Up to the Disney contract, the Ghibli heads (Hayao Miyazaki, Isao Takahata, and Toshio Suzuki) were explicitly interested in exploring japanese issues. Their priority was always to do well in Japan, and to communicate their views on japanese problems (like environmental and societal pressures typical of the country) and japanese lore. Some of the later tensions with Disney producers, which eventually resulted in them parting ways, were precisely due to pressure from the States to make the material more accessible to international audiences.