The Kingdom Of Dreams and Madness is the gloriously titled documentary that goes behind the scenes at the legendary
Studio Ghibli. Filmed during the production of both
The Wind Rises and
The Tale Of The Princess Kaguya, it follows directors
Hayao Miyazaki and
Isao Takahata and producer
Toshio Suzuki. Director
Mami Sunada got unprecedented access to the world famous studio, allowing viewers to get a fascinating inside look at the geniuses at work. Making it even more important is the fact that Miyazaki retired from feature direction after the film was complete. With Ghibli's
ultimate fate still undecided this could be a look at the last days of the studio as we know it.
The doc is currently screening at
London's ICA until November 20th, before receiving a UK DVD release from
StudioCanal on December 1st. The US release from
GKIDS will follow on DVD and VOD from December 9th. Ghibli fans on both sides of the pond have plenty to look forward to for the rest of the year- The Wind Rises and
Princess Mononke arrive on Blu-ray next Tuesday, while
Spirited Away makes it's UK Blu-Ray debut on November 24th.
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