Miyazaki Hayao

A legendary figure in animation, Miyazaki is one of Japan’s most celebrated filmmakers. His films were once largely unknown to general Western audiences until the international release of Princess Mononoke (1997). Since then, his works have achieved global acclaim. Princess Mononoke was the first animated film to win Picture of the Year at the Japan Academy Prize, and Spirited Away (2001) won the Academy Award for Best Animated Feature.

Miyazaki began his career in 1963 at Toei Animation, where he worked as an in-between artist and later a key animator. At Toei, he met his lifelong collaborator Takahata Isao. The pair left Toei to work on various projects, including the Lupin III television series and the World Masterpiece Theater series (specifically Heidi, Girl of the Alps). Miyazaki directed his first feature film, The Castle of Cagliostro (1979), a Lupin III adventure. His success with the manga and subsequent film adaptation of Nausicaä of the Valley of the Wind (1984) led to the founding of Studio Ghibli in 1985.

At Ghibli, Miyazaki directed a string of critical and commercial hits, including Castle in the Sky (1986), My Neighbor Totoro (1988), Kiki’s Delivery Service (1989), and Porco Rosso (1992). Following the massive success of Princess Mononoke and Spirited Away, Miyazaki announced his retirement, only to return to direct Howl’s Moving Castle (2004) and Ponyo (2008). He announced his retirement again after The Wind Rises (2013), but returned once more to direct The Boy and the Heron (2023).

Miyazaki is a staunch pacifist and environmentalist, themes that permeate his work. His films often feature complex female protagonists, morally ambiguous antagonists, and a deep reverence for nature and flight. He has cited the horrors of World War II, which occurred during his childhood, as a major influence on his worldview.