Not all of them are originals.
Summary:
- Studio Ghibli used a lot of different source materials for their movies.
- Most, but not all, are original or based on novels (Western or Japanese).
- Some, though, are manga adaptations, and there are a few unique cases.
Studio Ghibli is arguably the most known anime studio out there. In fact, they’re so famous that even non-anime fans know about them (and about Hayao Miyazaki, who is the most famous anime director out there).
Over the years, Ghibli produced many movies, and despite the similarities in themes between many of them, they came from completely different sources. Sometimes, they adapted novels — either Japanese or Western, and sometimes, they were original — but even then, it’s way more complicated than just those.
Miyazaki’s Films Before Ghibli
Perhaps the first two movies that should be mentioned are Lupin III: The Castle of Cagliostro and Nausicaä of the Valley of the Wind (Kaze no Tani no Nausicaä). Both were directed by Miyazaki before studio Ghibli was established, and are commonly associated with the studio despite being not made under it.
The Castle of Cagliostro is a spin-off to Lupin III, which is based on a manga, but the contents of the movie are technically anime-original. Nausicaä is more interesting: it adapts Miyazaki’s own manga, although it’s not a full adaptation.
1980s
After Ghibli was founded, their first movie was Castle in the Sky (Tenkuu no Shiro Laputa), released in 1986. It’s an anime-original movie created by Miyazaki, and it quickly became a massive hit in both Japan and the West.
For the next two years, Ghibli worked concurrently on two movies, which were released together in August 1988. The first was My Neighbor Totoro (Tonari no Totoro) — yet another original directed by Miyazaki.
In contrast to the kid-friendly Totoro, the other movie was Grave of the Fireflies (Hotaru no Haka). Directed by Isao Takahata, it is a tragic story of children during war, based on a semi-autobiographical novel by Akiyuki Nosaka.
Another year later, Kiki's Delivery Service (Majo no Takkyuubin) came out. This movie is based on a children’s fantasy novel by Eiko Kadono. While it’s a full adaptation, the novel actually got more sequels years later.
1990s
The 1990s were arguably the most productive decade for Ghibli. In 1991, Only Yesterday (Omoide Poroporo) came out. While it’s not the most known Ghibli movie — Takahata’s works generally often get overlooked — it has its share of loyal fans. It adapts a short manga of the same name.
Miyazaki’s Porco Rosso (Kurenai no Buta), like Nausicaä, adapts his own manga again — this time, heavily expanding it. In fact, it has so much new content that it should practically count as an anime-original film.
The Ocean Waves (Umi ga Kikoeru) is perhaps the most unusual Ghibli film. Released in 1993, it was first aired on TV, not in theaters — and it’s directed by Tomomi Mochizuki, who is not affiliated with the studio. Like many other Ghibli movies, it’s based on a lesser-known novel.
Among the other 90s Ghibli movies, Pom Poko (Heisei Tanuki Gassen Ponpoko) and Princess Mononoke (Mononoke Hime) are anime-originals. Both involve the theme of environmentalism, explored by Takahata and Miyazaki, respectively.
Whisper of the Heart (Mimi wo Sumaseba) adapts a short shoujo manga, though it differs pretty significantly from its source material. My Neighbors the Yamadas (Tonari no Yamada-kun) adapts a 4-koma manga, though, as with many Ghibli films, it also gives it a different spin.
2000s
The Cat Returns (Neko no Ongaeshi), just like its parent story, Whisper of the Heart, adapts a short manga (which is a spin-off of the latter). Spirited Away (Sen to Chihiro no Kamikakushi) is the most famous Ghibli movie, which also won an Oscar. It’s entirely anime-original — which is probably why fans expect other movies to also be originals.
The 00s were also the time when movies based on Western novels started coming out. Those include Howl's Moving Castle (Howl no Ugoku Shiro) and Tales from Earthsea (Ged Senki). Both of these make heavy changes to the source material, though.
During this time, Miyazaki started to work slower due to his age — notice the time span between Howl’s (2004) and Gake no Ue no Ponyo (2008). The latter, by the way, was an anime-original.
2010s and 2020s
During the modern era, Hayao Miyazaki’s son, Gorou, responsible for Tales from Earthsea, releases two more movies, From Up on Poppy Hill (Coquelicot-zaka kara) and Earwig and the Witch (Aya to Majo). Just like his debut, they are met with mixed reception — and they adapt an old shoujo manga and a book by Diana Wynne Jones (Howl’s), respectively.
In the meantime, Hayao Miyazaki makes his supposedly final movie in 2013 — The Wind Rises (Kaze Tachinu), which, like Porco Rosso, expands on his own short manga.
Some years later he comes out of retirement with the announcement of The Boy and the Heron (Kimitachi wa Dou Ikiru ka), a movie based on a Japanese novel that took him around half a decade to make. The film was highly acclaimed and brought the studio another Oscar.
Other Ghibli movies during the era include When Marnie Was There (Omoide no Marnie) — just like many others, based on a Western book — and The Tale of the Princess Kaguya (Kaguya-hime no Monogatari). The last is particularly unusual, as it gives a new spin to a classical Japanese myth — not the kind of source material we see very often.