The Cinema of Hayao Miyazaki

Book excerpt: THE CINEMA OF HAYAO MIYAZAKI Born on January 5, 1941 in Tokyo, Hayao Miyazaki is known as the 'Japanese Disney', a filmmaker as revered - and as popular - as Walt Disney or Steven Spielberg. Miyazaki, in short, is a true phenomenon in contemporary animation and in world cinema. Miyazaki's movies include Princess Mononoke, Spirited Away, Howl's Moving Castle, Laputa: Castle In the Sky and My Neighbor Totoro. Hayao Miyazaki may be the most talented fantasy filmmaker of his generation: not even the finest filmmakers of Hollywood can rival his films when it comes to creating fantasy worlds, and fantastical characters and events. Miyazaki has millions of fans around the world, not least among fellow animators and filmmakers, for whom he is a genius. What Hayao Miyazaki's films do is to bring you completely into a fantasy world that is instantly recognizable and familiar. It's as if these fantasy realms have always existed - very much like J.R.R. Tolkien's Middle-earth or Ursula Le Guin's Earthsea (both influences on Miyazaki). The visionary and magical elements are fused with the domestic and familial and social elements, so that it seems completely ordinary and believable that, say, flying machines soar overhead which have flapping wings like an insect, or that little white creatures pop up out of trees and make strange clicking noises. To write one hit animation movie is amazing, to write eleven is remarkable. To write and direct one spectacular animated picture is very impressive, to write and direct eleven features is unheard-of in the world of contemporary commercial animation. This new study considers all of his films and TV shows (and his manga work). It also includes chapters on Studio Ghibli on fellow director Isao Takahata Miyazaki's influences his contemporaries and colleagues his characters his movies' relation to Western animation (including the Walt Disney Company) his unmade films and his themes and motifs. Japanese animation, its production and style, some classics of anime, and digital animation are also explored. Includes quotes by Miyazaki; fans on Miyazaki; and resources. The second edition has been completely updated and revised. Fully illustrated. With filmography, bibliography and notes. 520 pages. ISBN 9781861713902. www.crmoon.com AUTHOR'S NOTE: I hope this book offers readers some new insights into the films of the incredible filmmaker Hayao Miyazaki, so they can go back and enjoy them all over again. I have looked at all of the key research for this book, which was begun years ago. I have focussed mainly on the movies themselves, exploring each one in detail. The book also includes technical info on animation, a chapter on the animation industry in Japan, and comparisons between Miyazaki's films and those in the West, including Walt Disney's work. There are chapters on the output of Studio Ghibli, and also Isao Takahata, Miyazaki's colleague."