Saturday, January 5, 2019

Happy Birthday Hayao Miyazaki-san!

Happy Birthday Hayao Miyazaki-san!  Miyazaki-san is a master storyteller and co-founder of Studio Ghibli, still crafting traditional cel animation.  Miyazaki-san was chief animator and concept artist for Horus, Prince of the Sun (1968) directed by Isao Takahata.  He co-directed with Isao Takahata Lupin The Third Part I (1971-1972), the animated series based on Monkey Punch’s gentleman thief. Then, directed the animated series Future Boy Conan (1978).  In 1982, he wrote and drew his sci fi ecological manga Nausicaä of the Valley of the Wind.  He directed The Castle of Cagliostro (1979) which starred Lupin the Third.  In 1982, he wrote and drew his sci fi ecological manga Nausicaä of the Valley of the Wind.  Then, directed the film of Nausicaä of the Valley of the Wind in 1984.  He started his longtime colabration with the music of Joe Hisaishi with that film.  In 1985, he founded Studio Ghibili with Toshio Suzuki, Isao Takahata, and Yasuyoshi Tokuma.  He then directed Castle in the Sky (1986) and then  the classic My Neighbor Totoro (1988).  Miyazaki-san wrote Starting Point (1979-1996) which is insightful in his creative processes.  Highly recommended for anyone interested in animation and his work.  



In 1997, he wrote and directed Princess Mononoke, it’s English adaptation was written by Neil Gaiman.  It won the Japan Academy Prize for Picture of the Year.  Miyazaki-san then worked on Spirited Away (2001) which won the Academy Award for Best Animated Feature.  Also, in 2001, the Studio Ghibli Museum opened which featured many of the Studio Ghibli creations.  Next, he wrote and directed Howl’s Moving Castle based on the Diana Wynne Jones fantasy novel. Miyazaki-san continued his writings on animation with Turning Point: 1997-2008.  In 2009, Miyazaki-san wrote the manga Kaze Tachinu based on the story of Jiro Horikoshi, designer of the Mitsubishi A6M Zero fighter.  This was turned into the animated film The Wind Rises (2016) which was reported to be Miyazaki-san’s last film.  He was aware the Person of Cultural Merit in 2012.  He has worked on short films and displays for the Studio Ghibli Museum.  How Do You Live? is reported to be finished for 2020.  There was a documentary on Studio Ghibli in 2013, The Kingdom of Dreams and Madness.  A documentary, Never-Ending Man: Hayao Miyazaki was released in December 2018.  He was given the Academy Honorary Award in 2014 for his work in animation and cinema. Happy Birthday Hayao Miyazaki-san!  

#HayaoMiyazaki, #StudioGhibli, #MyNeighborTotoro, #SpiritedAway  

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