Jockey Club helps bring famous Japanese anime sketches to HK

05/13/2014

More than 1,300 layout designs by Japanese animation directors Isao Takahata and Hayao Miyazaki are on display in the city for the first time, funded by a HK$3.6 million donation from The Hong Kong Jockey Club Charities Trust. The exhibits of The Hong Kong Jockey Club Series: Studio Ghibli Layout Designs: Understanding the Secrets of Takahata and Miyazaki Animation are on loan from Studio Ghibli and Ghibli Museum, Mitaka.

Today (13 May), the Club’s Executive Director, Charities, Douglas So joined Permanent Secretary for Home Affairs Raymond Young, Studio Ghibli President Koji Hoshino, Studio Ghibli Exhibition Producer Kazuyoshi Tanaka, Ghibli Museum, Mitaka, Curator Kan Miyoshi, Art Museum Advisory Panel Chairman Vincent Lo, Director of Leisure and Cultural Services Betty Fung and Director of Hong Kong Heritage Museum Belinda Wong to officiate at the opening ceremony of the exhibition at the Hong Kong Heritage Museum.

Mr So congratulated the Leisure and Cultural Services Department (LCSD), the Hong Kong Heritage Museum and Studio Ghibli for bringing the precious masterpieces to Hong Kong. “The Jockey Club is very pleased to leverage on the exhibition to support a series of education programmes where local talents, particularly our younger generation, can be exposed to and be inspired by these great works. This Jockey Club Series of major exhibitions has become a major feature of our many other ongoing initiatives to support the arts and culture in Hong Kong,” he said.  

Mr Young expressed his heartfelt thanks to the Trust for its sponsorship under The Hong Kong Jockey Club Series. “The Jockey Club’s support has greatly contributed to the mounting of this major exhibition, in particular the education programmes, benefiting the young people and their families,” he said.

Studio Ghibli is famous for its use of hand drawings as the basis of Takahata’s and Miyazaki’s films. The exhibition will showcase more than 1,300 original layout designs of many blockbusters produced by the pair. Their popular works include Castle in the Sky, Grave of the Fireflies, My Neighbor Totoro, Kiki’s Delivery Service, Princess Mononoke, Spirited Away, Ponyo on the Cliff by the Sea and The Wind Rises.

The Trust’s funding also covers a series of animation workshops and talks to inspire young minds. Children will even have a chance to create their own Ponyo goldfish with paint and art paper. The exhibition, which runs from tomorrow to 31 August, is expected to attract some 300,000 visitors.

The Hong Kong Jockey Club Series is a three-year partnership between the Club’s Charities Trust and the LCSD launched last year to support two to three exhibitions each year, with an annual funding of HK$17 million. The exhibitions are complemented with educational programmes. A previous Series hit was the Legends of the Giant Dinosaurs exhibition, which attracted a record-breaking 770,000 visitors to the Hong Kong Science Museum over five months. Currently running until 15 June is an art appreciation programme for Ju Ming - Sculpting the Living World at the Hong Kong Museum of Art.

The Hong Kong Jockey Club
Founded in 1884, The Hong Kong Jockey Club is not only one of the world’s leading horse racing organisations, but also Hong Kong’s largest community contributor, donating HK$1.95 billion in 2012/13. In addition, the Club is a major taxpayer, Hong Kong’s single largest by far, generating over HK$17.64 billion in 2012/13 for public funds. The Club pioneers technology applications for sporting and betting entertainment, striving for the highest levels of customer service. As a membership club, it is recognised as one of Asia’s most prestigious. These multifaceted roles make it a well-respected and remarkable organisation, dedicated to its mission of enhancing the quality of life for all Hong Kong people.