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Toshio Suzuki Answers Fan Questions About Studio Ghibli on Official Twitter Account

Last Friday, Ghibli co-founder Toshio Suzuki held an impromptu Q&A session on the Studio Ghibli official Twitter account to commemorate a TV screening of Howl's Moving Castle in Japan. Along the way, he revealed interesting trivia about the creation of the film and shared insight on Hayao Miyazaki as a creator.

Some highlights from the Q&A are below:

• When creating Howl's Moving Castle, Miyazaki based Sophie off his own mother and Howl off his own ideal self. According to Suzuki, all of Miyazaki's heroines are based off his mother when she was young because Miyazaki has a mother complex.
• The reason why Chieko Baisho was cast to play Sophie is because Miyazaki is a big fan of the actress. However, he keeps that fact hidden.
• Howl's voice actor Takuya Kimura showed up to the voice recording session without a script, and did a great performance. His enthusiasm for anime was plainly evident. He was always talking about anime, particularly his favorites Space Sagittarius and The Wonderful Adventures of Nils.
• Suzuki confirmed that Heen the "errand dog" was based on Mamoru Oshii. "Their faces bear a strong resemblance, don't you think?"
• The food depicted in Ghibli films all look so tasty because they are all drawn from food that Miyazaki himself has cooked. 
• Suzuki's favorite scene in Howl's Moving Castle is when Sophie and the Witch of the Waste discuss love. The most memorable scene is when they climb the stairs. Miyazaki is a big fan of that scene as well.
• When asked, "Have you ever called the spirits of darkness?" Suzuki replied that because of Miyazaki he calls them all the time, because their faces resemble Miyazaki.
• Suzuki's favorite Ghibli character is from a work that is currently still in production.
• Suzuki speculates that right now Howl is probably looking for a new woman. 

To cap off the session, Suzuki asked, "Do you know Earwig and the Witch?", referring to Studio Ghibli's first CG feature, directed by Goro Miyazaki. The film will open in theaters in Japan on April 29, after it premiered on Japanese television through NHK General on December 30. Like Howl's Moving Castle, the anime is an adaptation of a Diana Wynne Jones novel.

Source: Studio Ghibli's official Twitter account