Japanese Anime: Hayao Miyazaki

"... Those who know and love the films of Studio Ghibli are well aware of their uncompromising beauty and poignancy. In all their films, nature is depicted with a careful and intricate hand: images of lush swathes of rolling green, age-old forests home to fantastic creatures, and delicate fluttering flowers grace our screens. The attention to detail reflects Miyazaki’s great respect for the natural world, and indeed, a theme of environmentalism, or at least of ecological consciousness, emanates from his works ..."

"Hayao Miyazaki – Japanese filmmaker, animator, and co-founder of Studio Ghibli. If I mention his name to many of my peers, we will instantly launch into a discussion of our favourite Studio Ghibli films. From the childhood classic My Neighbour Totoro to the more serious Princess Mononoke to Oscar-winning Spirited Away, it seems like everyone has a favourite ... "

"It’s hard not to think about climate change without growing overwhelmed by a deep existential dread. It’s an issue so dire, so terminal, yet we feel so powerless to do anything about it. This deep frustration seeps into our popular culture as countless films, TV shows and novels reflect our growing anxiety over the future of the planet and the survival of our species. Yet what makes Studio Ghibli co-founder Hayao Miyazaki’s (“Spirited Away”) approach so unique is that his works capture both the anxieties over climate change and critique of our relationship with nature, but also promote a deeply optimistic view of the future: Reconciliation with the natural world is possible ... "

"The best directors of all time are very well-known by almost each and every movie fan across the world, with the likes of Alfred Hitchcock, Steven Spielberg and Stanley Kubrick being synonymous with top-quality filmmaking. Though, the very best names in the field of animation are lesser known, with Pixar’s John Lasseter, anime master Satoshi Kon and the Studio Ghibli icon Hayao Miyazaki helping to make the medium vibrant and world-renowned ... "

One of the first side trips animation master Hayao Miyazaki took upon arriving in Los Angeles was a tour of the animation studios at The Walt Disney Company. "I love watching my colleagues at work," he says with a tranquil smile. It is a fitting, if ironic, start to the American visit of a man whom younger disciples of the art form around the globe regard with awe-like reverence. The directors of Disney's animated film "Mulan" remarked in a recent tribute that "Miyazaki is like a god to us." Over at Pixar, the studio responsible for the animated features "Toy Story" and "a bug's life," the feeling is similar. "When we have a problem," director John Lasseter has said, "we often watch a copy of one of Mr. Miyazaki's films for inspiration. And it always works. We come away amazed and inspired."