One of the Biggest Animation Movie Maker
Japan's godfather 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.
Miyazaki is regarded by many as the world's greatest living animator and an icon of Japanese popular culture.
In 2002, his work burst onto international screens with the ghostly animation "Spirited Away." It smashed box office records in Japan and earned him an Oscar for Best Animated Feature.
Setting up Studio Ghibli in 1985, the 70-year-old has made 18 animated features that fuse wild fantasy with more serious issues including environmentalism and feminism.
5 Miyazaki's Films
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Princess Mononoke
One of the best Miyazaki's movie of all time, there is a strong case that Princess Mononoke might sit in that prized top spot. Ranked 92% fresh by critics and 94% by fans, there is no denying the excellence on display in this 1997 animated release.
The movie follows a warrior named Ashitaka (who is banished) and heads into a land of spirits, gods, and other warriors and falls in love with a princess there.
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My Neighbor Totoro
My Neighbor Totoro is the Miyazaki movie that put the filmmaker on the map. Released in 1988. The movie is so iconic that the character of Totoro—the giant rabbit/cat hybrid thing—is the Studio Ghibli symbol.
The movie takes place in Japan after World War II and follows a small family in a rural village. The two daughters discover a magical world all around them, including new friends like Totoro.
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Howl's Moving Castle
Howl's Moving Castle was an Oscar-nominated animated film for Hayao Miyazaki and one that was well-deserved of that honor. Based on the book by Diana Wynne Jones, this Miyazaki movie tells the story of a girl named Sophie who is turned old through a magical spell, falling in love with a handsome wizard.
What makes the movie so spectacular is the beautiful imagined animation. It's possibly the most gorgeous movie of Miyazaki's career. It also proves to be deep, as the main story plays out with a backdrop of war.
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Spirited Away
Possibly the most popular of the Miyazaki movies for mainstream audiences is Spirited Away. Released in 2001, Spirited Away is Miyazaki taking on the themes of a classic fairy tale but doing it in a way that is wholly and completely unique. Spirited Away is about a girl named Chihiro and her parents, who are turned into pigs.
They end up in a universe that is completely the opposite of the world in which she came from. When she ends up forced to battle malevolent spirits, she realizes the horror and has to grow up fast in order to survive. The movie won the Oscar for Best Animated Feature and sits at the top of many fan's lists of the best Miyazaki movies.
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Castle In The Sky
Released in 1986, Castle in the Sky was the first Miyazaki movie produced by Ghibli Studio. The movie is also his first truly great film and is one of the most exciting and adventurous movies that the filmmaker ever created. The movie features two kids; a girl with the power to float in the air and a boy who wants to find the flying city of Laputa.
The two head off together on their adventure with evil government agencies and space pirates standing in their way. This might not be the most beautiful or artistic film he ever created, but this is Miyazaki thrilling audiences with one of the most entertaining stories of his long and successful career.