Hayao Miyazaki

3 min readAug 14, 2022

Hayao Miyazaki, born on 5 January 1941, is a director and animator who is well known for transporting audiences to magical realms through his films. He first started his career by joining Toei Animation in 1963 as an animator and directed his first film called ‘The Castle of Cagliostro’ in 1979. In 1984, Hayao Miyazaki co-founded Studio Ghibli and the first Ghibli film, ‘Castle In The Sky’ , was born in 1986. In our current world where there are a lot of animated films to choose from, Miyazaki’s work continues to stay relevant and loved by many even though it has been years since some of the films were released. However, what makes his films so special and what makes them stand out from others?

To start off, Miyazaki has an amazing imagination. With his imagination, he is able to create films that grasps the audiences’ attention through creative characters and storylines. He has a unique way of creating his films. Unlike others, he does not write a script. Instead he draws an image or a scene and lets it unfold itself. He gets his ideas by observing the mundane world around him and then adding it with life later on. His films usually show the world’s beauty that may be unnoticed by others if you are not observing enough.

His motivations in making his films seem to stem from his childhood where he experienced post- WW2 Japan. It is believed that the strong characters in his films could be a projection of who he wanted or wished to be as a person while the strong female characters seem to represent his mother who was strong and independent despite being sick. These female characters are not usually portrayed in Japanese animation, which makes these films stand out even more. These characters are, “caring and compassionate, independent, smart and inquisitive,” said Professor Susan Napier of Tufts University. Miyazaki also puts in positive messages in his films like anti-war and pro-environmental, which are considered quite rare at the time when he started.

Hayao Miyazaki believes that people should live their lives to the fullest and reflects that into his films where the spirit of the characters and the lives they lead are being shown through their movements, inspirations and motivations which makes them feel “alive”.

His works have inspired many people including animators like John Lasseter, who is the director of Toy Story. He mentioned that Hayao Miyazaki’s works always gives the people at Pixar a “shot of inspiration” and “Toy Story owes a huge debt of gratitude to the films of Mr. Miyazaki.” For the audiences on the other hand, his films may give positive, deep, personal messages that are conveyed through his works.

Personally, I find Miyazaki’s works comforting. They are like a bedtime story that I can go back to when I am feeling stuck in life, reminding me to take things slow and learn to observe the beauty around me, especially when my life feels mundane.

( 497 Words )

Citations:

A. (2020, July 16). Hayao Miyazaki | The Mind of a Master [Video]. YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1zi7jIZkS68&feature=youtu.be
S. (2018, January 20). The Miyazaki “Problem” (A Hayao Miyazaki Retrospective) [Video]. YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Rxjrw0Yv0ZA&feature=youtu.be
The influence and legacy of Hayao Miyazaki. (2014, February 6). Madman Entertainment. https://www.madman.com.au/news/the-influence-and-legacy-of-hayao-miyazaki/
BBC News. (2016, December 3). Hayao Miyazaki: Japan’s godfather of animation? https://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-38074088
Hayao Miyazaki | Ghibli Wiki | Fandom. (n.d.). Ghibli Wiki. https://ghibli.fandom.com/wiki/Hayao_Miyazaki

Pictures:

Hayao Miyazaki

Written by Raden Dian