Film music in Ghibli Studios

Amongst the vast world of Japanese Animation and even vaster world of lovable anime movies, films from Ghibli Studios are by far favorites for people of all ages. The simple yet compelling storylines are captivatingly nostalgic, and, coupled with hand drawn cinematics and rhapsodic music, these works of art are one of the most popular and influential pieces of media in the 20th century.

Studio Ghibli, founded in 1985 by animators and directors Miyazaki Hayao and Takahata Isao, is an acclaimed animation studio based in Japan, Tokyo. It has produced 19 feature films so far, which received many Academy Awards and critical acclaim. In 1966, Studio Ghibli made a deal with Walt Disney Studios, granting the permission for Disney to distribute Ghibli’s films, and thus began the fame of Studio Ghibli.

However, a film studio is not complete without soundtracks! Japanese composer Joe Hishaishi has composed music for all but one of Miyazaki Hayao’s movies, and this essay will mainly focus on his works. Hishaishi was born December 6, 1950, and he attended the Kunitachi College of Music, majoring in composition. Fun fact: Hishaishi’s actual name is Mamoru Fujisawa, but he formulated his alias Joe Hishaishi as he became better known. Since then, Hishaishi has worked alongside Miyazaki and other filmmakers as well as performing at concerts.

The music of Studio Ghibli is special because of a few reasons. Joe Hishaishi creates nostalgia and wispy lingering emotions through music, influenced by the impressionistic and symphonic music of the Post-Romantic and Impressionist era, such as works from composers like Debussy, Rachmaninoff, and Ravel. The atmospheric emphasis on feelings are what makes Debussy and Hisaishi music so special, and what draws us into the music. This is clearly evident in soundtracks from Howl’s Moving Castle, Spirited Away, Castle in the Sky, and many more.

Another similarity between Debussy and Hishaishi is the lack of resolution in the pieces. Instead of having clear cadences and sections, The lack of harmonic motion makes impressionistic music seem like a suspended moment of time, flowing and rippling. Hishaishi’s music does just that, cresting and ebbing with the rush of emotions, just like the movement of water.

The use of pentatonic scales, parallels, and extended harmonies, are influenced by a mix of Western, Chinese, and Japanese folk music, specifically, gagaku: Japanese imperial court music, and shomyo: a unique kind of Buddhist chant. The mix of Eastern and Western music creates a distinctive otherworldly feel that we now associate with Ghibli music.

This blend of music is so effective in Ghibli Movies, because it brings a sense of immersive realism to the supernatural stories. The unfinished quality allows for the listeners to insert their own experiences into the story, and relate to it on a personal level.

Merry Go Round Of Life - Howl's Moving Castle

At a quick glance, Howl’s Moving Castle, seems like the classic whimsical fast paced romantic story, set in a world populated by magical creatures and plagued by war. A girl named Sophie, plagued with self doubt, is transformed into an old lady by an evil witch and sets off to try to reverse the spell. She discovers a wizard that goes by the name Howl, who, at first, seems self centered and egotistical. However as the story goes on and the characters grow, Sophie and Howl fall in love with each other and start their own family in a way. Themes of youth, courage, and love were evident in this story, and Miyazaki even pronounced this as his favorite movie he made, perhaps because of the complexity of the main character, Sophie.

Merry Go Round Of Life, composed by Joe Hishashi, is one of the most iconic pieces from Ghibli Film. The piece starts off with the descending thirds in solo piano that opens up into the recognizable main theme, already immersing the listener in a feeling of nostalgia and homesickness. The intro is followed by the orchestra coming in with a dance-like waltz section in ¾ time, with the string section carrying the melody. To create heartfelt harmonies, Hishaishi uses a combination of sevenths and ninths, as well as syncopating some beats and adding countermelodies in the piano. As this is the main theme, the rhythm is very stable and predictable, although the piece later switches to 6/8, emphasizing beats 1 and 4 more than before. The main focus of the piece though, is the sweeping rushing fantasy-like motion of the piece, which makes listeners feel like they are soaring through the air on the flying castle.

One Summer’s Day - Spirited Away

As we all know, film soundtracks are often to set and heighten the mood of movies. Horror movies would only be a quarter as scary if the music was removed or different. Composers use a lot of different ways to achieve this effect, such as using dissonant tones to create unrest, or loud orchestral bursts to create jumpscares.

Joe Hisaishi uses these techniques flawlessly in One Summer’s Day, widely considered the best musical piece from Ghibli. The piece creates a bittersweet atmosphere, supporting the main character Chihiro's thoughts.

Spirited Away follows a young girl, Chihiro, who gets trapped in a magical land of spirits and gods, and works at a bathhouse that serves otherworldly creatures to save her parents. The plot is meandering at times which gives it even more of a nostalgic feel as little moments that are not portrayed in many western movies are showcased here. The story is based heavily off Japanese Folklore and contains many Japanese elements that are reflected in the soundtrack. Part of what made this movie such a big hit was the use of themes such as identity, greed, isolation, adulthood, and loss. The film showed how names have power, especially in the spirit world, and also showcases how there is a blurred line between good and evil, which isn't typically portrayed in most movies.

One Summer’s Day, the theme song of Spirited away, has a single, haunting, unending melody that just builds and builds, like music from Debussy. The piece has a key signature C major but it ventures in and out of the minor key, seeming to reflect how characters are never just good or just evil.

It begins with a solo piano part, slowly unwinding and expanding. Joe Hishashi uses a series of quartal chords, with open fifths in the base, creating a very open, hollow sound reminiscent of raindrops. This piece contains a multitude of parallels and quartal harmonies, supposedly to create an atonal feel, similar to Japanese music. Hishashi also adds some non chord tones to create a delicious dissonance, accentuating descending chords, and building up in emotion until the nostalgic main melody comes in.

This piece holds a special kind of power, perhaps for its feeling of parting. It captures the charm in fleeting moments, and reminds us that the beauty of life is that it ends.

The Girl Who Fell From The Sky - Castle In The Sky

Castle in the Sky was the first official Ghibli released movie, and it was a big success, winning the Animage Anime Grand Prix in 1986. Although overshadowed by newer western movies such as Spirited Away and Princess Mononoke, the pure simple message stands strong against time in this heartwarming story.

The story follows the adventure of two kids, Sheeta and Pazu, trying to find the lost floating city of Laputa, a city of riches and weapons, whilst being pursued by a gang of pirates and foreign agents, who just want the riches of Laputa for themselves. Halfway through, the kids join forces with the pirates, who turn out to be quite endearing. Sheeta and Pazu end up finding Laputa, which has been overrun with nature and only inhabited by a single groundskeeper robot taking care of the city. The foreign agents attempt to capture the city and use it as their weapon, but with the help of the pirates, the kids destroy the weapons and set Laputa free and soaring upwards.

Joe Hisaishi starts the piece off with his distinctive descending piano openings, joined quickly by the orchestra in a quirky ensemble of wind instruments before the strings take over, launching into the main theme. Hisaishi uses a very simple but effective 16 bar phrase here, in the classic i - V6 - VI - IV6 - ii - V64 - 53 - i sequence, in other words the descending 5-6 sequence. The theme has a stately, almost regal feel in 4/4 while still maintaining a soaring, untethered quality through the use of layering light passages for the upper register instruments. The music then transitions to a second, lighter, theme, accompanied again by the piano in countermelodies, then ends in the grand main theme.

As shown in these three sample pieces, the film music of Studio Ghibli and Joe Hisaishi are revolutionary. Not only does Joe Hisaishi draw on a blend of Eastern and Western music, his music also contains a hint of magic.