Studio Ghibli Turns 40: 18 Books from the Studio’s History

Studio Ghibli is turning 40!

From My Neighbour Totoro to Spirited Away, it’s almost impossible to find someone who hasn’t heard of the legendary Studio Ghibli. Founded on June 15th, 1985 by Hayao Miyazaki, Isao Takahata, and Toshio Suzuki, Studio Ghibli has released dozens of unforgettable, unique, and universally resonant films that have changed the course of film history.

To celebrate Studio Ghibli’s 40th anniversary, we’re talking about the books that marked the studio’s journey so far. This list is composed of not only the novels and manga that inspired the films but also the ones that were born from the studio’s inventive animations. I wonder how many of those you have read?

If you don’t have time to go over this huge list right now, why don’t you pin this article? Our pin is at the bottom!

The very first Studio Ghibli film, Castle in the Sky reflects much of what would become Miyazaki’s recurring themes: environmentalism, the relationship between nature and technology, and the sincerity, resilience, and kindness of children. It also relies on Miyazaki’s #1 motif: flying.

The story follows Sheeta and Pazu, two orphans who embark on a journey to the floating city of Laputa. Between mystical amulets and air pirate gangs, Castle in the Sky offers a heartwarming, bustling, and colourful adventure that seamlessly transports you to a different universe. Even though Castle in the Sky is an original story, it is said that Miyazaki was inspired by Jonathan Swift’s Gulliver’s Travels and the 1984-1985 miners’ strike in the UK.

Swift’s classic is a satire of human nature, conveyed through Gulliver’s fantastical adventures. One of these trips is to the flying island of Laputa — the same destination as our Castle in the Sky protagonists.

One of the most beloved animated films in the history of cinema, My Neighbour Totoro continues the discussion on environmentalism through a tale that blends animism and the joy of childhood.

My Neighbour Totoro can only be described as a serene, delightful family fable that embraces you with its warmth and gentleness. This soothing, magical tale follows Satsuki and Mei, two sisters who move into an old country house with their father as they wait for their mother to recover from a long-term illness. Curious and cheerful, Mei befriends and introduces her sister to a group of playful spirits, including the iconic Totoro.

As a fan of late critic Roger Ebert’s work, I’m a bit biased but I’d highly recommend his review of My Neighbour Totoro, which you can read here. But I’d like to highlight my favourite bit:

”My Neighbor Totoro” is based on experience, situation and exploration–not on conflict and threat. (…)

It is also rich with human comedy in the way it observes the two remarkably convincing, lifelike little girls (I speak of their personalities, not their appearance). It is awe-inspiring in the scenes involving the totoro, and enchanting in the scenes with the Cat Bus. It is a little sad, a little scary, a little surprising and a little informative, just like life itself. It depends on a situation instead of a plot, and suggests that the wonder of life and the resources of imagination supply all the adventure you need.

My Neighbour Totoro is an original story, but it received a novel adaptation as part of its 25th anniversary. With Miyazaki’s original illustrations and children’s author Tsugiko Kobo’s prose, this is a great companion for all Totoro fans out there.

Believe it or not, My Neighbour Totoro and Grave of the Fireflies were released on the same day: April 16, 1988 — but they couldn’t be more different.

Both are flawlessly animated, but contrasting the bright and optimistic environment of Miyazaki’s My Neighbour Totoro, Isao Takahata’s Grave of the Fireflies is a poignant war film. This time, we’re also following two siblings, Seita and Setsuko. Unlike Satsuki and Mei, Seita and Setsuko are war orphans struggling to survive in 1945 Kobe, southern Japan.

Equally mesmerising and heartbreaking, it’s difficult to find the right words to describe Grave of the Fireflies. Roger Ebert called it “one of the greatest war films ever made“, but one comment that deeply resonates with me is from Japanamerica’s Roland Kelts, who said:

Grave of the Fireflies is a story richly told, with all the ambiguity and second-guesses of the way life is lived. Its story remains relevant today because of that fact alone. It tells about the failure of heroism and nobility in desperate circumstances and in that way, it’s almost an anti-Hollywood film.

Hollywood will have you believe that heroes are needed when times are tough. Isao Takahata shows us the humble opposite, that when times are tough what you need most is humility, patience and self-restraint. That’s how one survives.

You may or may not know that the film is an adaptation of Akiyuki Nosaka’s semi-autobiographical short story of the same name. Written as an apology to his own sister, Nosaka didn’t believe that his tale could have been adapted into a live-action film and felt that only an animated film could portray the environment and characters of that period.

Later on, Grave of the Fireflies did receive two live-action adaptations: one in 2005 and another in 2008, but neither of them achieved the renown and emotional resonance of Takahata’s animation.

Endlessly charming, Kiki’s Delivery Service tells the story of a young witch called Kiki, who alongside her black cat Jiji, moves to a seaside town and sets up a flying courier service.

Is it the little Jiji that makes it so enchanting? Or Kiki’s huge red bow? Or Osono and Fukuo’s kindness? I’m not sure. But Kiki lives in a radiant and resounding universe that seems a bit too realistic to be merely fantastical and yet, is so full of optimism and allure that feels like a safe haven.

Kiki’s Delivery Service is a light-hearted but compelling tale about growing up, finding one’s own identity, and developing self-confidence. Despite the witch factor, Kiki is one of the greatest portrayals of female adolescence in all its shyness, excitement, vulnerability. To top it off, Kiki’s Delivery Service is also a story about embracing the unknown as well as welcoming and learning from our differences.

Miyazaki can’t take full credit for this one, as this 1989 Ghibli feature is an adaptation of Eiko Kadono’s book of the same name. Winner of the Hans Christian Andersen Award, Kadono is considered to be one of the greatest Japanese authors of children’s literature. She’s such an important personality in the history of Japanese literature that, in 2023, the Kiki’s Museum of Literature (also called the Eiko Kadono Museum of Children’s Literature) was opened in Edogawa City, Tokyo. The Kiki’s Delivery Service series is composed of nine books (including prequels and sequels) and it also received a live-action adaption in 2014.

Extra cookie points for Kiki as Penguin’s Puffin Clothbound Classics is releasing a beautiful new edition of Kiki’s Delivery Service on June 19th, 2025.

Only Yesterday is one of Studio Ghibli’s most “mature” works, as it follows 27-year-old Taeko’s reminiscences of her childhood.

Permeated by profound nostalgia, Only Yesterday is a trip down memory lane — both for Japan and for Taeko. The exercise of our protagonist, who now looks at her past with much more compassionate and gentle eyes, leads to a potentially more fulfilling present. This is a film that reminds us that, sometimes, looking back might give us the strength we need to move forward.

Only Yesterday is partially based on Okamoto and Tone’s manga of the same name. I say “partially” because the manga only follows 10-year-old Taeko and all childhood scenes from the film are faithful adaptations of the original source. It was director Takahata who decided to frame the story through 27-year-old Taeko’s romantic eyes. Unfortunately, the original manga has never been translated into English. That might change in the future, of course — take into consideration that Only Yesterday was only released in Europe in 2006 and in America in 2016!

“Better a pig than a fascist.“

That’s how an outspoken Italian pig navigated politics in the interwar years.

Visually captivating and light-hearted, Porco Rosso is Miyazaki’s first love letter to early aviation. But it’s also a story permeated by loyalty, feminism and pacifism. The film follows WWI ex-fighter Porco Rosso, a freelance bounty hunter who looks like a pig. Our protagonist may be a male flying pig, but he’s only able to fly thanks to the work of the talented Fio, a courageous and highly skilled mechanic. It’s Fio and the women of the Piccolo family who rebuild Porco’s aeroplane — all of them defying the female stereotypes of the time.

Porco’s and his long-time friend Gina’s hearts still throb with pain because of the losses and consequences of the war. Against the new fascist government, Porco would rather hide from the secret police than join the air force again. It’s truly fascinating how Miyazaki managed to combine so many vital themes into a mere 94 minutes.

The character of Porco Rosso first appeared in Miyazaki’s own manga called Hikotei Jidai (released in English as Crimson Pig: The Age of the Flying Boat in 1993). Hikotei Jidai is quite short and straightforward, serving more as a way for Miyazaki to illustrate his passion for old planes than a well-structured story. Porco Rosso expands the Hikotei Jidai universe and allows its protagonist to be much more complex.

In Whisper of the Heart, Shizuku is a 14-year-old bookworm who dreams of becoming a writer. One day, she realises that all her library loans had been previously checked out by a “Amasawa Seiji.” Who could this person be? As Shizuku tracks down this mysterious person, she comes across magical cats and antique shops that might change her life forever.

More extraordinary than the cats and antiques of Shizuku’s adventures is the beauty of youth, the innocence of first love, and the dedication to one’s dreams that arise from this journey. That’s what Whisper of the Heart is truly about.

Whisper of the Heart is an adaptation of Aoi Hiiragi’s one-volume manga of the same name. Unfortunately, Hiiragi’s work has never been officially translated into English. In 1995, to celebrate the release of the film, Hiiragi also released a sequel to her manga, entitled Whisper of the Heart: Happy Time (耳をすませば 幸せな時間).

Years later, Studio Ghibli released he quirky The Cat Returns (2002), a spin-off of Whisper of the Heart that focuses on Baron, the cat from the original film. The Cat Returns is also based on Hiiragi’s manga, but in a different way than you’d expect. It was Studio Ghibli that first approached Hiiragi and asked her to devise a new story with cats as the protagonists. She then came up with Baron, The Cat (バロン 猫の男爵, 2002), which is available in English.

Princess Mononoke is an extraordinary, epic tale that brought Miyazaki back to the theme of environmentalism that he had started exploring in Castle in the Sky and Nausicaä of the Valley of the Wind.

Stunningly visceral and masterfully animated, Princess Mononoke counts on a group of complex characters who guide us through a narrative that is anything but straightforward. The film follows Ashitaka, the last Emishi prince, as he searches for the Deer God, the only creature capable of curing him from a demonic curse. His quest leads him to a wild young woman known as Princess Mononoke.

A feminist fable that explores societal diversity as well as the relationship between humans, nature, and technology, Princess Mononoke blends folklore, fantasy, and jidaigeki (period drama).

The story behind Princess Mononoke doesn’t really involve any particular book, but it does trace back to the early 80s. Back then, Miyazaki came up with a story loosely based on Beauty and the Beast. After failing to sell the idea to any of the production companies he approached, he decided to make it into a book, which was published in 1983. That book is now known as Princess Mononoke: The First Story, re-published and translated into English in 2014. That initial idea is quite different to the movie we now know and love, but you might recognise some of its concepts in other Ghibli films (such as My Neighbour Totoro).

However, we must mention Miyazaki’s one-volume graphic novel Shuna’s Journey, which was originally published in 1983. Scholar Raz Greenberg, who wrote Hayao Miyazaki: Exploring the Early Work of Japan’s Greatest Animator, notes that Princess Mononoke shares the most similarities with Shuna’s Journey. Considering that Princess Mononoke: The First Story and Shuna’s Journey were published in the same year, it’s almost inevitable that these two stories evolved together within Miyazaki’s imagination.

Finding the hilarity and the preciousness in the mundane, My Neighbours the Yamadas is Studio Ghibli’s first completely digital film. It’s impossible to talk about the film without mentioning its original source. Based on the newspaper comic strip of the same name, My Neighbours the Yamadas is a series of vignettes that follow the everyday lives of — you guessed it — the Yamadas.

Director Takahata wanted to keep the visual structure of the strip while giving it a beautiful, rich watercolour style, which is why the film had to be painted on computers. Takahata managed to organise and portray the original stories in a way that emphasised family dynamics, cultural and social traditions, the joy of youth and the wisdom of age.

Ishii’s comic strip was later renamed Nono-chan, focused on the daughter Nonoko, the most popular character in the original run. Unfortunately, neither My Neighbours the Yamadas nor Nono-chan has been translated into English. But if you’re studying Japanese, Nono-chan makes for some excellent reading material for beginner and early intermediate learners.

Hopeful and tender-hearted, Howl’s Moving Castle follows 18-year-old Sophie, a miller who lives a quiet life working at her family’s hat shop. After crossing paths with the charming wizard Howl, she’s cursed by the Witch of the Waste into transforming into a 90-year-old woman. Unable to face her loved ones with her aged appearance, Sophie flees and ends up at Howl’s moving castle, where they will help each other find solutions to their troubles.

Miyazaki infused Howl’s Moving Castle with a strong and clear anti-war message, making the feature his most pacifist to date. Kindness and empathy are shown as the characters’ most powerful traits and the ones that guide the narrative. The film is also known for portraying old age as something positive: to Sophie, ageing is a narrative element that, eventually, frees and emboldens her.

I would imagine that most of you know that Howl’s Moving Castle is based on Dianna Wynne Jones’s 1986 children’s fantasy novel of the same name. Despite carrying its name and most characters, there are several significant differences between the film and the book, both narratively and thematically. That only means that both the film and the book have very strong personalities that deserve to be known. The good thing about Wynne Jones’s work is that Howl’s Moving Castle is only the first novel of the Howl Series, being followed by Castle in the Air and House of Many Ways.

Tales from Earthsea is an epic fantasy that follows the powerful wizard Sparrowhawk and the runaway prince Arren as they have to join hands to stop a mysterious force that is determined to destroy their land.

The film received a fairly limited release worldwide and mostly mixed reviews. Considering that this is Goro Miyazaki’s very first feature, I believe Tales from Earthsea makes for a quite good debut. Can you even imagine the pressure of releasing a film that follows masterpieces such as Princess Mononoke, Grave of the Fireflies, and Spirited Away? A film that carries the legacy of a studio like Studio Ghibli? It’s virtually impossible to live up to that expectation so I don’t think Tales from Earthsea should be compared to its predecessors.

However, the development of the script was influenced by writers, producers, and consultants, leading to a film that blended narrative elements from the first, third and fourth books of The Earthsea Cycle and from Hayao Miyazaki’s Shuna’s Journey (which we mentioned before). From there, the whole production of the feature was a bit dramatic and full of its ups and downs.

Even though the movie was originally described as an animated adaptation of Ursula K. Le Guin’s novel, there are so many differences in narrative and characterisation between the film and novel that Le Guin declared her profound discontent after the release. If you want to know more, I’d recommend reading her open letter about it.

So, whether or not you’re a fan of Tales from Earthsea (which is very much worth a watch if you haven’t given it a shot), Le Guin’s The Earthsea Cycle is considered to be one of the greatest fantasy series in American literature — so make sure to give it a read!

Ponyo is an adorable, cheerful story that naturally brings a smile to your face. It introduces us to the unforgettable Ponyo, a goldfish princess who ends up ashore. Now on land, Ponyo meets a kind young boy named Sosuke. As their friendship grows, so does Ponyo’s desire to become a human girl. However, Ponyo’s father isn’t happy with her decision and their disagreement might destroy Sosuke’s little village.

Ponyo is a bewitching, vibrant tale about the power and wonder of innocence, love, and belonging. Of course, it’s also a clear addition to Miyazaki’s environmentalist oeuvre, but, unlike his previous works, Ponyo depicts this human-nature relationship much more playfully.

The script was penned by Miyazaki himself and he’s never acknowledged any literary works that might have influenced his ideas. However, scholars, critics, and audiences have recognised the spirit of the original The Little Mermaid in Ponyo, which is why I decided to place these two together today.

Arrietty is a Borrower, a tiny teenager who lives with her family in the recesses of a suburban home. Fearing humans, they try to stay out of the sight of the owners of the house — until Arrietty befriends Sho, a human boy. Will their secret friendship bring trouble to Arrietty’s family?

Tender and heartwarming, Arrietty pulls us into a wondrous universe of colourful dreams and gentle yearning. The film marks Hiromasa Yonebayashi’s directorial debut, bringing to life a screenplay penned by Miyazaki and Keiko Niwa. This isn’t a Studio Ghibli original, however. The story is based on Mary Norton’s popular children’s fantasy novel, The Borrowers, the first book of a series of five novels that follows Arrietty and her family.

The film transports The Borrowers to Japan, lending it a distinct cultural identity while still respecting much of the original premise. Make sure to give The Borrowers a shot if you haven’t yet!

From Up on Poppy Hill is set in 1963 Yokohama, a period bustling with the excitement of the upcoming 1964 Tokyo Olympics. There lives Umi Matsuzaki, a shy high-schooler who catches the eye of Shun Kazama, the school newspaper president. He then takes her to the school’s clubhouse, a historical mansion that might be demolished soon. Reflecting the resistance of history in the face of unstoppable modernity, Umi, Shun and their classmates come together to save their beloved after-school retreat.

Beyond a coming-of-age romance, From Up on Poppy Hill is a story about self-discovery, the joyful bravery of youth, and the beauty of the mundane. This sweet and nostalgic tale is Goro Miyazaki’s sophomore feature. This time, he counted on Hayao Miyazaki and Keiko Niwa to write the script, which, in turn, was an adaptation of Tetsuro Sayama and Chizuru Takahashi’s two-volume manga, From Coquelicot Hill.

The film isn’t exactly faithful to the original story, transforming the manga’s straightforward plot into a more complex narrative. If you’re curious about From Coquelicot Hill, I’m afraid that you’ll have to resort to the original Japanese publication. Unfortunately, From Coquelicot Hill hasn’t been officially translated into English (yet).

In The Wind Rises, we’re introduced to renowned Japanese aeronautical engineer Jiro Horikoshi. Horikoshi indeed existed, but the story portrayed in Miyazaki’s film is a fictionalised account of his life. The Wind Rises is the result of a patchwork of ideas: the film blends Miyazaki’s own passion for flight, some of Horikoshi’s real-life experiences, and elements from Tatsuo Hori’s semi-autobiographical novel The Wind Has Risen.

The result is a romantic, human, and compelling story about a man who falls in love — with a gentle woman, with aeroplanes, with creation, with life. The Wind Rises is a story of kindness, persistence, and tolerance with the signature artistry and care for detail that only Miyazaki can offer his films.

If you read The Wind Has Risen, I’m sure you’ll identify similarities between the book and the film. But a copy might be tricky to find. The only English translation available can be found in The Columbia Anthology of Modern Japanese Literature – Volume 1: From restoration to occupation, 1868-1945.

In my humble opinion, The Tale of Princess Kaguya is one of the most visually extraordinary films I’ve ever seen. It’s of such beauty, such finesse that it’s difficult to compare to anything else.

The story is based on The Tale of the Bamboo Cutter, one of the oldest stories in Japanese folklore. It follows Kaguya, a celestial princess who was found inside a bamboo shoot by an old bamboo cutter. Raised by the old man and his wife, Kaguya grows into a stunning young woman who sees herself forced to marry one of her many suitors.

To Bill Desowitz from IndieWire, Takahata mentioned that he read the original tale as a child but found it strange. He couldn’t empathise with the protagonist. So, when he decided to make a film out of this story, he wanted to tell it in a way that would allow the audience to relate to and understand Kaguya. With that in mind, the screenplay Takahata and Riko Sakaguchi wrote transformed The Tale of Princess Kaguya into a feminist story that explores the limitations imposed on women and the absurd notions of beauty they are expected to live up to.

Visually fascinating and emotionally resonant, The Tale of Princess Kaguya is one of the greatest films ever made. If you want to explore a bit of the original story, you can easily find The Tale of the Bamboo Cutter in several different translations into English.

When Marnie Was There is a poignant drama about sadness, loneliness, and a sense of belonging. The story introduces us to Anna, a shy 12-year-old who is sent to the countryside due to her asthma. There, she meets and befriends a mysterious girl called Marnie. As Anna and Marnie explore an abandoned villa, Anna is forced to examine her own existence and family.

With mysterious twists and turns, When Marnie Was There is touching, surprising, and thought-provoking. The narrative follows the original novel, Joan G. Robinson’s 1967 fantasy book of the same name, quite closely, even though the setting was moved from England to Japan. Director Yonebayashi found the adaptation to be a challenge since the story has a strong focus on Anna’s internal turmoil. In an interview with Ryan Lambie from Den of Geek, Yonebayashi explains his goal with the film:

From the beginning of the film, we had to show the illness of the mind, but at the moment in Japan, there are so many children who feel lonely and separate from others, cut off from others, even though they’re always connected by SMS. They still feel left out, or feel lonely. But when they see Marnie, maybe they could take a little step forward. If they could do that, then maybe it’ll have been a worthwhile work to do.

Robinson’s When Marnie Was There has been translated into several languages and, with the film’s success, the book has been reprinted recently.

We talked a little bit about The Boy and the Heron when we reviewed Kaku Arakawa’s Hayao Miyazaki and the Heron a few months ago. Miyazaki’s latest adventure, which came out a decade after he announced his “retirement”, might be his most personal to date.

In The Boy and the Heron, Mahito Maki is a young boy who needs to come to terms with a new town and his father’s new marriage after the death of his mother. After he meets a strange heron, he sees himself transported to a fantastical universe where he hopes to find his mother once again.

Through Mahito, Miyazaki creates a more mature and darker tale that invites us into his own persona, his ghosts, and his experiences. While facing the passing of time and of his closest friends, Miyazaki uses Mahito as a tool in his own mourning process and allows him to illustrate the pain, fear, and determination we need to muster to overcome the loss of the people we love the most.

While The Boy and the Heron is an original Ghibli tale, Miyazaki brings a novel that is important to him, Genzaburo Yoshino’s How Do You Live?, to one of the scenes of the film. How Do You Live? is a philosophical coming-of-age story about a 15-year-old who, alongside his uncle, reflects on his everyday struggles. Genzaburo’s book must mean a lot to Miyazaki, as he decided to name the film after the novel: 君たちはどう生きるか.

How Do You Live? was translated into English in 2021 and can be easily found at bookshops all over the world.

Why don’t you pin this article so you can check it out later?

The history of Studio Ghibli wouldn’t be complete without Isao Takahata’s Pom Poko (平成狸合戦ぽんぽこ, 1994), the one-and-only Spirited Away (千と千尋の神隠し, 2001, dir. Hayao Miyazaki), and Michaël Dudok de Wit’s The Red Turtle (2016). While these titles don’t really have any connection to any specific novels or manga, I’d still recommend the series The Art of… (Spirited Away, Howl’s Moving Castle, etc) which share beautiful illustrations and stories from the production process of these remarkable films.

Thank you, Studio Ghibli, for allowing us to dream and reflect on the world around us. Thank you for reminding us of our shared humanity, of the power of kindness, and of the magic hiding in the ordinary. Thank you for these marvellous 40 years — and here’s to many more!