The Kingdom of Dreams and Madness

The Kingdom of Dreams and Madness
Japanese 夢と狂気の王国
Hepburn Yume to kyôki no ôkoku
Directed by Mami Sunada
Produced by Nobuo Kawakami
Starring Hayao Miyazaki
Toshio Suzuki
Isao Takahata
Hideaki Anno
Music by Masakatsu Takagi
Cinematography Mami Sunada
Edited by Mami Sunada
Production
company
Distributed by Toho
GKIDS
StudioCanal
Release dates
  • November 16, 2013 (2013-11-16) (Japan)
  • November 1, 2014 (2014-11-01) (HIFF)
Running time
 118 minutes
Country Japan
Language Japanese

The Kingdom of Dreams and Madness (Japanese: 夢と狂気の王国 Hepburn: Yume to kyōki no ōkoku) is a 2013 documentary film directed by Mami Sunada. The film follows the routines of those employed at Studio Ghibli, including filmmakers Hayao Miyazaki, Isao Takahata, and Toshio Suzuki as they work to release two films simultaneously, The Wind Rises and The Tale of the Princess Kaguya.

Synopsis

The documentary delves into the life of Hayao Miyazaki and the productions of the animated films The Wind Rises and The Tale of the Princess Kaguya, including various footage of said productions. The footage shown includes the choosing of Hideaki Anno as the voice actor for the character Jiro Horikoshi in The Wind Rises as well as the extensive and detailed amount of storyboarding sketched, inked, and painted by Miyazaki. It notes Miyazaki's opinions on subjects such as the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear disaster and Zero planes, and shows his tensions with some of the other staff, including Isao Takahata, and his memories of his father. The film illustrates the importance of Miyazaki, Takahata, and Toshio Suzuki's works altogether to help Studio Ghibli be successful, and concludes with mention of Miyazaki's supposed official retirement.

Release and reception

On 1 November 2014, the documentary was screened at the Hawaii International Film Festival.[1] In March 2015, it was added to the Netflix streaming service.[2]

The film received positive reviews from critics. The film currenttly holds a 91% approval rating on review aggregator Rotten Tomatoes, with an average rating of 7.2 out of 10. Sam Byford of The Verge stated that the film "should be considered essential viewing for any Studio Ghibli fan, for whom it will stand alone as a captivating work in its own right".[3] David Ehrlich of The A.V. Club expressed that it held an "emotional wallop that’s almost on par with anything found in one of Miyazaki’s or Takahata’s films", calling it "a delicate depiction of the artistic spirit".[4]

Brian Tallerico of the Roger Ebert website gave the documentary three out of four stars, saying that director Sunada "captures something poetic about art and creativity that could speak to anyone, animation fan or otherwise".[5] Peter Debruge of the website Variety said that the "atmosphere inside Studio Ghibli may suggest a zen-like idyll, but animation is a painstaking — and sometimes painful — process", and that Sunada "makes us appreciate the magic all the more".[6]

References

  1. ↑ "THE KINGDOM OF DREAMS AND MADNESS (夢と狂気の王国)". Hawaii International Film Festival. Retrieved 10 July 2016.
  2. ↑ Green, Scott (30 March 2015). "Studio Ghibli Documentary "The Kingdom of Dreams and Madness" Streams on Netflix". Crunchyroll. Retrieved 9 July 2016.
  3. ↑ Byford, Sam (28 November 2014). "'The Kingdom of Dreams and Madness' reveals the tortured genius of Studio Ghibli". The Verge. Retrieved 18 September 2015.
  4. ↑ Ehrlich, David (25 November 2014). "The Kingdom Of Dreams And Madness looks behind the curtain of Studio Ghibli". The A.V. Club. Retrieved 18 September 2015.
  5. ↑ Tallerico, Brian (28 November 2014). "The Kingdom of Dreams and Madness review". Roger Ebert. Retrieved 17 September 2015.
  6. ↑ Debruge, Peter (4 September 2014). "Toronto Film Review: 'The Kingdom of Dreams and Madness'". Variety. Retrieved 19 September 2015.
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