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Toshio Suzuki (Japanese: 鈴木 敏夫, Hepburn: Suzuki Toshio, born August 19, 1948) is a Japanese film producer. He is a founder, chairman, and former president of Studio Ghibli.
His professional career started at Tokuma Shoten, joining the company shortly after graduation. He was assigned to the planning department of Asahi Geino, entertainment, magazine, where he was responsible for the manga coverage page. Here he had a long anticipated meeting with cartoonist Shigeru Sugiura. In 1973, he became the editor of the magazine's supplement Comic & Comic (コミック&コミック, komiku & komiku), for which he worked with and befriended film directors, such as Sadao Nakajima, Eiichi Kudo and Teruo Ishii, as well as animators and manga artists, like Osamu Tezuka, George Akiyama, Kazuo Kamimura, Hōsei Hasegawa [ja] and Shotaro Ishinomori. During a hiatus of the comic supplement he was reassigned to the performing arts feature section of Asahi Geino, for which he covered such varied topics as Bōsōzoku, Japanese motorcycle gangs, and the bombing of the headquarters of Mitsubishi Heavy Industries by the East Asia Anti-Japan Armed Front. From this period he has mentioned Sayuri Ichijō [ja] as a memorable person.
In his capacity as Animage editor, he approached Isao Takahata and Miyazaki, who had worked on the animated feature film Horus, Prince of the Sun, for a feature article in the inaugural issue of the magazine but they declined. Suzuki and Miyazaki encountered each other again after the release of The Castle of Cagliostro when Suzuki again approached Miyazaki for an Animage article. This time the meetings result in an enduring collaborative relationship. In July 1981 Suzuki unsuccessfully pitched Miyazaki's original idea for an animated story, Warring States Demon Castle (戦国魔城, Sengoku ma-jō). The Miyazaki article, Hayao Miyazaki, World of Romance and Adventure (宮崎駿 冒険とロマンの世界, Miyazaki Hayao bōken to roman no sekai), was published in the August 1981 issue of Animage magazine.[2] About the issue Suzuki has stated: "here is where it all started".[1]: p. 60 Suzuki was among those who facilitated the creation and publication of Miyazaki's manga, Nausicaä of the Valley of the Wind. He was instrumental in getting the Nausicaäanime made and helped establish Studio Ghibli after the film's release. The film was released on March 11, 1984.
1985: Beginning of Studio Ghibli
Studio Ghibli was founded in June 1985. Miyazaki has stated, "If it were not for Mr. Suzuki, there wouldn't have been Studio Ghibli."[3]
Ghibli co-founder Takahata, producer on the Nausicaä film, has acknowledged the pivotal role of Suzuki in bringing the Nausicaä manga series into the world and used nearly identical words as Miyazaki to acknowledge Suzuki's essential role in the creation of Studio Ghibli. Takahata also credits Suzuki for his steadfast support of Miyazaki and has cited Suzuki's responsibility for making his friendship with Miyazaki endure.[4]
In 1986, Suzuki served on the production committee for the Studio Ghibli film Laputa: Castle in the Sky for Tokuma Shoten, released in August, and he succeeded Ogata as Animage editor-in-chief in October.
In 1988, he again served on Tokuma Shoten's production committee. This time for the Ghibli films My Neighbor Totoro, directed by Miyazaki, and Grave of the Fireflies directed by Takahata. Suzuki was able to get the films made and released by proposing them as a double feature for theatrical release. He was associate producer on Kiki's Delivery Service and officially joined the studio as producer in 1989, after he had resigned from Tokuma Shoten in October.
In 1990, Suzuki was appointed director of the Studio Ghibli company. He was producer on Only Yesterday in 1991 and Porco Rosso in 1992.[5] Suzuki was in charge of the Ocean Waves project, directed by Tomomi Mochizuki, created by Studio Ghibli for television, which aired in Japan in 1993. The following year he worked as producer on Takahata's theatrical release Pom Poko. In 1995 he produced director Yoshifumi Kondō’s Whisper of the Heart and On Your Mark, theatrically released together in 1995. The latter is a short animated promotional video created by Studio Ghibli for the Japanese pop-duo Chage and Aska. In 1995 Suzuki also became the producer on the next feature length Ghibli film project, released, in 1997, under the title he had selected, Princess Mononoke. In 1997, Studio Ghibli and Tokuma Shoten merged and Suzuki became the inaugural President. 1999 saw the release of Takahata's My Neighbors the Yamadas for which Suzuki was the producer.
In March 2004, Studio Ghibli became independent from Tokuma Shoten and Suzuki was appointed Ghibli corporation president. He stepped down from the position in 2008. As of 2014 he still serves as the company's managing director and continues to work as film producer.[1][7][8][9]
2014–2023: Retirement and continuation
In March 2014, Suzuki retired as a producer and assumed a new position of general manager at Studio Ghibli.[10] However, he has continued to assist with other projects, including acting as a co-producer for The Red Turtle (2016), and lead producer for Earwig and the Witch (2020) and The Boy and the Heron (2023).
However, he would not appear in person at the Oscar ceremony to accept the award, with Studio Ghibli chief operating officer Kiyofumi Nakajima claiming this was due to his "age bracket."[14]
Other recognitions
In 2014, at the 64th Annual MEXT Art Encouragement Prizes Toshio Suzuki was awarded the Grand Prize for his involvement as producer in The Wind Rises and The Tale of the Princess Kaguya.[15]
^ abcSuzuki, Toshio (April 11, 2005). 映画道楽 [Movie Debauchery] (in Japanese). Tokyo: Pia Corporation. pp. 60–69, 246–247. ISBN978-4835615400. Archived from the original on February 19, 2014. Retrieved January 20, 2014. {{cite book}}: |website= ignored (help)
^"マンガ映画の魔術師 宮崎駿 冒険とロマンの世界" [Anime Magician, Hayao Miyazaki’s, World of Romance and Adventure]. Animage (38). Tokyo: Tokuma Shoten: 25. July 10, 1981. Archived from the original on December 2, 2013. Retrieved November 27, 2013.
^"Who's Who //". Nausicaa.net. Archived from the original on September 13, 2012. Retrieved August 13, 2012.
^Miyazaki, Hayao (July 31, 1996). "エロスの火花/高畑勲" [The Fireworks of Eros - By Takahata Isao]. 出発点 [Starting Point]. San Francisco: Viz Media. p. 460. ISBN978-1-4215-0594-7. Archived from the original on August 28, 2014. Retrieved December 16, 2013.
^Kanō, Seiji (2007) [2006]. 宮崎駿全書 [The Complete Miyazaki Hayao] (in Japanese) (2nd ed.). Tokyo: Film Art Inc. pp. 180–185. ISBN978-4-8459-0687-1.
^「風の谷ナウシカ」(特典の内容) ジブリはこうして生まれた [Nausicaä of the Valley of the Wind, Extras: The Birth Story Of Studio Ghibli] (DVD Featurette (Narrated, dramatised re-enactments)) (in Japanese). Tokyo: Buena Vista Home Entertainment Japan. November 19, 2003. Archived from the original on February 1, 2014. Retrieved December 28, 2013.
^「風の谷ナウシカ」(特典の内容) ジブリはこうして生まれた [Nausicaä of the Valley of the Wind, Extras: The Birth Story Of Studio Ghibli] (DVD Featurette (Narrated, dramatised re-enactments)). London: Optimum Releasing. February 22, 2005. Archived from the original on December 13, 2013. Retrieved December 28, 2013.
^"49th Annual Annie Award Winners". Annie Awards. ASIFA-Hollywood. March 14, 2022. Retrieved March 16, 2022. The Winsor McCay Award for career contributions to the art of animation were presented to three recipients – Ruben Aquino, legendary Disney animator; Lillian Schwartz, computer animation pioneer; and Toshio Suzuki, prolific Studio Ghibli producer.
External links
Miyazaki Quote from Nausicaa.net (an extensive English language source on Ghibli's films and other related anime works.)
