The Kingdom of Dreams and Madness

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The Kingdom of Dreams and Madness
File:Original Japanese poster for The Kingdom of Dreams and Madness.jpg
Directed by Mami Sunada
Produced by Nobuo Kawakami
Starring Hayao Miyazaki
Toshio Suzuki
Isao Takahata
Hideaki Anno
Music by Masakatsu Takagi
Cinematography Mami Sunada
Edited by Mami Sunada
Production
company
Distributed by Toho
GKIDS
StudioCanal
Release dates
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  • November 16, 2013 (2013-11-16) (Japan)
  • November 1, 2014 (2014-11-01) (HIFF)
Running time
118 minutes
Country Japan
Language Japanese

The Kingdom of Dreams and Madness (Japanese: 夢と狂気の王国 Hepburn: Yume to kyōki no ōkoku?) is a 2013 documentary film directed by Mami Sunada. The film follows the routines of those employed at Studio Ghibli, including filmmakers Hayao Miyazaki, Isao Takahata, and Toshio Suzuki as they work to release two films simultaneously, The Wind Rises and The Tale of the Princess Kaguya.

Synopsis

The documentary delves into the life of Hayao Miyazaki and the productions of the animated films The Wind Rises and The Tale of the Princess Kaguya, including various footage of said productions. The footage shown includes the choosing of Hideaki Anno as the voice actor for the character Jiro Horikoshi in The Wind Rises as well as the extensive and detailed amount of storyboarding sketched, inked, and painted by Miyazaki. It notes Miyazaki's opinions on subjects such as the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear disaster and Zero planes, and shows his tensions with some of the other staff, including Isao Takahata, and his memories of his father. The film illustrates the importance of Miyazaki, Takahata, and Toshio Suzuki's works altogether to help Studio Ghibli be successful, and concludes with mention of Miyazaki's supposed official retirement.

Critical reception

The film has a rating of 90% on review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes and has a rating of 7.9/10 on IMDb based on 2,102 reviews.[1] Sam Byford of The Verge stated that the film "should be considered essential viewing for any Studio Ghibli fan, for whom it will stand alone as a captivating work in its own right".[2] David Ehrlich of The A.V. Club expressed that it held an "emotional wallop that’s almost on par with anything found in one of Miyazaki’s or Takahata’s films", calling it "a delicate depiction of the artistic spirit".[3]

Brian Tallerico of the Roger Ebert website gave the documentary three out of four stars, saying that director Sunada "captures something poetic about art and creativity that could speak to anyone, animation fan or otherwise".[4] Peter Debruge of the website Variety said that the "atmosphere inside Studio Ghibli may suggest a zen-like idyll, but animation is a painstaking — and sometimes painful — process", and that Sunada "makes us appreciate the magic all the more".[5]

Credits

  • Director, Writer, Executive Producer, Cinematographer, Editor: Mami Sunada
  • Producer: Nobuo Kawakami (Executive Producer)
  • Music: Masakatsu Takagi
  • Camera (Second Camera): Jay Chern and Nobuyuki Miyake
  • Crew: Taro Goto (English Subtitles)

References

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External links