The film’s production was an interesting one, as Ghibli used this film as an attempt to make an anime using only the younger members of staff in the company, mostly staff in their 20’s and 30’s, with the 34-year old Tomomi Mochizuki leading the production as director. At 72 minutes the film is also the shortest Ghibli film to date, but I would argue that neither of these two elements proves to be a detriment on the product as a whole. Ocean Waves has the honour of being the first Studio Ghibli film to be directed by someone other than Miyazaki or Isao Takahata, although I would argue the latter proved to be a big influence on the style and experimental aspect of this made-for-television film.
