Sonic Synergy: Disney and Ghibli - On a Clear Day in Atlantica
Words by Casey Hynes.
Dedicated to the incredible Dr Danijela Kulezic-Wilson. Thank you for your passion for music and film and dedication to your students, you are deeply missed.
Founded by Hayao Miyazaki, Isao Takahata and Toshio Suzuki on June 15th 1985, Studio Ghibli has grown to be an incredibly successful animation film studio both nationally, in Japan, and globally. Studio Ghibli’s Spirited Away is the second highest grossing film of all time in Japan (with Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba the Movie: Mugen Train knocking it out of the top spot in 2020 after 19 years). Internationally, Spirited Away, one of the studio’s most successful masterpieces, has grossed $365,481,131 in box office revenue, and other Ghibli hits Ponyo, Princess Mononoke and Howl’s Moving Castle have all grossed over $100,000,000 each globally. But, of course, it’s not all about the money - the feature films of Studio Ghibli have also received much acclaim and a number of accolades, including an Academy Award for Best Animated Feature for Spirited Away in 2003. Naturally the studio’s films are loved worldwide, with its films showing up on many people’s list of favourite films - including my own!
With their success globally, comparisons have often been made between the work of Studio Ghibli and the animation powerhouse that is Disney Animations, partly due to Ghibli’s devotion to 2D animation, and similarity in themes when it comes to storytelling. The films of Studio Ghibli fit well with the style and themes of Disney Animations, and it's not surprising that the Walt Disney Company, under the Buena Vista Pictures label, have been the main international distributors for Studio Ghibli’s work since 1996. Then-chairman of Walt Disney Studios, Joe Roth, even commented that “Miyazaki's films feature the same kind of quality family entertainment that Disney strives to produce”.
However, despite their many similarities, differences can be seen between the two when you compare their thematic storytelling and their musical scoring. And that’s what I’m here to talk about - the differences (and similarities) between their films. Let’s compare and contrast some of the films from both studios which share similar plots or narrative archetypes and look at how they handle their themes and represent them musically, and maybe see if there are any weaknesses or strengths to be found in either one. First, I want to look at some of the overall differences between them.
*Note: I just need to point out that I’ll be looking at the film in their original language, as translation and localisation can cause huge changes to be made to any film, and I want to stay as close to the original intention of the films as possible.*
Music and melodies are one of the most obvious differences between the films created by the two. Disney usually creates animated musical films, which feature many incredibly catchy songs (we all sang ‘Let It Go’ on repeat after watching Frozen for the first time, and there’s no point in lying to ourselves about it). This music in Disney films can be read in some way as metadiegetic (meaning music that exists within the film, but only really inside the character’s head), as the characters are clearly singing out loud, but with the accompanying music only heard by the audience watching and by those singing. Outside of these ‘stage musical’ moments, the music in Disney animated films tends to be non-diegetic (meaning it doesn’t technically exist within the world of the film). By contrast, Studio Ghibli films tend to be solely non-diegetic and mainly consist of a musical score. Though films such as My Neighbour Totoro, Kiki’s Delivery Service, Spirited Away and Howl’s Moving Castle all feature a lyrical melody at the start or the end of the film (Kiki’s Delivery Service has both!), these songs are non-diegetic and are not sung by any of the voice actors featured in the film.
*Another Note: I am choosing to deliberately forget Whisper of the Heart’s closing credits rendition of John Denver’s ‘Take Me Home, Country Road’ and you should too.*
Another way in which the music found in the films of both studios differs is seen through their musical styles and production methods. When producing musical pieces for Studio Ghibli, ‘King of Ghibli Music’ Joe Hisaishi creates what are called image albums, a common practice in Japanese animation where these image albums are created by composers during pre-production, with their compositions based off of concept art, sketches and storyboards.
In the case of Studio Ghibli, the image album process may take a few years, with Hisaishi receiving a storyboard, an introduction to the characters and story by Miyazaki, along with ten keywords associated with the plot and overall themes of the project to base it off. Marco Bellano further explains that these image albums, which later serve as the template for the scoring of the work itself, are usually released months before the release of the film or show, therefore acting as a clever marketing ploy for the production.
Usually within Japanese animation, the image album’s themes must become prominent within the score of the film itself, and therefore most of the composition for Japanese animation occurs before the completion of the animation, with no clear ties existing between what is occurring on-screen and what we are hearing. This is quite different from the tradition of classic Hollywood scoring of Disney, but also in this instance Studio Ghibli stands out from their Japanese colleagues, as director Miyazaki will listen to the image album compositions while he works on the film, allowing the image album to influence the director and his art, and then later inform the orchestration of the image album itself.
The scoring in Ghibli films, unlike the almost heavy-handed scoring of Western animation, does not often beat you over the head with an inherent, constant connection between the film and the music, where the scoring almost mimics what is happening in the film. A link between the music and the visual does exist, as is seen in films such as My Neighbour Totoro, where Hisaishi experiments with the music in a way similar to ‘mickey-mousing’ (so named based on its consistent use by Disney composers, where the music fully acts in accordance with what is happening on-screen), but Studio Ghibli’s musical composition more often than not favours subtlety over grandiosity, with certain key themes and motifs being delicately orchestrated or reprised at key emotional moments.
Mickey mousing example in Steamboat Willie
Disney’s scoring also reprises motifs at select emotional points throughout their films, however these motifs often reference a song previously sung by the characters instead of an orchestral piece. The creation of these lyrical melodies in Disney films commonly takes place during the pre-production process, with the voice actors recording the songs early in the production stage and allowing the animators to animate with the song and words. These songs are then compiled on an album and released as part of the marketing campaign for the film - very often accompanied by a cover of one of the film’s key songs by a well-known artist e.g. Demi Lovato, Michael Bolton. The score is composed at a similar time and then recorded by an orchestra while watching the film, creating a clear connection between the audio and visuals. The studio often employs the classic Hollywood method of scoring - non-diegetic and orchestra-heavy - with the score being used to emphasise or highlight the inner emotions of the characters on screen. The score of Disney films often clearly acts according to the events on-screen, using “mickey-mousing”, where cymbals crash as the violent waves do in The Little Mermaid and woodwind instruments mimic the sounds of a busy street in Mulan.
These methods create an intense association between the actions on screen and the music itself, in a way that is different from the composition style of Studio Ghibli. This greatly impacts on how emotions and themes are represented in the film and shows some of the big differences between the two studios, and this can be clearly seen by comparing Studio Ghibli’s Kiki’s Delivery Service and Disney’s The Little Mermaid - if you have the time, I’d recommend watching (and listening to) the films along with me!
Kiki’s Delivery Service, an animated adaptation of the novel of the same name by Eiko Kadono, tackles themes of independence, the end of childhood, and maturity as it depicts the tale of Kiki, a thirteen-year-old girl who leaves her hometown to establish herself as an independent witch, with an independent trade. The fantasy film, directed by Hayao Miyazaki, was the first of Studio Ghibli’s animated films to be distributed by The Walt Disney Company, with an English language dub premiering in the United States at the Seattle International Film Festival in 1998. With the release of the English dub came changes to the overall score of the film, which were approved by Studio Ghibli but have since been reversed in later releases. Alexandra Roedder in her article ‘The Localization of Kiki’s Delivery Service’ remarks that the changes made to the dialogue in the translation by Buena Vista Pictures and the changes to the score and musical edit, carried out by Paul Chihara at their behest, were intended to make the film more marketable to a U.S. audience, having a great impact on the film itself.
Roedder notes this can be clearly seen in Kiki’s opening sequence in the original English language dub, where Chihara had extended the score so it begins earlier, and has edited it so that it is more in sync with the action taking place: “as Kiki splashes through the mud on the other side of a fence, her three steps are synced with the three stepwise chords which link the…phrases of the A section” (Roedder), while also having split the score so there are more distinct separations between actions, replacing one of Hisaishi’s sections with a happier accompaniment that does not match the rest of the score. In the original ‘Japanese’ score, available to watch on Netflix, the composition is more unified and therefore serves to better unify the sequences on screen together as one scene, instead of the sharp cuts and shorter scenes of Chihara’s edit.
The changes to the score due to localisation serve as a good example of the differences in thematic approaches between the two creative studios and this can be further emphasised by comparing the original score of Kiki’s Delivery Service to the music and scoring of The Little Mermaid.
The Little Mermaid deals with similar themes to Kiki’s Delivery Service in that it is also a fantasy film in which a young girl, Ariel, yearns for her independence and to explore a world she is not a part of (fun fact, they also both came out in the same year). Both girls leave the comfort and restrictions of their homes behind, and both receive setbacks. Both experience their first tastes of ‘romance’, though Kiki’s is understated and can be read as platonic, and both girls triumph in the end, having successfully established themselves as independent girls in control of their own destinies. However, narratively and musically, the films handle these quests of resilience and non-reliance differently.
The largest difference between the two narratively is that Kiki’s coming-of-age journey is condoned and promoted by her parents, especially her mother as she also underwent the same journey when she was 13. Another difference is that any of the setbacks Kiki experiences are caused largely by her own immaturity and by misunderstandings between herself and others. There are no malicious actions taken against Kiki, and no overarching villain working to destroy her hopes from behind the scenes. Though there is tension and drama in certain moments, there is more of a focus on the almost-mundane trivialities that Kiki experiences as she matures. This is enhanced by Hisaishi’s score, which does not serve to dramatise any scene when it is used but rather underlines what is taking place on screen.
The airship sequence in Kiki.
The climax of the film emphasises this, beginning as Kiki sees her friend Tombo hanging from a rope on a crashing airship on a news broadcast. The score of the sequence starts just as Kiki takes notice of Tombo’s situation, with a steady two-note violin melody accompanied by the bass plucking a note every second beat. As the violin melody develops further, a clarinet begins to play a contrasting tune. Sharp singular notes are played on the French horn as those on the ground below the air balloon lose their grip on the rope and as Kiki notices, a dissonant piano chord is heard and continues to be played every few beats. All of these musical features continue as Kiki runs back to town to help, stopping suddenly as the scene cuts back to town. There is no music played for the rest of this scene until Kiki catches Tombo by the hand in the air as he slips, and when the score returns a more upbeat arrangement of ‘On a Clear Day’ is played by the string and woodwind sections.
Previously in the film, Hisaishi’s score begins to play just as Kiki has noticed or decided on something and is going to carry out an action, which Roedder refers to as “Kiki-at-rest versus Kiki-in-motion” and can be considered a subtle example of narrative cueing (something that lets the audience know what is about to happen before it does, basically). This can be seen in the climactic scene when Kiki notices Tombo, during the opening of the film as Kiki decides she will leave home that night, and when Kiki decides to offer Osono assistance with the pacifier, with all of these sequences using Hisaishi’s ‘On a Clear Day’. This piece is not heard during the climax until the issue is happily resolved, and by tracking its use in the three instances mentioned above, the audience can subtly mark the key points in Kiki’s journey to adulthood and maturity, as each of the plot points represents a moment where she grounded herself further. The unassuming nature of Hisaishi’s score, in its sparse use and undramatic melodies, helps to show the normality of growing up and yearning for independence while subtly highlighting the important moments of the film.
By contrast, The Little Mermaid is much more dramatic in how it depicts the themes of coming-of-age and independence. Narratively, Ariel meets a great amount of resistance in her search for maturity, most of it coming from her father. There is also a villain in this film where there was none in Kiki’s Delivery Service. The dramatic approach to the themes that exist in the Disney film can be seen in the number of conflicts that Ariel experiences, each one heightened by the texturally rich score. Due to this, the overall plot of the film is much more dramatic than the plot of the other film, and therefore the score is also more dramatic, as it is made in the classic Hollywood style and coordinates and overtly emphasises the tones within the film. Dramatic scoring occurs throughout the film but is most evident to me during the climactic battle against the Sea Witch.
The scene begins as Ursula drags Ariel overboard from the royal wedding ship, keen to make good on the princess’ contract with her and collect her soul - if only to manipulate King Triton and be one step closer to ruling Atlantica and all of the ocean. The music throughout the climax is incredibly dramatic, as it is throughout many of the moments in the film, with heavy orchestration, especially in the percussion, brass, and string sections. As King Triton confronts Ursula, we hear many instances of mickey-mousing - a short horn melody as King Triton first stops Ursula from getting away with a trident to the throat, a violin trill as Ariel struggles in Flotsam and Jetsam’s hold and an intense horn call as Triton attempts to destroy Ariel’s contract with the Sea Witch. From this moment until Ursula begins battling Ariel and Eric, the music slows down and builds, emphasising the heaviness of the situation unfolding - with the violin playing the same steady note repeatedly, almost creating a heartbeat effect.
As Eric rows out into the ocean to help Ariel, heavy drumbeats occur, alluding to the storm and turmoil about to take place. Ariel’s iconic melody can be heard three times throughout the climax - as Triton is shrunk by Ursula after signing his contract, as Ariel swims up to Eric and Ursula begins to increase in size with her rage and as Eric climbs onto the sunken ship, with a plan to crash it's broken bow into Ursula. This helps to make reference to other key moments in the film, especially the moment when Ariel first signed her voice away, aurally linking these moments together in the narrative. The orchestration becomes heavier and frantic as Ariel and Eric battle against Ursula, which truly emphasises the do-or-die scenario they are in, and the chaotic stormy weather which Ursula causes with the trident.
A final intense moment of mickey-mousing occurs in this scene as Eric sails the ship towards Ursula, with an ascending horn melody ending with a prolonged high note as she is stabbed by the broken bow. From here forward, the melody becomes more gentle and joyful, as Ursula’s victims return to their former selves and the happy ending starts to roll. The dramatic score used during this scene matches well with the tones of the scene and serves to really hammer in any emotional context for what is happening on-screen.
One criticism that can be pointed at classic Hollywood scoring is the possibility that it overdoes it when emphasising the emotions on screen, and instead of allowing the audience to react in their own way to what is happening on-screen, they are instead forced to emote a certain way. However, Disney’s method of scoring in The Little Mermaid is evidently successful given the popularity of the film itself, which is credited with playing a large part in starting the Disney Renaissance of the 1990s.
Next we’ll look at the music and thematic scoring in Studio Ghibli’s Spirited Away and Disney’s Mulan, so stay tuned!
Citations:
Alexandra Roedder, ‘The Localization of Kiki’s Delivery Service’
Marco Bellano, ‘From Albums to Images: Studio Ghibli’s Image Albums and their impact on audiovisual strategies’
