Studio Ghibli Countdown: ‘The Red Turtle’ 

is Studio Ghibli’s most recent theatrical release, making its debut last year. The film is a co-production with Prima Linea Productions and the studio’s first film not produced in Japan. It tells the story of a shipwrecked man on a deserted island who’s encounter with a red turtle changes his life forever.

is very different from any other Studio Ghibli film I’ve ever seen and if I didn’t know it was a Studio Ghibli film I probably wouldn’t have guessed so as it’s not what we’re used to from the studio. This was the very first Studio Ghibli film I ever saw in theaters and it was a wonderful experience. I had not seen or heard anything besides one still image and a poster for the film, I didn’t know anything about the plot and went into it completely blind which had me pleasantly surprised.

Don’t go into this film expecting crazy worlds, ridiculous characters and other things you’re expecting from Studio Ghibli at this point because that’s not what you’re getting.

is rather simple film who’s beauty lies in its simplicity.

This film has no dialogue and no anime influences, just some gorgeous animation, a ridiculously beautiful score and a fantastic story; everything you need to keep me captivated for 80 minutes. The animation is beautifully done and design wise very different from what you’d expect from a Ghibli film. It’s simple but it works in the context of the film. It has a powerful story that clearly has some environmental themes but even more so is very human and different from a lot of animation nowadays. Because the film has no dialogue the score adds a lot to the overall experience and this film truly has a gorgeous score that adds so much to the film (why was it not nominated for Best Score, Academy?).

yet, seriously, what are you waiting for? It’s a breath of fresh air for Studio Ghibli, it’s a beautifully crafted, special, film that you simply can’t miss out on. It’s not only very different from what you’d expect from Studio Ghibli, but also very unique when it comes to film and animation in general nowadays which is always exciting.

I loved this movie. It was like The Tree of Life but in an animated form. I can see why it wouldn’t be for everyone but I thought it was gorgeous. I loved the way it used music to convey emotion and to add to the animation

I haven’t watched this one yet, but I hope to check it out from the library very soon!

I really like the animation style I’ve seen from it so far, I seriously do need to check it out from what I hear here as well 🙂

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