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Hayao Miyazaki

Hayao Miyazaki

Hayao Miyazaki (Miyazaki Hayao, born January 5, 1941) is a Japanese manga artist and prominent film director and animator of many popular anime feature films. Through a career that has spanned nearly five decades, Miyazaki has attained international acclaim as a maker of animated feature films and, along with Isao Takahata, co-founded Studio Ghibli, an animation studio and production company. The success of Miyazaki's films has invited comparisons with American animator Walt Disney, British animator Nick Park as well as Robert Zemeckis, who pioneered Motion Capture animation, and he has been named one of the most influential people by Time Magazine.

Miyazaki began his career at Toei Animation as an in-between artist for Gulliver's Travels Beyond the Moon where he pitched his own ideas that eventually became the movie's ending. He continued to work in various roles in the animation industry over the decade until he was able to direct his first feature film Lupin III: The Castle of Cagliostro which was published in 1979. After the success of his next film, Nausicaä of the Valley of the Wind, he co-founded Studio Ghibli where he continued to produce many feature films until Princess Mononoke whereafter he temporarily retired.

While Miyazaki's films have long enjoyed both commercial and critical success in Japan, he remained largely unknown to the West until Miramax released his 1997 film, Princess Mononoke. Princess Mononoke was the highest-grossing film in Japan—until it was eclipsed by another 1997 film, Titanic—and the first animated film to win Picture of the Year at the Japanese Academy Awards. Miyazaki returned to animation with Spirited Away. The film topped Titanic's sales at the Japanese box office, also won Picture of the Year at the Japanese Academy Awards and was the first anime film to win an American Academy Award.

Miyazaki's films often incorporate recurrent themes, such as humanity's relationship to nature and technology, and the difficulty of maintaining a pacifist ethic. Reflecting Miyazaki's feminism, the protagonists of his films are often strong, independent girls or young women. Miyazaki is a vocal critic of capitalism and globalization. While two of his films, The Castle of Cagliostro and Castle in the Sky, involve traditional villains, his other films such as Nausicaa or Princess Mononoke present morally ambiguous antagonists with redeeming qualities.

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Hayao Miyazaki and the Heron

Hayao Miyazaki and the Heron

2024

as Self

Miyazaki, Spirit of Nature

Miyazaki, Spirit of Nature

2024

as Self (stock footage)

2399 Days with Hayao Miyazaki & Studio Ghibli

2399 Days with Hayao Miyazaki & Studio Ghibli

2023

as Self

Hideaki Anno: The Final Challenge of Evangelion

Hideaki Anno: The Final Challenge of Evangelion

2021

as Self

10 Years with Hayao Miyazaki

10 Years with Hayao Miyazaki

2019

as Self

Never-Ending Man: Hayao Miyazaki

Never-Ending Man: Hayao Miyazaki

2017

as Self

Isao Takahata and His Tale of the Princess Kaguya

Isao Takahata and His Tale of the Princess Kaguya

2014

as Self

The Work of Hayao Miyazaki "The Wind Rises" Record of 1000 Days/Retirement Announcement Unknown Story

The Work of Hayao Miyazaki "The Wind Rises" Record of 1000 Days/Retirement Announcement Unknown Story

2014

as himself

The Kingdom of Dreams and Madness

The Kingdom of Dreams and Madness

2013

as Self

Miwa: A Japanese Icon

Miwa: A Japanese Icon

2013

as Himself

Giant God Warrior Appears in Tokyo

Giant God Warrior Appears in Tokyo

2012

as Giant Robot (voice)

Ghibli Landscapes - A Journey to Encounter Directors Isao Takahata and Hayao Miyazaki's Starting Point

Ghibli Landscapes - A Journey to Encounter Directors Isao Takahata and Hayao Miyazaki's Starting Point

2011

as Self

A Hedgehog Came Out of the Fog

A Hedgehog Came Out of the Fog

2011

Poppy Hill - 300 Days of War Between Father and Son

Poppy Hill - 300 Days of War Between Father and Son

2011

as Himself

Kurosawa's Way

Kurosawa's Way

2011

as Self

Japanese Cinema: New Territories

Japanese Cinema: New Territories

2011

as Self

Inside Ghibli's Creation: 400 Days of Clash Between Hayao Miyazaki and The New Director

Inside Ghibli's Creation: 400 Days of Clash Between Hayao Miyazaki and The New Director

2010

as Himself

Ghibli's Bookshelf

Ghibli's Bookshelf

2010

as self

How Ponyo Was Born ~Hayao Miyazaki's Thought Process~

How Ponyo Was Born ~Hayao Miyazaki's Thought Process~

2009

as Self

Professional Special: Director Miyazaki Hayao

Professional Special: Director Miyazaki Hayao

2009

as Self

25th Anniversary Studio Ghibli Concert

25th Anniversary Studio Ghibli Concert

2008

as Self - Filmmaker

Making of Ponyo

Making of Ponyo

2008

as Self

Ghibli Landscapes - The Japan Depicted In Miyazaki's Works

Ghibli Landscapes - The Japan Depicted In Miyazaki's Works

2008

A Ghibli Artisan - Kazuo Oga Exhibition - The One Who Drew Totoro's Forest

A Ghibli Artisan - Kazuo Oga Exhibition - The One Who Drew Totoro's Forest

2007

as Self

The Work of Toshio Suzuki Don't Believe in Myself, I Believe in People

The Work of Toshio Suzuki Don't Believe in Myself, I Believe in People

2006

as Self

Professional: Shigoto no ryûgi

Professional: Shigoto no ryûgi

2006

as Self

Hayao Miyazaki and the Ghibli Museum

Hayao Miyazaki and the Ghibli Museum

2005

as Self

Ghibli and The Miyazaki Mystery

Ghibli and The Miyazaki Mystery

2005

as Self - Interviewee

Hayao Miyazaki Produces a CD

Hayao Miyazaki Produces a CD

2004

as Self

Yasuo Ōtsuka's Joy in Motion

Yasuo Ōtsuka's Joy in Motion

2004

as Self

Princess Mononoke: Making of a Masterpiece

Princess Mononoke: Making of a Masterpiece

2004

as Self

Lasseter-san, Thank You

Lasseter-san, Thank You

2003

as Himself

The Birth of Studio Ghibli

The Birth of Studio Ghibli

2003

The Art of 'Spirited Away'

The Art of 'Spirited Away'

2003

as Himself

"The Ornithopter Story: Fly, Hiyodori Tengu!"

"The Ornithopter Story: Fly, Hiyodori Tengu!"

2002

as Himself

Imaginary Flying Machines

Imaginary Flying Machines

2002

as Le cochon

Mei and the Kittenbus

Mei and the Kittenbus

2002

as Neko Bâchan (Voice)

The Cat Returns - Making of

The Cat Returns - Making of

2002

as Self

Princess Mononoke in the U.S.A.

Princess Mononoke in the U.S.A.

2001

as Himself

The Nippon Television Special

The Nippon Television Special

2001

as Himself

The World, The Journey Of My Heart - Traveler: Animation Film Director Hayao Miyazaki

The World, The Journey Of My Heart - Traveler: Animation Film Director Hayao Miyazaki

1998

as Himself

How Ghibli Was Born

How Ghibli Was Born

1998

as Himself

The Birth of "Princess Mononoke" Part 1: A Drama on Paper

The Birth of "Princess Mononoke" Part 1: A Drama on Paper

1997

as Self

The Birth of "Princess Mononoke" Part 3: The Day The Record Was Broken

The Birth of "Princess Mononoke" Part 3: The Day The Record Was Broken

1997

as Self

The Birth of "Princess Mononoke" Part 2: Life Has Been Breathed Into It!

The Birth of "Princess Mononoke" Part 2: Life Has Been Breathed Into It!

1997

as Self

Manga!

Manga!

1994

as Self

In Love With and Living Within Movies - Akira Kurosawa and Hayao Miyazaki

In Love With and Living Within Movies - Akira Kurosawa and Hayao Miyazaki

1993

as Self

The Making of Only Yesterday

The Making of Only Yesterday

1991

as Self

The Secrets of My Neighbors the Yamadas

The Secrets of My Neighbors the Yamadas

The Professionals

The Professionals

as Himself