"Actually I think CGI has the potential to equal or even surpass what the human hand can do. But it is far too late for me to try it."
HAYAO MIYAZAKI
(1941- ) Born January 5, Tokyo, Japan) Born January 3, Rome, Lazio, Italy
Key Production Country: Japan
Key Genres: Animation, Anime, Fantasy, Fantasy Adventure, Children's/Family, Adventure, Family-Oriented Adventure, Children's Fantasy
Key Collaborators: Joe Hisaishi (Composer), Takeshi Seyama (Editor), Atsushi Okui (Cinematographer), Toshio Suzuki (Producer), Yôji Takesighe (Production Designer), Sumi Shimamoto (Voice Actress), Ichiro Nagai (Voice Actor), Akio Otsuka (Voice Actor), Isao Takahata (Producer), Noboru Yoshida (Production Designer), Nizou Yamamoto (Production Designer), Kazuo Oga (Production Designer)
"Hayao Miyazaki is often called "The Japanese Walt Disney," but whether in style, substance, or sensibility, that myopic comparison ends beyond the two directors' shared vocation of animation. In common with many animators, Miyazaki began work on the sidelines, assisting in a series of animated TV shows and films, before his first feature, Arsene Lupin and the Castle of Cagliostro (1979)." - Joshua Klein (501 Movie Directors, 2007)
"Long acknowledged as Japan's preeminent animator and director, Hayao Miyazaki remained a cult figure to American devotees of "manga" (Japanese comic books) and "anime" (Japanese animated features) until the 1999 US release one of his undisputed masterworks, Princess Mononoke (1997). Acquired by Miramax and redubbed into English using a script by Neil Gaiman and the vocal talents of actors such as Claire Danes and Billy Crudup, Princess Mononoke introduced the richly crafted animation and superb storytelling to mainstream audiences." - Turner Classic Movies
"Hayao Miyazaki is regarded as one of the greatest creators of animated films, and his work certainly stands as some of the best the genre has to offer. Miyazaki began as a low-level animator for children's cartoons such as Gulliver's Space Travels, eventually becoming director and key animator on many films and series, including Future Boy Conan and The Castle of Cagliostro. He frequently collaborated with Isao Takahata, director of Grave of the Fireflies. Miyazaki and Takahata co-founded Ghibli Films, a name that would become synonymous with quality. - Jonathan E. Laxamana (Allmovie)
"There is little doubt about Hayao Miyazaki's status as Japan's premiere animator. After such devastating successes as Porco Rosso and Princess Mononoke, not even the lure of early retirement could keep the most famous founding father of Studio Ghibli from delivering what would become the most successful film of all time in Japan: Spirited Away." - Tom Mes (Midnight Eye, 2002)
"Over the last three decades, Miyazaki, and his company Studio Ghibli, have been behind some of the greatest masterpieces that animated film have ever seen, strange wonderful pictures that couldn't have come from anywhere or anyone else, and have broken out of love from just the hardcore anime fans to enchant audiences and cinephiles the world over. Western audiences have caught on more recently thanks to the patronage of Disney and Pixar chief John Lasseter, perhaps the only figure who can stand alongside Miyazaki in the animated world." - The Playlist (Indiewire, 2014)
"Long acknowledged as the preeminent animator and director in Japan, Hayao Miyazaki remained a cult figure to American devotees of 'manga' (Japanese comic books) and 'anime' (Japanese animated features) until the 1999 US release of his undisputed masterwork Princess Mononoke (1997)… Without being preachy, Miyazaki posits a delicate balance between nature and industrial progress and shows the effects if that balance tips too far in favour of one over the other. While his message may not be for everyone, there was no denying the power of his images." - Ted Murphy (The Hollywood.com Guide to Film Directors, 2004)
"I love his films. I study his films. I watch his films when I'm looking for inspiration." - John Lasseter
(1941- ) Born January 5, Tokyo, Japan) Born January 3, Rome, Lazio, Italy
Key Production Country: Japan
Key Genres: Animation, Anime, Fantasy, Fantasy Adventure, Children's/Family, Adventure, Family-Oriented Adventure, Children's Fantasy
Key Collaborators: Joe Hisaishi (Composer), Takeshi Seyama (Editor), Atsushi Okui (Cinematographer), Toshio Suzuki (Producer), Yôji Takesighe (Production Designer), Sumi Shimamoto (Voice Actress), Ichiro Nagai (Voice Actor), Akio Otsuka (Voice Actor), Isao Takahata (Producer), Noboru Yoshida (Production Designer), Nizou Yamamoto (Production Designer), Kazuo Oga (Production Designer)
"Hayao Miyazaki is often called "The Japanese Walt Disney," but whether in style, substance, or sensibility, that myopic comparison ends beyond the two directors' shared vocation of animation. In common with many animators, Miyazaki began work on the sidelines, assisting in a series of animated TV shows and films, before his first feature, Arsene Lupin and the Castle of Cagliostro (1979)." - Joshua Klein (501 Movie Directors, 2007)
"Long acknowledged as Japan's preeminent animator and director, Hayao Miyazaki remained a cult figure to American devotees of "manga" (Japanese comic books) and "anime" (Japanese animated features) until the 1999 US release one of his undisputed masterworks, Princess Mononoke (1997). Acquired by Miramax and redubbed into English using a script by Neil Gaiman and the vocal talents of actors such as Claire Danes and Billy Crudup, Princess Mononoke introduced the richly crafted animation and superb storytelling to mainstream audiences." - Turner Classic Movies
"Hayao Miyazaki is regarded as one of the greatest creators of animated films, and his work certainly stands as some of the best the genre has to offer. Miyazaki began as a low-level animator for children's cartoons such as Gulliver's Space Travels, eventually becoming director and key animator on many films and series, including Future Boy Conan and The Castle of Cagliostro. He frequently collaborated with Isao Takahata, director of Grave of the Fireflies. Miyazaki and Takahata co-founded Ghibli Films, a name that would become synonymous with quality. - Jonathan E. Laxamana (Allmovie)
"There is little doubt about Hayao Miyazaki's status as Japan's premiere animator. After such devastating successes as Porco Rosso and Princess Mononoke, not even the lure of early retirement could keep the most famous founding father of Studio Ghibli from delivering what would become the most successful film of all time in Japan: Spirited Away." - Tom Mes (Midnight Eye, 2002)
"Over the last three decades, Miyazaki, and his company Studio Ghibli, have been behind some of the greatest masterpieces that animated film have ever seen, strange wonderful pictures that couldn't have come from anywhere or anyone else, and have broken out of love from just the hardcore anime fans to enchant audiences and cinephiles the world over. Western audiences have caught on more recently thanks to the patronage of Disney and Pixar chief John Lasseter, perhaps the only figure who can stand alongside Miyazaki in the animated world." - The Playlist (Indiewire, 2014)
"Long acknowledged as the preeminent animator and director in Japan, Hayao Miyazaki remained a cult figure to American devotees of 'manga' (Japanese comic books) and 'anime' (Japanese animated features) until the 1999 US release of his undisputed masterwork Princess Mononoke (1997)… Without being preachy, Miyazaki posits a delicate balance between nature and industrial progress and shows the effects if that balance tips too far in favour of one over the other. While his message may not be for everyone, there was no denying the power of his images." - Ted Murphy (The Hollywood.com Guide to Film Directors, 2004)
"I love his films. I study his films. I watch his films when I'm looking for inspiration." - John Lasseter
Highly Recommended
Castle in the Sky (1986), My Neighbor Totoro (1988), Porco Rosso (1992), Princess Mononoke (1997), Spirited Away (2001), Ponyo (2008)
Recommended
Nausicaä of the Valley of the Wind (1984), Kiki’s Delivery Service (1989), The Wind Rises (2013)
Worth a Look
Lupin the Third: The Castle of Cagliostro (1979), Howl’s Moving Castle (2004)
IMDb profile
Castle in the Sky (1986), My Neighbor Totoro (1988), Porco Rosso (1992), Princess Mononoke (1997), Spirited Away (2001), Ponyo (2008)
Recommended
Nausicaä of the Valley of the Wind (1984), Kiki’s Delivery Service (1989), The Wind Rises (2013)
Worth a Look
Lupin the Third: The Castle of Cagliostro (1979), Howl’s Moving Castle (2004)
IMDb profile
