“The mission of my films is to comfort you — to fill in the gap that might be in your heart or your everyday life.”
- Hayao Miyazaki
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Hayao introducing
Miyazaki
“You have to be determined to change the world with your film. Even though nothing changes. That’s what it means to be a filmmaker.”
Regarded as one of the greatest directors in animation history, Hayao Miyazaki is a renowned filmmaker, writer, animator, manga artist, and co-founder of Studio Ghibli. A master in the art of storytelling, he is praised for his ability to transport audiences into unique worlds with ethereal-like settings and characters that are full of spirit and emotion. His award winning anime feature films have placed his name alongside the likes of Walt Disney and Steven Speilberg.
life
Born January 5, 1941 in Tokyo, Japan, Miyazaki started a six-decade-long career in 1963 working for Toei Animation. In transferring companies throughout the subsequent years, namely A-Pro, Nippon Animation, and Tokyo Movie Shinsha, he spent the next decade working on various TV animation projects.
He made his film directorial debut with Lupin III: The Castle of Cagliostro (1979), and years later released Nausicaä of the Valley of the Wind (1984) based on his original manga by the same name.
Following its success, Miyazaki and fellow filmmakers Isao Takahata, Yasuyoshi Tokuma, and Toshio Suzuki, all of whom had worked closely with Miyazaki, established the Japanese animation company known as Studio Ghibli in 1985.
Along with directing and writing for Ghibli, he has been credited as a producer, planner, writer, and animator for numerous other film projects, continued his work as a manga artist, and even directed several short films, which can be viewed exclusively at the Ghibli museum in Tokyo.
The renowned Japanese Animation Company, Studio Ghibli, was founded in 1985 by Hayao Miyazaki, Isao Takahata, Toshio Suzuki, and Yasuyoshi Tokuma, and as the studio’s leading directors, Miyazaki and Takahata its main faces. Ghibli’s first release came only a year later, but it was the double release in 1988 of My Neighbor Totoro and Grave of Fireflies, directed by Miyazaki and Takahata respectively, that led Ghibli to be widely known in the Japanese Film Industry.
studio
CASTLE IN THE SKY (1986)
MY NEIGHBOR TOTORO (1988)
KIKI’S DELIVERY SERVICE (1989)
PORCO ROSSO (1992)
The first Ghibli film to become a box ofce success was Miyazaki’s 1989 film, Kiki’s Delivery Service, and the success skyrocketed with the release of Princess Mononoke (1997) and Spirited Away (2001), both breaking box ofce records in Japan and receiving international recognition, including that of the Academy Awards. In total, Miyazaki has written and directed ten films through Studio Ghibli, the latest being the Boy and the Heron in 2023.
ghibli
starring NORIKO HIDAKA
HITOSHI TAKAGI
CHIKA SAKAMOTO
1988 | 86 mins
written & directed by HAYAO MIYAZAKI
My Neighbor TOTORO
produced by TORO HARA music by JOE HISASHI
cinematography by HISAO SHIRAI
MOST WELL KNOWN Miyazaki
Studio Ghibli film (Ghibli logo)
Satsuke and her younger sister, Mei, settle into an old country house with their father and wait for their mother to recover from an illness in an area hospital. As the sisters explore their new home, they encounter and befriend playful spirits in their house and the nearby forest, most notably the massive cuddly creature known as Totoro.
10-year-old Chihiro and her parents stumble upon a seemingly abandoned amusement park. After her mother and father are turned into giant pigs, Chihiro meets the mysterious Haku, who explains that the park is a resort for supernatural beings who need a break from their time spent in the earthly realm, and that she must work there to free herself and her parents.
HIGHEST RATED Miyazaki Studio Ghibli film
Academy Award for Best Animated Feature (2002)
starring RUMI HIIRAGI
MIYU IRINO
MARI NATSUKI
AWAY SPIRITED
written & directed by HAYAO MIYAZAKI
produced by TOSHIO SUZUKI
music by JOE HISASHI
cinematography by ATSUSHI OKUI
HERON BOY THE and THE
starring SOMA SANTOKI MASAKI SUDA
YOSHINO KIMURA
produced by TOSHIO SUZUKI music by JOE HISASHI
cinematography by ATSUSHI OKUI
2023 | 124 mins
written & directed by HAYAO MIYAZAKI
MOST RECENT
Miyazaki Studio
Ghibli film
Academy Award for Best Animated Feature (2024)
Mahito, a young 12-year old boy, struggles to settle in a new town after his mother’s death. However, when a talking heron informs Mahito that his mother is still alive, he enters an abandoned tower in search of her, which takes him to another world.
awards
“Miyazaki proves again and again that his films are not about leaving you chirpy: It’s about showing you the sweetness and sourness of life— the loss, the love and the beauty all at the same time.”
-
Guillermo Del
Toro,
Miyazaki has won numerous awards and accolades for his work over the past six-decades, including, but not limited to:
Japan Academy Film Prize for Picture of the Year
Mainichi Film Award for Best Animation Film
Academy Award for Best Animated Feature
Annie Award for Outstanding Achievement for Directing in an Animated Feature
BAFTA for Best Animated Feature Film
Golden Bear Award at the Berlin International Film Festival
Despite taking place in fictional settings with otherworldly characters, Miyazaki’s films are rooted in the human spirit and finding beauty in life’s simplicities. Contrary to many filmmakers who begin their processes with written scripts or outlines, Miyazaki is one to put initial ideas down in the form of illustration. Nearly all of his films have been born from sketches, more often being made without any strict guidelines. Imagination and a keen sense of detail are distinct qualities in Studio Ghibli films, along with themes of nature, feminism, and ultimately, hope. Miyazaki’s eye for animation leads to an emphasis on character style, body language, and facial expressions, even for those merely in the background. Despite his fluid style of working, the filmmaker is known for being very particular about his work, holding both himself and his employee to high standards.
legacy&A true master at his craft, there is no doubt that Miyazaki is one of animation’s greatests, as he has cemented himself a legacy that will continue to touch millions. Though he has attempted to retire many times, Miyazaki has claimed that he feels most alive when he is making a film, and thus continues to create to this day despite his old age. While his filmography is a source of inspiration for filmmakers, artists, and audiences alike, more importantly, they are meant to inspire all who watch to live life as fully as possible.
“My films show the world’s beauty. Beauty that is otherwise unnoticed.”
“True love is two people inspiring each other to live. Recognizing just how hard living is, putting one foot in front of the other everyday day, how easy it is to lose our passion for it.”
- Hayao Miyazaki
