More pictures from the Studio Ghibli Layout Designs Exhibition artbook. The exhibition is on till the 28th of September. Read Part I and the Preview for more details regarding the exhibition. (above) Layouts from Spirited Away, love those tiny little huts.
(above) Layouts from Nausicaa. As a young kid I was totally mesmerized by the manga and Miyazaki’s beautiful watercolor illustrations which he did for the covers.
(above) Laputa, or Castle in the Sky. Many of my friends cite this as their favourite Ghibli film.
(above) While we are on the subject of Totoro, I must urge you to check out the Totoro Forest Project, brainchild of Pixar storyboard artist Enrico Casarosa.
(above) Porco Rosso. I keep reminding myself to rewatch this again, but haven’t had time at all. Soon, soon.
(above) My favourite Ghibli film, Mononoke HIme. The first time I saw it the hauntingly powerful images and moving score from the film put me in a daze for a couple of days, I kid you not. My only regret is that I never got to watch it in a cinema.
(above) Spirited Away had a staggering amount of layout designs, even more than Princess Mononoke, ( which is Miyazaki’s most epic film) probably because of the sheer variety of characters that appear in the film and the huge number of sets designs. At the exhibition layouts from Spirited Away were displayed in a special room, with artwork stretching right up to the ceiling. The picture immediately above shows my favourite characters from Spirited Away, Bird Brains.
(above) Howl’s Moving Castle. Not one of my favourites, but the quality of animation and art direction still make this an excellent film by any other standards.
(above) And finally, Ponyo on the Cliff by the Sea. This has got to be my new favourite after Princess Mononoke. Its just so innocently sweet that I can’t stop smiling when I think about the scenes from the film.
And these were the some of the highlights from the exhibition artbook. A total of about 1300 layouts were on show altogether, so what I’ve shown is really just a very small part.
You can grab a copy of the book here.
oooooh …. pretty boooook! MUST GET!
thanks for sharing the photos … wish I could teleport to the exhibition and back …
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Can’t wait for the book to arrive!
Thanks for the post! I managed to ask my friend staying in Tokyo to get the book , after I read your first post on the exhibition .
ohhhh my my my my my my my…. O_O
must get one.
did they ever show stuff they did from their time working on Lupin 3?
Hello Vong-san, long time no post!
I`ve just returned from the Ghibli’s exhibition and I’m stunned! Very impressive artwork since the first films of Miyazaki-san. In the end at the store I almost bought every art book I found. So happy to easily find them now I live in Tokyo.
I would like to ask you something in your posts: It’s just a suggestion, but would be great if you could give more information about the exhibitions. Links, prices and schedule are always interesting for those who intent to go (like me). Just a link to the website would do. Many people in Japan can`t read japanese very well, so it could be good.
Anyway, great post! Your pictures are awesome! Cya
Enrico/Harry D - Soon ! :]
James - Lucky you ! :]
Alessandra - Highly recommended !
tragic comedy - Yes they did, but not too many were on display.
ShigueS - Hey there ! The exhibition was amazing wasn’t it ? Thanks for your suggestion ! Have you read part 1 and the Preview too ?
Yeah! Sure, I’m always reading your posts. You have a great blog, very interesting for someone who likes animation. The pictures are also very good. I will keep an eye for the next exhibitions, cant loose another one.
I got the catalog and it’s great! I was hoping you could educate me as to what those drawings actually are. I know they’re layouts, but what is their role in the actual animation process?
ShigueS - Thanks for visiting ! I read your blog too. :]
Joseph - Have you seen that brochure that came with the book and with the comic explaining what an animation layout design is ? I was thinking of translating that entire comic but never got around to doing it. In very simple terms, the layout design is an image board for animators that contains all the various information on the background plate, foreground elements (if any) , position of characters, camera movement, duration of the shot, and more, In other words, sort of a “stage” for the animator to visualize his work.
Hi Yong How
It was so great I spent the whole day, from the opening to the closing time staying at the museum-!
Following your advice, as soon as I arrived in Japan, I went to the Ghibli layout exhibition at the MOT. Thanks for the information
If you do have some more upcoming exhibitions in Tôkyô to visit, please let me know– and if maybe we both have free time, we could go there together. I’m sure we’d have a lot to share and talk about anime, movie and photography ! ! !
Alex.