HAYAO MIYAZAKI'S RED ROOTS: Studio Ghibli is not the Japanese Disney but the anti-Disney. Dreamed up by animators with roots in the Japanese communist movement, its films celebrate creative labor and human solidarity against capitalism and war.

The article focuses on Studio Ghibli's ideological roots and how the studio's history and films reflect a critique of capitalism, war, and environmental degradation, distinct from mainstream animation studios like Disney. It highlights the political influences of founders Hayao Miyazaki and Isao Takahata, their early activism, and how these themes are woven into Ghibli's celebrated works, such as "Porco Rosso" (1992) and "Spirited Away" (2001).