"In the history of animation...there are 2 figures, whose contributions to our art form have placed them above all others, the first is Walt Disney, the second is Hayao Miyazaki"
These were the word of John Lasseter - Chief creative director of Pixar at the 2014 Oscar governor's award , honouring Hayao Miyazaki. The second Japanese film maker to receive the award, it only adds to Miyazaki's long list of trophies, including multiple wins and nominations from the Japanese Acadamy award, the American Academy awards and the Golden Globe,with one of his most prominent work : "Spirited Away" - the highest grossing film of all time in Japan- being the first anime film to won the American Academy award. His latest feature film , "The wind rises" is to be his last swing at directing and making animation before his retirement, signifying the end of a spectacular and inspirational career.
It is true, Miyazaki and his Studio Ghibli, occupies a special place in the heart of many film and animation enthusiasts around the world, especially in the various generations of animator that came after him. But, how has he able to achieve this level of reputation and respect both in and outside of the animation industry, what is it that made him so special?
Perhaps it's the pure numbers of animated features he has directed, more than 12 after reaching the age of 75 ( what tenacity ! ), all of which came out to critical acclaims and commercial success, so much so that without any evidence to support it , I'm confident to say that Miyazaki has NEVER made a bad film, and that is quite an achievement for any directors.
Perhaps its his relatability, knowledge and contribution to the world of animation and art. Like the many pioneers of Disney, Miyazaki was never trained as an animator, or animator or even an artist. He began like many of us , like me , by drawing manga and comics and being inspired by the style of those that came before him, yet through years of experience and practice, has reach a level of understanding movement and character so detailed and polished that it has formed a level of standard for later animators to achieve. Drawing from the style of manga he was influenced from, which was called "Gekiga" or "dramatic pictures" which are keen to more serious storytelling hence more realistic movements, Miyazaki's characters lacks the flair and explosiveness that we see in modern anime . But for what they lack , they made up for in emotion, slow but realistic, subtle yet very expressive of the character they portrayed. For every movements , Miyazaki pour in the traits and personality of that character ,whether you're a young girl, fixing her shoes on by tapping it against the ground or a meticulous engineer with an eye for detail and carefulness, pulling his chair closer to the table and leaning in with his ruler, or two young children playing around their new house. Its these types of subtleness that are taken for granted so much in the modern anime industry, and are what gives Miyazaki's work an emotional complexity that is rarely matched by other and set his works apart .This of course isn't limited to the character alone , but bleeds into every corners of every scenes, backgrounds and side characters alike, making you have an emotional attachment to things like a bath house full of spirits or cute fuzzball creatures that got 15 minutes of screen time. Details - character details , movement details , background details,pacing, timing and emotion,... that is what make Miyazaki films so amazing. But if we need a more general visualisation of this quality of animation, remember when I made a blog on Sakuga ? well then Miyazaki's films are basically a giant Sakuga compilation.
More over he altered the face of animation in the west , who stereotypical view even til this day is that animation is still for children only , and therefor should be stylised as such. Miyazaki wasn't afraid to touch on controversial and emotionally complex subjects which more than often is slides beneath a mask of fantasy and fiction. From prostitution, to human greed to war, he was as a controversial figure and an activist as he is in real life. Yet, a special thing about Miyazaki's stories are , there are no apparent good or evil. There's never a clear objective for the audience to root for one side or denounce the other, but instead build a world that is very much realistically black and white, where the main characters have flaws and desires and the antagonists have a noble purpose. This in the end created a story that is not only logically sound but extreme interesting to dissect and analyse
Perhaps it's the pure numbers of animated features he has directed, more than 12 after reaching the age of 75 ( what tenacity ! ), all of which came out to critical acclaims and commercial success, so much so that without any evidence to support it , I'm confident to say that Miyazaki has NEVER made a bad film, and that is quite an achievement for any directors.
Perhaps its his relatability, knowledge and contribution to the world of animation and art. Like the many pioneers of Disney, Miyazaki was never trained as an animator, or animator or even an artist. He began like many of us , like me , by drawing manga and comics and being inspired by the style of those that came before him, yet through years of experience and practice, has reach a level of understanding movement and character so detailed and polished that it has formed a level of standard for later animators to achieve. Drawing from the style of manga he was influenced from, which was called "Gekiga" or "dramatic pictures" which are keen to more serious storytelling hence more realistic movements, Miyazaki's characters lacks the flair and explosiveness that we see in modern anime . But for what they lack , they made up for in emotion, slow but realistic, subtle yet very expressive of the character they portrayed. For every movements , Miyazaki pour in the traits and personality of that character ,whether you're a young girl, fixing her shoes on by tapping it against the ground or a meticulous engineer with an eye for detail and carefulness, pulling his chair closer to the table and leaning in with his ruler, or two young children playing around their new house. Its these types of subtleness that are taken for granted so much in the modern anime industry, and are what gives Miyazaki's work an emotional complexity that is rarely matched by other and set his works apart .This of course isn't limited to the character alone , but bleeds into every corners of every scenes, backgrounds and side characters alike, making you have an emotional attachment to things like a bath house full of spirits or cute fuzzball creatures that got 15 minutes of screen time. Details - character details , movement details , background details,pacing, timing and emotion,... that is what make Miyazaki films so amazing. But if we need a more general visualisation of this quality of animation, remember when I made a blog on Sakuga ? well then Miyazaki's films are basically a giant Sakuga compilation.
More over he altered the face of animation in the west , who stereotypical view even til this day is that animation is still for children only , and therefor should be stylised as such. Miyazaki wasn't afraid to touch on controversial and emotionally complex subjects which more than often is slides beneath a mask of fantasy and fiction. From prostitution, to human greed to war, he was as a controversial figure and an activist as he is in real life. Yet, a special thing about Miyazaki's stories are , there are no apparent good or evil. There's never a clear objective for the audience to root for one side or denounce the other, but instead build a world that is very much realistically black and white, where the main characters have flaws and desires and the antagonists have a noble purpose. This in the end created a story that is not only logically sound but extreme interesting to dissect and analyse
But for me personally, Miyazaki most inspiring trait is his artistry and his dedication to his craft. He worked in the studio up until his retirement form 11am to 9pm, drawing every single frame of storyboard in all of his animated features, each of them done with care and a incredible attention to detail. What he doesn't do personally, he supervise on , whether that is music, background and other artists working alongside him, which probably make him one of the hardest working director in the history of cinema. He is strict but on the notion of perfecting every single detail, wether its 2 frames or a whole scene. Moreover , his creative practice is something to admire, as he works with no script in hand, planning out the story as he is doing the storyboard, with the staff animating alongs, so much so that sometime almost all of the animation has been finished while the storyboard isn't done yet !This enable him to have creative freedom on every aspect of the story , to change it as he please and to turn each scenes , in his words , into a "pivotal moment". This is something to truly be inspired from , Miyazaki insisted on taking the long route, and more than often are hard on himself and his fellow animator, but it is that strive for absolute perfection and creativity that make his film just so unique and fresh, while all in all just keeping getting better and better and better with ever increasing movement , characters and scenery , and is what makes so many people look up to him.
With Miyazaki's retirement, we see the end of a legend, but the impact he has made on the industry and community remains strong with his films ever inspiring new generations of animator. His technical ability, understanding of humanity and his dedication to the art are something that every animator/film maker should be aspired to. To close this off , I think this is a perfect quote that truly highlight Miyazaki's philosophy , as well as the core of what many of us who are inspired and learned from him wants :
I would like to make a film to tell children "it's good to be alive"
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