and Madness

Detailed observational doco filmed in Hayao Miyazaki's Studio Gibli building. The studio cat gets as much screen time as Takahata working down the road on The TALE of PRINCESS KAGYUA.

The bulk of the footage covers Miyazaki finalizing AS the WIND RISES working in his computer free headquarters, recording voice tracks and music and showing the finished film to his staff.The only person in a suit is the legal rep.

Not an unblemished study, as this is likely to be the last film of both these major figures in animation, the record of their work has an extra, slightly melancholy feeling.

Mostly magical movie of my life. I cried when he wrote that letter. Miyazaki is on of the few artists in this modern world and we need to appreciate him for that. Legends never die.

Overall, I really liked this documentary, but it does have some problems I can't ignore. As someone who loves Studio Ghibli, it was really cool to see how the films I love are made, even if it only shows creation scenes from The Wind Rises. Seeing how animation legends like Hayao Miyazaki and Isao Takahata go about their days, I felt, were fairly interesting. What I didn't like, however, was that it didn't go super deep into how other Ghibli films were made, it doesn't go that deep into how the company was formed, and Miyazaki and Takahata never really talk about their own films. I would have loved to hear what inspired them to make those films and what it meant to them personally. But, then again, I don't think they were even going for that. I just think the movie would have been more interesting if they had done what I wanted. Anyway, despite these flaws, I would still recommend this movie. Only to those who love Ghibli though. Everyone else will be quite bored.

Wonderful and insightful movie about Hayao Miyazaki's life and work at the famous Studio Ghibli, responsible for animation classics such as "My Neighbor Totoro" and "Spirited Away", during the making of Oscar-nominated "The Wind Rises", his most personal work to date and presumably the last. The documentary offers many personal views from the director, with plenty of photographs and archive footage, and also incredible shots of the strenuous process of making traditional hand-draw animation. At 72 years old, and facing a possible retirement, Miyazaki still manages to instill hope for more to come. Beautifully done.

THE KINGDOM OF DREAMS AND MADNESS is a documentary exploring the dying days of Studio Ghibli and in particular lead animator Hayao Miyazaki. Set during the making of THE WIND RISES, this is a reflective journey, tinged with sadness and nostalgia, that sees the famed cartoonist looking back over his life and work as well as discussing the challenges of both present and future.

Needless to say, this is a must see for anybody who considers themselves a fan of Studio Ghibli. Unlike western-made documentaries, this takes the straightforward approach of simply grabbing a camera, following Miyazaki and his crew around, and asking the occasional question. The unobtrusive approach works well, somehow getting you into the heart and soul of the studio, and it feels refreshing for there to be no talking head interviews, no movie clips interspersed into the narrative. Somehow, THE KINGDOM OF DREAMS AND MADNESS manages to capture a little of the Studio Ghibli magic itself.