The Kingdom of Dreams and Madness

2013 • 118 minutes

About this movie

Directed by Mami Sunada (Death of a Japanese Salesman) THE KINGDOM OF DREAMS AND MADNESS provides a rare fly–on –the wall look at the inner workings of one of the World’s most enigmatic and successful animation studios. Granted near – unfettered access to the notoriously insular Studio Ghibli, Director Mami Sunada follows the three men who are the lifeblood of Ghibli. The eminent director HAYAO MIYAZAKI, the producer TOSHIO SUZUKI, and the elusive and influential “other director” ISAO TAKAHATA – over the course of a year as the studio rushes to complete two films, Miyazaki’s Oscar nominated The Wind Rises and Takahata’s The Tale of The Princess Kaguya. The result is a rare “fly on the wall” look at the inner  workings of one of the world’s most celebrated animation studios, and an insight into the dreams, passion and singular dedication of these remarkable creators.

Ratings and reviews

An interesting behind the scenes look at the workings of one of the world's most creative animation studios. Miyazaki being the dominant force in this documentary, but we are also introduced to a number of the other key players. Fascinating for a fan, not sure it will be of interest to non Ghibli fans though.

If you're interested in Miyazaki or Studio Ghibli, this documentary is definitely worth your time. It is beautifully shot and the music is phenomenal too. It was interesting to get a behind the scenes look at the studio as they created one of their films (The Wind Rises), I learned a lot about both the process of creating an animated feature film, and one of my favorite film studios. The documentary is as much about the man behind the studio as it is about the studio itself, and the films they create. I'd recommend purchasing in HD if you're a big fan of the studio, it really is a beautiful film.

It was really nice to see the insides of an animation studio and the way it worked.