Would Studio Ghibli movies make good musicals or plays?

OK, I know that most people here aren't keen on animation on broadway, but after watching a lot of Miyazaki's japanese anime movies, I thing they're so beautiful in style that they have potential for the stage. Now, if any of you here haven't seen any of the movies, please don't get your claws out and pounce on it just because it's "a cartoon". Those of you who have seen any of them such as "Spirited Away" or "Howl's Moving Castle", what do you think about this?

I personally think they'd make great musicals if the right style of music was used, and scenery and sets could be done so beautifully with all of the Japanese gardens and landscapes.

Do they have any potential?

i think if it was something Miyazaki was interested in, & that he had creative control, there would be no stopping him!!!!!

if Miyazaki is interested in theater, i think its more likley that Miyazaki has some stories that he's saved specifically for the stage.

i think he would rather do something fresh for that medium, rather than rethink an older work.

Only if Yoko Kanno were involved. And Maaya Sakamoto were cast.

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A ballet, a la Edward Scissorhands, would be stunning. I would love to see that.

I think with a visionary director-designer, one who embraces the theatrical medium rather than trying to recreate the films exactly, they could be stunning.

Akiva

The only downside I see is that Miyazaki's movies seemed to be driven first by doing amazing things with animation that could easily never be pulled off with live action, and story runs a close second.

I'm always entertained, but it's more by the visuals, etc. than by the stories. GOOD top-tier Disney --and almost any Pixar --rearrange those two: story first, visuals second. Miyazaki is visuals first, story then right behind.

Miyazaki is visuals first, story then right behind.

omg

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JPBran, I agree with you in a sense. The stories are a bit inappropriate for the stage. The later Miyazaki movies have very big, sprawling stories--Miyazaki is first and foremost an animator/illustrator and he tells wonderful, wonderful stories but they mostly serve as setups for the beautiful images in his imagination.

If you are familiar with his cannon you'll see he returns to a lot of the same themes and stories a lot, even reusing character designs. Animation and comics provide an almost unlimited canvass for the imagination.

All the same, there are some I think would be great. My favorite Miyazaki movie Porco Rosso I've thought before would make a wonderful musical--also maybe Castle of Cagliostro (a Lupin III movie). There are other anime I've thought would make good musicals too.

Have Yoko Kanno or Maaya Sakamoto either ever done anything for Miyazaki? Doesn't Joe Hisaishi write the music for all his movies?

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