The Kingdom of Dreams and Madness

The documentary observes daily life inside Studio Ghibli, the Japanese animation house behind such well-known features as My Neighbor Totoro and Spirited Away. Director Mami Sunada follows three central figures at the studio: director Hayao Miyazaki, producer Toshio Suzuki and director Isao Takahata. Over roughly a year, she records them at work while the studio prepares two new features, Miyazaki's The Wind Rises and Takahata's The Tale of Princess Kaguya. Although the studio occupies an unassuming office building outside Tokyo, the film shows the intensity of the creative effort that goes on within it. The documentary also features appearances by animator Hideaki Anno and composer Joe Hisaishi.

The Kingdom of Dreams and Madness was released in Japan in November 2013 and runs 118 minutes. It is the second film Sunada directed, following a 2008 concert documentary, and she wrote the screenplay herself; Nobuo Kawakami produced it. The production involved Studio Ghibli alongside BUN-BUKU, Ennet and Dwango.

Audience response has been favorable: on IMDb the film holds a rating of 7.7 from around 6,000 votes, and on TMDB it has a rating of 7.6 from roughly 193 votes. Both figures point to a documentary that has found a steady, appreciative viewership beyond Japan, including among people interested in how Ghibli's films are made.