Could be….but I think the biggest difference between Disney and Ghibli here is that Disney had made mentorship a big part of his legacy. There were so many projects going on at once that he had to trust others to produce ideas and take charge, whereas Ghibli only did one or two projects at a time (okay, sometimes three but you get the idea).

I don’t know. I’ll always pull for the studio, but we will have to wait and see what happens.

Of course, I imagine nobody foresaw the silver age of Disney animation after Walt passed away suddenly. Perhaps Ghibli will have a silver age, too.

Unfortunately I don’t think Disney, or any other major company should buy out Ghibli. It could be disastrous in that Studio Ghibli has a very specific path they’ve chosen to put on the screen. Hardly no one, particularly foreign companies, will be able to understand how Studio Ghibli works on a deeper level. Look at how upset people were when Disney took in Pixar and they began making sequels. Fortunately for Pixar, it seems that they are regaining their footing but they will never be the same again. Ghibli should exist how they want to exist.

Which makes sense, honestly. Particularly when the companies are such a deep reflection of the founders themselves. It’s not that it’s tough to “imagine” the company going forward without Takahata and Miyazaki, it’s that it’s virtually impossible to maintain the same level of forethought that those two instilled in the virtues of the storytelling because they will no longer be there carrying that kind of conversation through to the end of production.

The thought crossed my mind, but I wouldn’t rule out either possibility at this point.

Say…. I hear that other Japanese animation studios regularly shut down their production departments. While I don’t know how often or for how long, I’m comforted that it’s at least standard practice.