The Japanese Walt Disney

Well, it’s early in the morning and I’m still trying to wake up as I recall the four years of Japanese I took in high school. This guy, Hayao Miyazaki, has been one of my all-time favorite artists since I was a little kid. He’s produced numerous animated films such as

·         Future Boy Conan (1978)

·         Lupin the Third: The Castle of Cagliostro (1979)

·         Nausicaa of the Valley of the Wind (1984)

·         Princess Mononoke (1997)

·         My Neighbor Totoro  (1988)

·         Kiki’s Delivery Service (1989, and my personal favorite)

·         Spirited Away (2001)

·         Howl’s Moving Castle (2004)

to name a few. Miyazaki also draws and writes manga (Japanese comic books) on the side.

He began his film career in 1965 at the age of twenty three. Miyazaki worked at the Toei Douga Studio until his partnership with Isao Takahata which moved him to the Pro A Studio. Little time was spent there as he moved on to Nippon Animation, where he recorded his first film.

Miyazaki’s incredible art drew the eyes of many fans. His movies became more popular and he was eventually forced to open his own studio for convenience. Studio Ghibli has now become the most famous Japanese filming studio throughout the world. At the end of many films, Miyazaki has said that this has been his last, but he keeps making more. I hope for the sake of Japanese-nerds like me that he will continue his film career till the last days of his life. 

                   

A scene from My Neighbor Totoro.



Kiki's Delivery Service.