Through a career that has spanned five decades, Miyazaki has attained international acclaim as a masterful storyteller and as a maker of anime feature films and, along with Isao Takahata, co-founded Studio Ghibli, a film and animation studio. The success of Miyazaki's films has invited comparisons with American animator Walt Disney, and American directors Steven Spielberg and Orson Welles. Hayao Miyazaki. Japanese animator and manga artist (born 1941) Hayao Miyazaki (宮崎 駿 or 宮﨑 駿, Miyazaki Hayao, Japanese: [mijaꜜzaki hajao]; born January 5, 1941) is a Japanese animator, filmmaker, and manga artist.
A co-founder of Studio Ghibli, he has attained international acclaim as a masterful storyteller and creator of Japanese animated feature films, and is widely regarded as one of the most accomplished filmmakers in the history of animation. Miyazaki's works are characterized by the recurrence of themes such as humanity's relationship with nature and technology, the wholesomeness of natural and traditional patterns of living, the importance of art and craftsmanship, and the difficulty of maintaining a pacifist ethic in a violent world. The protagonists of his films are often strong girls or young women, and several of his films present morally ambiguous antagonists with redeeming qualities.
Early life[edit] After graduating from Ōmiya Junior High, Miyazaki attended Toyotama High School. Views[edit] The Castle of Cagliostro | 1979. The Castle of Cagliostro (Japanese: ルパン三世 カリオストロの城, Hepburn: Rupan Sansei: Kariosutoro no Shiro? , Lupin the Third: Castle of Cagliostro) is a 1979 Japanese animated adventure comedy film co-written and directed by Hayao Miyazaki in his feature-length directorial debut. It is the second film featuring Monkey Punch's master thief Arsène Lupin III, from his manga series Lupin III.[2] The film was Miyazaki's first time directing a theatrical feature after having previously worked as an animator for Toei Animation and TMS Entertainment and directing several shows including Lupin III and two episodes of Lupin III Part II.
The Castle of Cagliostro follows gentleman thief Arsène Lupin III, who successfully robs a casino – only to find the money to be counterfeit. He heads to the tiny country of Cagliostro, the rumoured source of the bills, and attempts to save the runaway Clarisse from the Count Cagliostro's men. The original theatrical release in Japan occurred on December 15, 1979. Plot[edit] Nausicaä of the Valley of the Wind | 1984. The film tells the story of Nausicaä (Shimamoto), a young princess of the Valley of the Wind who gets involved in a struggle with Tolmekia, a kingdom that tries to use an ancient weapon to eradicate a jungle of mutant giant insects.
Nausicaä must stop the Tolmekians from enraging these creatures. The next morning, Tolmekian troops, led by Princess Kushana and Officer Kurotowa, kill Nausicaä's father and take the Giant Warrior embryo. Kushana plans to mature the Giant Warrior and use it to burn the Toxic Jungle. Nausicaä kills several Tolmekian soldiers before Yupa intervenes. Kushana announces her decision to leave for Pejite with Nausicaä and five hostages from the Valley.
Before they leave, Yupa discovers a secret garden of jungle plants reared by Nausicaä; according to Nausicaä's findings, plants that grow in clean soil and water are not toxic, but the jungle's soil has been tainted by humankind. Nausicaä and Asbel return to Pejite but find the capital ravaged by insects. Laputa: Castle in the Sky |1986. Laputa: Castle in the Sky (Japanese: 天空の城ラピュタ, Hepburn: Tenkū no Shiro Rapyuta?) Is a 1986 Japanese animated adventure film written and directed by Hayao Miyazaki and is also the first film produced and released by Studio Ghibli. The film was distributed by Toei Kabushiki Kaisha.[1] Laputa: Castle in the Sky won the Animage Anime Grand Prix in 1986. Plot[edit] In the film's backstory, human civilizations built flying cities, which were later destroyed by an unspecified catastrophe, forcing the survivors to live on the ground.
In the story's opening, an airship carrying Sheeta, a girl who has been abducted by Muska, a secret agent working for the government, is attacked by Captain Dola and her air pirate sons who are in search of Sheeta's crystal amulet. Upon leaving the mines, Sheeta tells Pazu that her full name is 'Lusheeta Toel Ul Laputa'. A distraught Pazu returns home, where he is ambushed by Dola's sons. Cast[edit] Soundtrack[edit] All compositions by Joe Hisaishi. Influences[edit] My Neighbor Totoro | 1988. My Neighbor Totoro (Japanese: となりのトトロ, Hepburn: Tonari no Totoro?) Is a 1988 Japanese animated fantasy film written and directed by Hayao Miyazaki and produced by Studio Ghibli. The film – which stars the voice actors Noriko Hidaka, Chika Sakamoto, and Hitoshi Takagi – tells the story of the two young daughters (Satsuki and Mei) of a professor and their interactions with friendly wood spirits in postwar rural Japan.
The film won the Animage Anime Grand Prix prize and the Mainichi Film Award and Kinema Junpo Award for Best Film in 1988. It also received the Special Award at the Blue Ribbon Awards in the same year. The film was released on VHS and laserdisc in the United States by Tokuma Japan Communications' US subsidiary in 1993 under the title My Friend Totoro. In 1988, Streamline Pictures produced an exclusive dub for use on transpacific flights by Japan Airlines.
Troma Films, under their 50th St. Plot Closeup view of Satsuki and Mei's house The girls plant the seeds. Cast Production. Kiki's Delivery Service | 1989. Plot[edit] Thirteen-year-old trainee witch Kiki leaves home with her talking black cat Jiji. She flies on her broomstick to the port city of Koriko. While trying to find somewhere to live, Kiki is pursued by Tombo, a geeky boy obsessed with aviation who admires her flying ability. In exchange for accommodation, Kiki helps Osono, the kindly owner of a bakery. Kiki accepts a party invitation from Tombo, but is delayed by her work and, exhausted, falls ill. Kiki becomes depressed and discovers she can no longer understand Jiji, who has befriended a pretty white cat. While Kiki is visiting a customer, she witnesses an airship accident on television. Cast[edit] Themes and analysis[edit] Several aspects of Kiki's behavior and appearance have been the focus of commentary.
Another theme is the transition from traditional to contemporary. Kiki's loss of her ability to fly is also the subject of discussion. Production[edit] Miyazaki chose Sunao Katabuchi as director. The word takkyūbin (宅急便? Porco Rosso | 1992. The plot revolves around an Italian World War I ex-fighter ace, now living as a freelance bounty hunter chasing "air pirates" in the Adriatic Sea. However, an unusual curse has transformed him to an anthropomorphic pig. Once called Marco Pagot (Marco Rousolini in the American version), he is now known to the world as "Porco Rosso", Italian for "Red Pig". Plot[edit] The film, set in the Adriatic Sea in the interwar period, begins with the titular character Porco Rosso, a veteran WWI fighter ace and freelance bounty hunter, responding to an alert over an attack on a ferry liner by airborne pirates.
Having successfully defeated the pirates, the so-called Mamma Aiuto gang, Porco retires to the Hotel Adriano, which is run by his long-time friend Gina. At the restaurant of the hotel, which is frequented by pilots all over the Adriatic, the heads of the pirate gangs are introduced to Curtis, an arrogant and ambitious American ace who has a contract to assist them. Cast[edit] Production[edit] On Your Mark | 1994. The music video follows two policemen who raid a religious cult and find an angelic being only to have her taken away and confined to a laboratory. Haunted by the fate of the "angel", the two men formulate a plan and break into the laboratory.
Fleeing in an armored truck the three plummet into an abyss after trying to force past a police aircraft along a narrow suspended roadway. After a montage of the previous scenes, the armored truck suddenly rockets into an apartment complex, allowing their escape. The three escape to the surface, ignoring the radiation and danger signs, emerging near an encased nuclear reactor. The music video was well-received and praised for its animation and attention to detail.
Synopsis[edit] The video begins with shots of a vacant village, overgrown with weeds, and the concrete sarcophagus of a covered-over nuclear reactor in the background. Production[edit] Analysis[edit] Reception[edit] The music video was well received. Releases[edit] References[edit] Princess Mononoke | 1997. 1997 Japanese animated film directed by Hayao Miyazaki Princess Mononoke is set in the late Muromachi period of Japan (approximately 1336 to 1573 CE), but it includes fantasy elements. The story follows a young Emishi prince named Ashitaka, and his involvement in a struggle between the gods of a forest and the humans who consume its resources. The term mononoke (物の怪), or もののけ, is not a name, but a Japanese word for supernatural, shape-shifting beings that possess people and cause suffering, disease, or death. Plot[edit] In Muromachi Japan, an Emishi village is attacked by a hideous demon. Heading west, Ashitaka meets Jigo, an opportunistic monk who tells Ashitaka he may find help from the Great Forest Spirit, a deer-like animal god by day and a giant Night Walker by night.
Ashitaka and the survivors arrive at Iron Town, where he is greeted with fascination. Suddenly, San infiltrates Iron Town to kill Eboshi. Cast and characters[edit] Production[edit] Themes[edit] Release[edit] Reception[edit] Spirited Away | 2001. Spirited Away (千と千尋の神隠し, Sen to Chihiro no Kamikakushi? , "Sen and Chihiro's Spiriting Away") is a 2001 Japanese animated fantasy film written and directed by Hayao Miyazaki and produced by Studio Ghibli.[3] The film stars Rumi Hiiragi, Miyu Irino, Mari Natsuki, Takeshi Naito, Yasuko Sawaguchi, Tsunehiko Kamijō, Takehiko Ono and Bunta Sugawara, and tells the story of Chihiro Ogino (Hiiragi), a sullen ten-year-old girl who, while moving to a new neighborhood, enters the spirit world.
After her parents are transformed into pigs by the witch Yubaba (Natsuki), Chihiro takes a job working in Yubaba's bathhouse to find a way to free herself and her parents and return to the human world. Miyazaki wrote the script after he decided the film would be based on his friend's ten-year-old daughter, who came to visit his house each summer. At the time, Miyazaki was developing two personal projects, but they were rejected. With a budget of US$15 million, production of Spirited Away began in 2000. Howl's Moving Castle | 2004. Meanwhile, Sophie's country is caught up in a war with a neighboring country, following the mysterious disappearance of the other country's Crown Prince. The King summons Howl (Pendragon and Jenkins) to fight in the war.
However, Howl decides to send Sophie to the King under the pretense of being his mother, to profess the cowardice of one of Howl's two aliases. Before leaving, he gives to Sophie a charmed ring that connects her to Calcifer. He also assures her that he will follow her to the palace in disguise. Sophie learns that Howl transforms into a bird-like creature in order to interfere in the war, but each transformation makes it more difficult for him to return to human form. A few hours later, Sophie permanently returns to her young form (although retains her grey hair) just as the city is carpet bombed by enemy aircraft. Sophie finds Howl, having now lost his human consciousness, in bird form.
The film is very different from Jones's original novel. Ponyo | 2008. Ponyo (Japanese: 崖の上のポニョ, Hepburn: Gake no Ue no Ponyo? , literally "Ponyo on the Cliff"), initially titled in English as Ponyo on the Cliff by the Sea, is a 2008 Japanese animated fantasy film written and directed by Hayao Miyazaki and produced by Studio Ghibli. It is the eighth film Miyazaki directed for Ghibli, and his tenth overall. The film stars the voices of Tomoko Yamaguchi, Kazushige Nagashima, Yūki Amami, George Tokoro, Yuria Nara, Hiroki Doi, Rumi Hiiragi, Akiko Yano, Kazuko Yoshiyuki and Tomoko Naraoka. The plot centers on a goldfish named Ponyo who befriends a five-year-old human boy, Sōsuke, and wants to become a human girl.
The film was released in Japan on July 19, 2008, in the US and Canada on August 14, 2009, and in the UK on February 12, 2010.[3] It earned over US$201 million worldwide[1] and won several awards, including the Japan Academy Prize for Animation of the Year.[4] Plot[edit] Granmamare arrives at Fujimoto's submarine. Cast[edit] Production[edit] Japan[edit] The Borrower Arrietty | 2010. Ghibli announced the film in late 2009 with Yonebayashi making his directorial debut. Miyazaki supervised the production as a developing planner.[2] The voice actors were approached in April 2010, and Cécile Corbel wrote the film's score as well as its theme song. Plot[edit] A boy named Shō (Shawn in the Disney dub) tells the audience he still remembers the week in summer he spent at his mother's childhood home with his maternal great aunt, Sadako (Jessica in the Disney dub), and the house maid, Haru. When Shō arrives at the house on the first day, he sees a cat, Niya, trying to attack something in the bushes but it gives up after it is attacked by a crow.
Shō gets a glimpse of Arrietty, a young Borrower girl, returning to her home through an underground air vent. At night, Arrietty's father, Pod, takes her on her first "borrowing" mission, to get sugar and tissue paper. The next day, Shō puts the sugar cube and a little note beside the air vent where he first saw Arrietty. Cast[edit] The Wind Rises | 2013. 2013 Japanese animated film The Wind Rises (Japanese: 風立ちぬ, Hepburn: Kaze Tachinu, lit. "The Wind Has Risen") is a 2013 Japanese animated historical drama film written and directed by Hayao Miyazaki, animated by Studio Ghibli for the Nippon Television Network, Dentsu, Hakuhodo DY Media Partners, Walt Disney Japan, Mitsubishi, Toho and KDDI and distributed by Toho. It was released in Japan on 20 July 2013, and in North America by Touchstone Pictures on 21 February 2014.[5][6] The Wind Rises is a fictionalised biographical film of Jiro Horikoshi (1903–1982), designer of the Mitsubishi A5M fighter aircraft and its successor, the Mitsubishi A6M Zero, used by the Empire of Japan during World War II.
The Wind Rises was the highest-grossing Japanese film in Japan in 2013. Plot[edit] Mitsubishi aircraft manufacturing factory, Nagoya In 1916, a young Jiro Horikoshi longs to become a pilot, but his nearsightedness prevents it. Voice cast[edit] Production[edit] Development[edit] Music[edit] Release[edit]