"The Kingdom of Dreams and Rhapsody" tells the story of Ghibli, the holy land that countless fans yearn for.
On the poster, the emerald green room hides the Studio Ghibli located in the suburbs of Tokyo.
The three old men sitting in front of the door, from left to right, are Hayao Miyazaki, Toshio Suzuki, and Isao Takahata.
They are both the founders of Ghibli and their souls from beginning to end.
However, five years later, the old man sitting on the far right left this world and the animation kingdom he loved.
Takahata's sudden departure has once again sparked criticism of his works and status, such as "Grave of the Fireflies" (1988), such as "Cicanny Cats" (1994).
Of course, it is inevitable to shout grievances for him - he has been obscured by the light of Hayao Miyazaki for a long time, so that too many audiences ignore this animation master who is no less than Hayao Miyazaki.
"The Kingdom of Dreams and Rhapsody" reveals the delicate relationship between the two masters under the same roof, and restores their friendship, separation and "war" for more than half a century.
In 1959, at the age of 24, Isao Takahata entered Japan's Toei Animation, which was his first job.
Four years later, Hayao Miyazaki, who graduated from college, also came to this company. Takahata Isao, who was already an assistant director at the time, appreciated this young man very much, so he invited him to do animation with him.
From this level, Takahata Isao can be regarded as Miyazaki's master, or a senior brother.
In 1968, the two collaborated on "The Adventures of Halls, Prince of the Sun", and in 1974 completed the classic TV animation "Girls of the Alps".
However, as the creative state of the two gradually matured, after the "Red-haired Girl Anne" in 1979, Hayao Miyazaki, who had cooperated with Isao Takahata for 15 years, began to seek independent development.
This is the first time the two have parted.
But within a few years, Miyazaki invited Takahata Isao as a producer when he was preparing his "startup" "Nausicaa" (1984).
After the success of this film, the two old friends founded the later famous Studio Ghibli together, and continued to collaborate on the more classic "City in the Sky" (1986).
With the support of an independent studio, Isao Takahata and Hayao Miyazaki rekindled their creative passion again, so the two went hand in hand again, and released "Grave of the Fireflies" and "My Neighbor Totoro" respectively in 1988.
After that, Hayao Miyazaki has maintained a vigorous vitality, but Isao Takahata quickly reduced his output.
In the more than 20 years since "Grave of the Fireflies", he has only made four original animations, including the last one "The Story of Kaguya Princess", which has been in preparation for 14 years.
In stark contrast, Miyazaki's box-office hits and the recognition of heavyweight international awards, such as "Princess Mononoke" (1997), "Spirited Away" (2001), "Howl's Move" Castle" (2004) et al.
Takahata is becoming more and more like a hermit, Miyazaki is more and more shining.
So much so that there is almost an equal sign between Ghibli and Hayao Miyazaki.
Why does this contrast occur?
In the documentary, Hayao Miyazaki expressed his attitude towards this old friend very bluntly:
"As a director, I have abandoned him", "his character is flawed".
It turned out that although Takahata is an excellent animation artist, he had abandoned the scene for personal reasons during the filming of "My Neighbor Yamada-kun" (1999), and even did not want to finish the film.
Everyone, including Ghibli's president Toshio Suzuki, said that everyone knew that Mr. Takahata would never finish his work on time or within budget.
He also joked that the producer of "The Story of Kaguya Princess" has been involved since 2006, and now (2013) everyone is married and has two children, one of whom is in elementary school, and the film has not yet been completed.
However, ridicule is ridiculed, frankly speaking, whether it is Hayao Miyazaki or Toshio Suzuki, Takahata is always full of respect.
Because his low output and not finishing on time is nothing more than a word for "slow", which is based on the consideration of quality.
His films are realistic and introspective, and can guide the audience to think in a relatively objective manner, representing another aspect of Ghibli animation that is different from Hayao Miyazaki's dreamy colors.
The two of them have their own divisions of labor, and even though the work areas are separated - Miyazaki is in the north wing of Studio Ghibli, and Takahata is in the south wing, but they have not been separated for so many years.
Even though Hayao Miyazaki is so "dissatisfied" with his old friend, he still mentions Apo (the alias of Xun Takahata) at least once a day.
Because he deeply understands and admires Takahata Isao's understanding and persistence in animation, and of course he will not forget the kindness of his past encounters.
As the producer of "The Story of Kaguya Princess" said——
"It all started with him. He discovered Miyazaki, he helped Joe Hisaishi, and then Miyazaki and Hisaishi formed a label. He also directed Toshio Suzuki, without him, there would be no Ghibli work. room".
Towards the end of "The Kingdom of Dreams and Rhapsody", Isao Takahata, who has always existed in the stories and memories of others, finally appeared.
The three old people gathered on the roof of Studio Ghibli, talking and laughing as they were decades ago.
Facing his old friend Hayao Miyazaki who always hates him, Isao Takahata also said, "I can't make good works without meeting Hayao Miyazaki and Toshio Suzuki."
Good friends, this is how they should compete with each other and achieve each other.
Finally, I will give you a passage from Hayao Miyazaki at the end of the film to commemorate their special and precious friendship:
“As both parties get older, they become stubborn and tired. We started arguing, but as Po (Takahata Hoon) said, we were partners. We were really partners at that time, full of enthusiasm for our work, very Thankfully, we once had our all-out effort.”
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