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AGE
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Hayao Miyazaki:
The Art of Anime
Eli Kay
Writer
Animator Hayao Miyazaki brought
about a new view on the way the
people of the United States see anime.
Miyazaki’s childhood dream was
to be an animator, a mangaka and
illustrator.
He would end up being one of the
most successful directors, animators,
producers and screenwriters of his
time.
He began his career in animation in
1963 when he joined Toei Animation.
At Toei Animation he worked as an
in-between artist on “Watchdog Bow
Wow” and anime “Wolf Boy Ken.”
In 1965, he didn’t find the ending of
“Gulliver’s travels beyond the moon”
quite satisfying, he pitched his own
idea for an ending and managed to get
it featured in the finished film.
That gained him recognition, not
only as an animator, but as a concept
artist.
It gave him the opportunity to work
on more projects like “Hols: Prince
of the sun”, “Puss in Boots” (1969),
“Flying Phantom Ship” and “Animal
Treasure Island”.
Miyazaki joined A Production,
currently known as Shin-Ei Animation,
in 1971 where he worked as a director
as well as an animator.
He worked on short films like “Lupin
III” and two “Panda! Go, Panda!”
In 1974, he worked on World
Masterpiece Theatre as an animator,
working on the adaptation of “Heidi”
into the animated series “Heidi, Girl of
the Alps”.
Miyazaki directed “Future Boy
Conan” (1978) This became the base
for many of the director’s concepts and
ideas.
Miyazaki’s passion for strong,
independent female characters who
are in touch with nature and destined
for great things, showed through
his acclaimed project “Princess
Mononoke.”
The film gained international
recognition when Miramax decided to
release it in the West. It was the first
animated feature that won Picture
of the Year at the Japanese Academy
Awards.
In 2001, Miyazaki returned to the
spotlight with “Spirited Away,” a film
that became successful worldwide.
It topped Japanese Box Office sales
for “Titanic” and won a Japanese
Academy Award. It was also the first
anime to win an American Academy
Award.
Miyazaki’s success was recognized.
The theme of his films always had
elements of nature, the relationships
of the main characters with each other
and with the creations of Mother
Nature, as well as an internal struggle
in the character’s psyche, sometimes
resulting in a battle of good and evil
within the self.
“Spirited Away” was followed by
“Howl’s moving castle” and “Ponyo,”
both of which are stories of courage,
love and friendship. Miyazaki also
wrote the screenplay for “The secret
world of Arrietty.”
Miyazaki’s career has been six
decades long and he has been compared
to legendary American animator
Walt Disney and the brilliant British
animator Nick Park.
Miyazaki is one of the most
influential and creative animators and
writers in the history of anime.
Miyazaki announced his retirement
in 2013.