Michael Leader

📚 Our new book is out today! 📚

The Animation Atlas, our round-the-world trip through the global history of animation, is now available from all good bookshops!

A screengrab of a page from a book, headed 'acknowledgements' and reading as follows: Around the world of animation in 30 countries? A piece of cake. Well, only if you have help, and we relied on numerous friends and colleagues as we embarked on this ambitious trip. Thanks as always to our stalwart podcast companion Steph ‘Killer’ Watts, and also the team at our publisher, Welbeck/Headline, specifically Ross Hamilton (who got us into this fine mess in the first place), Giulia Hetherington, Caroline Curtis, Marion Storz and Russell Knowles. As we sketched out our globe-trotting itinerary, we were guided by invigorating and illuminating chats with many pals and peers, including Sam Summers, Steve Henderson, Jennifer Hall, Alex Dudok de Wit, Susie Evans, Kambole Campbell, Niall Geraghty, Bence Bardos, Sam Clements, Griffin Newman, Paul Williams, Ryan Gaur, Isabel Stevens, Justin Johnson, Andrew Osmond, Young Jin Eric Choi, Ravi Narayanswami and Aga Baranowska. We were aided in our journey by filmmakers, distributors, sales agents, archivists and other front-line workers from the world of film: Lucy Rubin, Chance Huskey and Dave Jestaet from GKids, Kerry Kasim and Andrew Partridge from the Anime Ltd., Léo Altmann and Xueyin Li from Charades, Kelly Powell and Jake Garriock from Curzon, Luce Grosjean from Miyu Distribution, Jessica Levick and Kate Robinson from Channel 4, Geo Lomuntad at Project 8, Dennis Bartok at Deaf Crocodile, Anna Lewis from Aardman, Jez Strewart and Will Swinburne from the BFI National Archive, Masaya Kaneko, and Mr Kōji Yamamura. This is our sixth book in about as many years, and we’re indebted to you, our readers, for joining us on these expeditions into animation and world cinema – but most of all, we couldn’t do what we do without the love and support of Mim, Ivo, Louie and our newest fellow traveller, Gene.

And as is tradition, I want to share the acknowledgements page for the Animation Atlas. Some of you are on here, some aren't, but you all played a part and I can't thank you enough.

Thank you, Helen!

📚 Our new book is out today! 📚

The Animation Atlas, our round-the-world trip through the global history of animation, is now available from all good bookshops!

The books “Ghiblioteque” and “The World of Studio Ghibli” on display in a bookstore.

@michaeljleader.bsky.social On proud display in the Ghibli section at Kyobo Books in Seoul (the biggest bookshop in the country)!

It’s taken a couple of years, but I have now watched every film in @ghibliotheque.bsky.social Anime Movie Guide. Some if seen before, some were first time watches. My favourites were Akira, Belle, Millennium Actress, Mind Game and Your Name, but really there’s no bad film on the list.

Ghibliotheque Anime Movie Guide Films Ranked Ranking all the movies featured in the Ghibliotheque Anime Movie Guide book.

I went ahead and made a ranking of all thirty films featured in the book on Letterboxd!

boxd.it/P5W0e

I received a DM on here and apparently I have to upload my passport and prove my age in order to read it.

Fun screening coming up in London! Love to continue our cheerleading of all things Cartoon Saloon a double bill of their brand new short film, plus the feature that started it all.

Fun screening coming up in London! Love to continue our cheerleading of all things Cartoon Saloon a double bill of their brand new short film, plus the feature that started it all.

Ghibliotheque Presents: Éiru + The Secret of Kells + Q&A | Barbican A special opportunity to see the brand new short film from the renowned Irish animation studio Cartoon Saloon, paired with their Oscar-nominated debut feature.

In between our screenings of ÉIRU and THE SECRET OF KELLS, we're thrilled to welcome director Giovanna Ferrari and producer / studio co-founder Nora Twomey for a mid-screening Q&A!

🎟️👇 www.barbican.org.uk/whats-on/202...

📽️ NEW SCREENING! 📽️

ÉIRU + THE SECRET OF KELLS + Q&A

⌚ 6.10pm
🗓️ 8th October
🍿 Barbican Centre, London

We're delighted to present a special screening of Cartoon Saloon's brand new short film in a double bill with the studio's Oscar-nominated debut feature!

Transatlantic Ghibli book chat!

Transatlantic Ghibli book chat!

🎙️📚 New Episode! 📚🎙️

@michaeljleader.bsky.social speaks with critic @nicolasrapold.bsky.social about his new book, The Worlds of Hayao Miyazaki, which examines the films of our favourite grumpy Japanese master through a spectrum of influences and inspiration.

Find it wherever you find your podcasts!

Come and see/hear me wang on about David Lynch in the august company of @hannahstrong.co.uk! ITS TOTALLY FREE!!

Screenshot of the web page for Film in Print, with the following events: Around the World of Animation The Art of Conversation Author on Author: Kim Newman and Anna Bogutskaya in Conversation A Critical Eye: Justin Chang in Conversation

Screenshot of the lineup for FIlm in print, with the events: The Director's Chair Long Live Film Mags: Editors Roundtable Saluting the Silver Screen The Work and World of David Lynch

Thanks to the writers, critics, editors and hosts who are sharing their time, insights and expertise with us across the Film in Print weekend at the LFF.

All these events are free and going on "sale" on 2nd October. See you there! 📚

Poster graphic for the BFI London Film Festival

Screengrab of the web page for Film in Print, with the text: A weekend chock-full of author talks, book signings and panel discussions, celebrating the art of writing about film. Returning to LFF for Free for its second year, now in its new home at the BFI Reuben Library, Film in Print is a celebration of writing about film – from the ever-thriving world of magazines to the rise of new authors whose books are filling shelves around the country. Across a whole weekend of conversations and discussions, Film in Print shines the spotlight on this vital corner of the industry: hearing from the key players both on the page and behind the scenes, examining the trends and topics found between the covers, and lifting the lid on the art and craft of writing about cinema.

Film in Print is returning to the London Film Festival!!

I'm back in curator mode and we've put together a stellar weekend of events celebrating books, magazines and the art and craft of writing about cinema.

Coming to the BFI Reuben Library, 11th-12th October! 📚

Maybe I'll give it a go, then! I can see what he's going for - sort of half Nabokov, half Woody Allen prose. But in the UK in 2025 we don't have a robust New Yorker critical culture for him to satirise, so it's oddly out of place/time. His humour books top the Film lists on certain sellers.

Just a brilliant way of applying a sort of Criterion mindset to video games, and then in fact they do a much better job of it. I honestly think they've found a whole new way of bringing old art to life, and taking us back through the history and development. Everyone should be taking notes.

That's the only one I've read, and since then he has only ever written as a 'character'...

Has anyone read any of Richard Ayoade's books? Are they any good? I find it so intriguing (/troubling) that he has pivoted towards parody film criticism / public intellectualism at a time when those roles are critically endangered, or already extinct.

Film in Print | BFI London Film Festival 2025 A weekend chock-full of author talks, book signings and panel discussions, celebrating the art of writing about film.

Further details 👇

whatson.bfi.org.uk/lff/Online/d...

Screenshot of the web page for Film in Print, with the following events: Around the World of Animation The Art of Conversation Author on Author: Kim Newman and Anna Bogutskaya in Conversation A Critical Eye: Justin Chang in Conversation

Screenshot of the lineup for FIlm in print, with the events: The Director's Chair Long Live Film Mags: Editors Roundtable Saluting the Silver Screen The Work and World of David Lynch

Thanks to the writers, critics, editors and hosts who are sharing their time, insights and expertise with us across the Film in Print weekend at the LFF.

All these events are free and going on "sale" on 2nd October. See you there! 📚

Poster graphic for the BFI London Film Festival

Screengrab of the web page for Film in Print, with the text: A weekend chock-full of author talks, book signings and panel discussions, celebrating the art of writing about film. Returning to LFF for Free for its second year, now in its new home at the BFI Reuben Library, Film in Print is a celebration of writing about film – from the ever-thriving world of magazines to the rise of new authors whose books are filling shelves around the country. Across a whole weekend of conversations and discussions, Film in Print shines the spotlight on this vital corner of the industry: hearing from the key players both on the page and behind the scenes, examining the trends and topics found between the covers, and lifting the lid on the art and craft of writing about cinema.

Film in Print is returning to the London Film Festival!!

I'm back in curator mode and we've put together a stellar weekend of events celebrating books, magazines and the art and craft of writing about cinema.

Coming to the BFI Reuben Library, 11th-12th October! 📚

The Manga Bible: US cover reveal - Helen McCarthy Prestel said yes, go ahead and share, so here’s the North American edition cover for The Manga Bible,  available for pre-order now in the USA and Canada.   It’ll be out in March 2026. The North Americ...

US/Canada cover reveal for The Manga Bible, out in March 2026 - check it out on my website, and please share! helenmccarthy.net/the-manga-bi...

Despite being a big Mamoru Hosoda fan and having interviewed the man, I somehow hadn’t seen the terrific SUMMER WARS until @ghibliotheque.bsky.social’s IMAX screening today

a person is walking down a set of stairs with a yellow mat on the floor ALT: a person is walking down a set of stairs with a yellow mat on the floor

Off to London to introduce The Girl Who Leapt Through Time and Summer Wars at the BFI IMAX!

Just had a delightful time reading Arabel, Mortimer and the Escaped Black Mamba with my son. Hoping to one day get around to the Wolves of Willoughby Chase and beyond.

The Work and World of David Lynch | BFI London Film Festival 2025 Author Tom Huddleston takes us behind the red curtain to explore the late, great filmmaker’s eclectic output and wide range of cultural influences.

I'll be discussing the life and work of David Lynch (and my new book on same) with the mighty @hannahstrong.co.uk at the BFI on Sat Oct 11 as part of their Film in Print weekender. Tickets are free so sign up fast!

whatson.bfi.org.uk/lff/Online/a...