Miyazaki, 75, is the co-founder of Japanese animation giant Studio Ghibli
As Oscar-winning film Spirited Away
marks its 15th anniversary with a re-release in US cinemas, the BBC's
Tessa Wong looks at the impact its director Hayao Miyazaki has had on
the world of animation.
It would be no exaggeration to describe Hayao Miyazaki as the godfather of animation in Japan - some might even say the world.
Since
his directorial debut in 1979, his gentle and whimsical children's
movies have been hugely popular and become key cultural icons.
Spirited
Away is still Japan's highest grossing movie of all time while other
works like My Neighbour Totoro are considered canon.
He and his
company Studio Ghibli, which he founded in 1985, have often been called
Japan's answer to Walt Disney - but in many ways Miyazaki has proven to
be a complete original.
The hallmarks of a Miyazaki film are its lush
detailed landscapes and its thoughtfulness in tackling serious themes
such as war, man versus nature, and identity.
"Firstly they are
very beautiful and emotionally very honest," says animation scholar
Helen McCarthy. "Audiences everywhere can relate to that."
"Secondly,
they are many-layered so that children can enjoy them, but people at
later stages of life can also find meaning in them. And thirdly, they
are highly individual works of art."
Miyazaki's seminal films
Spirited Away (2001): A girl
embarks on a journey of self-discovery as she rescues her parents from
an evil spell. Won the Academy Award for Best Animated Feature in 2003. Princess Mononoke (1997): A warrior princess tries to save her beloved forest. One of Miyazaki's darker films featuring traditional Japanese myths. My Neighbour Totoro (1988):
Whimsical tale about two sisters who befriend a spirit. The film and
its characters, namely Totoro, have become pop culture icons. Nausicaa of the Valley of The Wind (1984): A princess tries to stop a brewing war in a post-apocalyptic world. Praised for its pacifist and environmentalist messages.
Instead
of animation's typical cardboard villains and knights in shining
armour, his works feature complex lead characters - in Spirited Away,
the heroine Chihiro starts out as a sullen cowardly child, while its
monster No-Face evolves from a timid needy spirit.
Leave a Comment