On the pod this week, Michael speaks with Latvian filmmaker Gints Zilbalodis about his Oscar-winning feature, FLOW. This conversation was recorded during the London Film Festival in October 2024, partway through Zilbalodis's remarkable journey with the film: a low-budget, independent feature made by a small crew that became one of the most lauded films of the year, and eventually picked up the Oscar for Best Animated Feature against stiff competition from the animation world's biggest names. Flo...
Mar 14, 2025•50 min
It's the second part of our awards season chat about the Oscar-nominated animated films! Michael, Jake and Steph talk about Wallace & Gromit: Vengeance Most Fowl, Flow and Memoir of a Snail. Scroll back through our archive for interviews with Oscar nominees Chris Sanders (The Wild Robot), Nick Park & Merlin Crossingham (Wallace and Gromit: Vengeance Most Fowl) and Adam Elliot, and look forward to our interview with Gints Zilbalodis (Flow), coming to podcast your feeds in March. Subscribe...
Feb 21, 2025•37 min
It's awards season! And we're jumping into the fray. In this first episode of a two-part awards miniseries, Michael and Jake talk about the two CG-animated offerings from Hollywood studios in contention for Best Animated Feature this year: Inside Out 2 and The Wild Robot. Scroll back through our archive for interviews with Oscar nominees Chris Sanders (The Wild Robot), Nick Park & Merlin Crossingham (Wallace and Gromit: Vengeance Most Fowl) and Adam Elliot, and look forward to our interview ...
Feb 14, 2025•38 min
In this episode, Michael speaks with Australian stop-motion filmmaker Adam Elliot (Mary & Max, Harvie Krumpet) about his new, Oscar-nominated film Memoir of a Snail. In this wide-ranging conversation, Adam speaks about the enduring influence of David Lynch, how he crafts his distinctive films, his love of stories that mix the dark with the light and his memories of working with Philip Seymour Hoffman on Mary & Max. Subscribe to our Patreon for ad-free episodes and bonus conversations in ...
Feb 12, 2025•41 min
Director Naoko Yamada (A Silent Voice, Liz and the Blue Bird) joins us to talk about her new film, the delightful coming-of-age music drama The Colours Within. If you would like to hear Ms Yamada's Japanese responses in full, the unedited interview starts from 32.30. Subscribe to our Patreon for ad-free episodes and bonus conversations in our Library Cafe series. Follow us on Twitter or Instagram , or drop us an email at ghibliotheque@gmail.com. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more in...
Jan 31, 2025•1 hr 12 min
It's not a Ghibliotheque miniseries until we've opened the mailbag! This week, Michael, Jake and Steph are opening some Park Life mail from listeners, to hear their thoughts on all things Vengeance Most Fowl, which Wallace and Gromit adventure deserves the top spot in the rankings, and more. Subscribe to our Patreon for ad-free episodes and bonus conversations in our Library Cafe series. Follow us on Twitter or Instagram , or drop us an email at ghibliotheque@gmail.com. Hosted on Acast. See acas...
Jan 24, 2025•49 min
Our journey through the films of Nick Park comes to a close with a conversation with the man himself! To mark the release of the new Wallace and Gromit adventure, Vengeance Most Fowl, Michael speaks with Nick Park and co-director Merlin Crossingham about directing as a pair, the importance of the human touch in animation, and how intimidating it is to animate Feathers McGraw. Subscribe to our Patreon for ad-free episodes and bonus conversations in our Library Cafe series. Follow us on Twitter or...
Dec 27, 2024•41 min
It's us... again! Michael, Jake and Steph gather round the Christmas tree to discuss Nick Park and Merlin Crossingham's latest Wallace and Gromit adventure, Vengeance Most Fowl. Subscribe to our Patreon for ad-free episodes and bonus conversations in our Library Cafe series. Follow us on Twitter or Instagram , or drop us an email at ghibliotheque@gmail.com. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information....
Dec 25, 2024•55 min
Ole, ole, ole, ole... it's time for Early Man! Jake's doing his best Peter Crouch robot dance in the recording studio, but will Steph and Michael feel just as celebratory? Subscribe to our Patreon for ad-free episodes and bonus conversations in our Library Cafe series. Follow us on Twitter or Instagram , or drop us an email at ghibliotheque@gmail.com. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information....
Dec 20, 2024•45 min
Back in 2020 we looked at a couple of documentaries about Studio Ghibli, including Kaku Arakawa's Never-Ending Man . Now, after the release of Arakawa's latest documentary Hayao Miyazaki and the Heron, made during the production and release of Miyazaki's most recent film, Michael and Jake take a look at this latest look into the interior world of Ghibli. Follow Ghibliotheque on Twitter: @ghibliotheque @MichaelJLeader – Michael @jakehcunningham – Jake Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for mo...
Dec 16, 2024•49 min
Hold onto your buns, this week Michael, Jake and Steph are back in shorts territory with Nick Park's fifth Wallace & Gromit adventure, A Matter of Loaf and Death. Subscribe to our Patreon for ad-free episodes and bonus conversations in our Library Cafe series. Follow us on Twitter or Instagram , or drop us an email at ghibliotheque@gmail.com. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information....
Dec 13, 2024•46 min
Beware! Michael, Jake and Steph are about to explore the lore of the terrifying Were-Rabbit. Continue if you dare... Subscribe to our Patreon for ad-free episodes and bonus conversations in our Library Cafe series. Follow us on Twitter or Instagram , or drop us an email at ghibliotheque@gmail.com. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information....
Dec 06, 2024•50 min
"It's a podcast machine, you idiot. Podcasters go in, podcasts come out." This week, Michael, Jake and Steph discuss Aardman's feature debut, co-directed by Nick Park alongside studio co-founder Peter Lord, the farmyard break-out comedy-adventure, Chicken Run. Subscribe to our Patreon for ad-free episodes and bonus conversations in our Library Cafe series. Follow us on Twitter or Instagram , or drop us an email at ghibliotheque@gmail.com. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more informati...
Nov 29, 2024•46 min
Tragic romance! Sheep rustling! Dirty windows! Michael, Jake and Steph don their favourite woolly jumpers and settle in for a chat all about Nick Park’s third Wallace and Gromit adventure, A Close Shave . Subscribe to our Patreon for ad-free episodes and bonus conversations in our Library Cafe series. Follow us on Twitter or Instagram , or drop us an email at ghibliotheque@gmail.com. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information....
Nov 22, 2024•41 min
Is that a chicken, or a penguin? Steph, Michael and Jake are here to investigate, as they look into Nick Park's second Wallace and Gromit tale The Wrong Trousers . Subscribe to our Patreon for ad-free episodes and bonus conversations in our Library Cafe series. Follow us on Twitter or Instagram , or drop us an email at ghibliotheque@gmail.com. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information....
Nov 15, 2024•49 min
This week, Nick Park's career takes off with the very first Wallace and Gromit adventure, A Grand Day Out. Subscribe to our Patreon for ad-free episodes and bonus conversations in our Library Cafe series. Follow us on Twitter or Instagram , or drop us an email at ghibliotheque@gmail.com. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information....
Nov 08, 2024•44 min
This week, Michael, Jake and Steph are back with a new miniseries charting the career of animation legend Nick Park and his work at the peerless plasticine-powered studio, Aardman Animations. To start, we look at his Oscar-winning first film, the chatty zoo-themed mockumentary Creature Comforts (1989), which was his first directorial credit for Aardman after contributing to projects such as the era-defining music video for Peter Gabriel's 'Sledgehammer', and while slowly working in the backgroun...
Nov 01, 2024•35 min
To close out the Shinkaideology we've taken the chance to reshare the interview we had with Makoto Shinkai almost two years ago. Some may have already have heard this, but we've had lots of new listeners join the show, so wanted to take the chance to get his voice on the feed for the end of the mini-series. As his new blockbuster anime Suzume is released in UK cinemas, director Makoto Shinkai (Your Name, Weathering With You) speaks with Michael and Jake about turning a romantic lead into a three...
Oct 28, 2024•1 hr 35 min
This week, Michael and Jake bring the Shinkai-deology up to date with Makoto Shinkai's latest release, and the third film in his loose trilogy of high-concept, disaster-themed features: Suzume. However, this time, Shinkai makes the connection with the 2011 Tōhoku earthquake more overt than ever, with a young girl and her chair boyfriend travelling the full length of Japan to close a series of mystical doors, and heal the long-standing trauma of a nation. Subscribe to our Patreon for ad-free epis...
Oct 25, 2024•55 min
How do you follow one of the biggest anime hits of all time? This week, Makoto Shinkai continues his run of high concept, big-feels blockbusters with the climate-crisis romance, Weathering With You. Subscribe to our Patreon for ad-free episodes and bonus conversations in our Library Cafe series. Follow us on Twitter or Instagram , or drop us an email at ghibliotheque@gmail.com. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information....
Oct 18, 2024•45 min
This week, Michael speaks with director Chris Sanders (Lilo & Stitch, How to Train Your Dragon) about his new film, The Wild Robot, as well as the films that inspired him to get into animation, his formative years at CalArts, and how he was 'tricked' into being a storyboard artist. Subscribe to our Patreon for ad-free episodes and bonus conversations in our Library Cafe series. Follow us on Twitter or Instagram , or drop us an email at ghibliotheque@gmail.com. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/...
Oct 14, 2024•37 min
It's the big one! After several films as a rising star, Makoto Shinkai finally takes up the mantle of 'the Next Miyazaki' (at the box office at least) with the blockbuster body-swap drama, YOUR NAME. Subscribe to our Patreon for ad-free episodes and bonus conversations in our Library Cafe series. Follow us on Twitter or Instagram , or drop us an email at ghibliotheque@gmail.com. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information....
Oct 11, 2024•49 min
The Shinkai-deology continues with Makoto Shinkai returning to shortform storytelling with the gorgeously-photographed, Tokyo-set drama, The Garden of Words. Michael and Jake also touch on Shinkai's commercial work, including the futuristic family sketch, Someone's Gaze, which was initially commissioned by the Nomura Real Estate Group, before premiering alongside The Garden of Words in Japanese cinemas in 2013. Subscribe to our Patreon for ad-free episodes and bonus conversations in our Library ...
Oct 04, 2024•44 min
Our miniseries on the work of Makoto Shinkai takes an unexpected turn this week, as the director dives head-first into Miyazaki-influenced fantasy-adventure territory with 2011's Children Who Chase Lost Voices. Subscribe to our Patreon for ad-free episodes and bonus conversations in our Library Cafe series. Follow us on Twitter or Instagram , or drop us an email at ghibliotheque@gmail.com. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information....
Sep 27, 2024•53 min
This week, our journey through the career of Makoto Shinkai comes to 5 Centimeters Per Second. Now a firm fan-favourite, this 60-odd minute anthology of three interconnected coming-of-age shorts was, for many, their first introduction to Shinkai's work, and it represents an important step in the director's growth as a filmmaker and storyteller. Subscribe to our Patreon for ad-free episodes and bonus conversations in our Library Cafe series. Follow us on Twitter or Instagram , or drop us an email...
Sep 20, 2024•50 min
This week, our journey through the films of Makoto Shinkai reaches his first feature-length film, and his first full-scale production, 2004's alt-history sci-fi drama The Place Promised in Our Early Days. Subscribe to our Patreon for ad-free episodes and bonus conversations in our Library Cafe series. Follow us on Twitter or Instagram , or drop us an email at ghibliotheque@gmail.com. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information....
Sep 13, 2024•41 min
It's the start of a new miniseries! Michael and Jake are back to chart the rise of one of Japanese animation's blockbuster filmmakers, Makoto Shinkai, from his homemade beginnings with his very early works, She and Her Cat and Voices of a Distant Star. Subscribe to our Patreon for ad-free episodes and bonus conversations in our Library Cafe series. Follow us on Twitter or Instagram , or drop us an email at ghibliotheque@gmail.com. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information....
Sep 06, 2024•49 min
Comic book artist, animator and film director Dash Shaw joins Michael to speak about his new graphic novel, Blurry, and his two animated features, My Entire High School Sinking into the Sea (2016) and Cryptozoo (2021), as well as his salad days as a young anime fan, his love of independent and European animation, and looking to Miyazaki as an 'old man' mentor. Blurry is available now from the very best book and comics shops as is Cosplayers ; Cryptozoo is streaming on Mubi and My Entire High Sch...
Aug 30, 2024•48 min
Screenwriter, author and Children's Laureate Frank Cottrell-Boyce joins Michael to speak about adapting Michael Morpurgo's novel Kensuke's Kingdom, as well as the art of adaptation, when adaptations go wrong, and his career as a writer of books for children. Kensuke's Kingdom is in UK cinemas now. Find a screening near you: https://www.kensukeskingdom.com/. Subscribe to our Patreon for ad-free episodes and bonus conversations in our Library Cafe series. Follow us on Twitter or Instagram , or dro...
Aug 02, 2024•42 min
With Coraline celebrating its 15th anniversary and returning to cinemas, Henry Selick joins us to talk about his life and career, from his days at Cal Arts to his work at the forefront of stop-motion feature animation. He talks about the process of developing Coraline, those early days during the formation of Laika Studios, and how technology has changed since his debut feature, The Nightmare Before Christmas. He also tells us about his formative influences and favourite filmmakers within the wo...
Jul 26, 2024•52 min
