The ArtScience Museum at Marina Bay Sands in Singapore is all set to present the nation’s first-ever exhibition focusing on the renowned Japanese animation house Studio Ghibli. Titled The World of Studio Ghibli, this is the latest iteration of a landmark art exhibition focused on animation and will run from October 4, 2024 - February 2, 2025. The show will include set pieces, interactive art installations and more, from 11 of Studio Ghibli’s film works. Dimitris Kontopoulos, Senior Producer, ArtScience Museum at Marina Bay Sands is the curator for the Singapore iteration of the exhibition. Honor Harger, Vice President, ArtScience Museum joined STIR for an interview to discuss Studio Ghibli’s pioneering approach to animation, and to tell us a little about what audiences can look forward to in October.

Studio Ghibli was co-founded in Japan in 1985 by directors Isao Takahata and 2024 Ramon Magsaysay Award winner Hayao Miyazaki, alongside producer Toshio Suzuki. Since then, the studio has created some of the most critically acclaimed animation works of all time, including My Neighbour Totoro (1988), Kiki’s Delivery Service (1989), Princess Mononoke (1997) and Howl’s Moving Castle (2004), all part of the exhibition narrative in The World of Studio Ghibli.

This hand-drawn style not only adds depth and texture to the animation, but offers an organic, personal touch that enhances the film’s storytelling and worldbuilding... – Honor Harger, Vice President, ArtScience Museum at Marina Bay Sands.

The studio has played a major role in taking Japanese animation worldwide. Discussions around the work of Miyazaki and his co-creators often cite Studio Ghibli’s lush, evocative art —the result of their continued commitment to laborious hand-drawn animation work instead of digital art—as a prime driver of their success. Harger discusses the studio’s adherence to this difficult process, telling STIR, “...the use of coloured pencils and watercolour techniques result in a tangible, tactile quality that digital animation often lacks. This hand-drawn style not only adds depth and texture to the animation, but offers an organic, personal touch that enhances the film’s storytelling and worldbuilding.”

The thematic complexity of many of Studio Ghibli’s films has been another major factor behind the animation studio’s worldwide acclaim. As Harger notes, Studio Ghibli’s film works explore topics ranging from war and environmental destruction to human identity and interpersonal relationships, which might not be immediately apparent from the cheeriness of its art style. In the Vice President's words, “This encourages audiences and creators around the world to embrace animated films that carry more nuanced and mature narratives.”

The World of Studio Ghibli features 16 large-scale theatrical sets, meant to transport visitors into the world of the studio’s films. As Harger tells STIR, “[Audiences can] explore these fantastical settings and characters first-hand, from waiting in the rain with Totoro to entering Howl’s Moving Castle and hopping on a train with No-Face [from Spirited Away].”

Harger adds that there will also be 16 art installations that provide a more intimate glimpse into Studio Ghibli’s creative process. The exhibition, which premiered in Japan in 2013, with further shows in South Korea, Taiwan, Hong Kong and Thailand, is set to be a monumental presentation of the revered animation studio’s work.

‘The World of Studio Ghibli’ is on view from October 4, 2024 - February 2, 2025, at ArtScience Museum in Marina Bay Sands, Singapore.