Studio Ghibli Thoughts: My Neighbors the Yamadas

“Que sera, sera” and “Don’t overdo it” were some of the most memorable lines in Studio Ghibli’s My Neighbors the Yamadas, even being used in much of the advertising. Knowing the studio’s reputation for perfection and excellence, it is clear that the entirety of this movie’s production is an elaborate rebellious message by the director, Isao Takahata, on both the culture of the studio and Japan as a whole. Of course, this short rebellion and “Encouragement of Unseriousness” was never fully embraced by either the studio or Takahata himself, even in this movie itself, which was as expensive to produce as the epic Princess Mononoke.

Based on a newspaper comic strip by, not unlike Snoopy or Garfield, the movies focused on the everyday lives of the Yamada family. Consisting of a salaryman and his housewife, along with a son, an adorable daughter, and a live-in grandmother, this family represented the typical post-war living arrangement in Japan. Like the comic strip it was based on, there isn’t an overarching plot in the movie, with “episodes” of varying lengths showcasing the mundane highs and lows of typical life.

So far, this adaptation sounds like it shouldn’t cost as much as Studio Ghibli’s biggest movie to date. Yet, here is where Takahata’s genius and madness both contradict the message of the film. Not satisfied with what he felt was the disconnect between characters and backgrounds, Takahata almost created a new way of animation that was only possible with digital technology to bring the comic strip to life. While Takahata utilized some of those techniques in Only Yesterday, he went to a completely different level in My Neighbors the Yamadas. As a result, this is one of the most visually unique films in the Ghibli canon, laying the foundations for the brilliant The Tale of the Princess Kaguya.

Yet, despite its brilliant animation style and pedigree, the film was far removed from what the audience expected of Studio Ghibli and is considered their only film to bomb at the box office. Personally, I was not surprised to learn that fact. Regardless of its technical achievements, a film’s fortunes will be mostly connected to its story, and that’s where the episodic format falls flat in my opinion. While there are some strong moments in the film, such as when the father gives a wedding toast or the memorable “Que sera, sera” song, the movie feels much longer than it is. Without a unifying theme or even a consistent rhythm, I felt the movie drag on for a bit, especially in my subsequent watch-throughs.

As a result, this is easily Takahata’s weakest of his five Studio Ghibli films and is one of the few movies that I would consider low-tier in the studio canon. Yet, it is still a movie I would recommend watching, even for just the highlight moments. Somewhat, I agree with Takahata’s words that we need the Yamadas in our lives, showing us that life can, and should go by, and to take it as it is. “Don’t overdo it” is not a call to not try and excel, but a call to take a break and not be too hard on yourselves.