Director Hayao Miyazaki (宮崎駿, 83), a master of animation, won the 96th Academy Award for his retirement film ‘How Will You Live (2023)’, becoming the second Oscar winner.
NHK reported that Director Miyazaki once again won the Best Picture Award in the feature-length animation category on the 10th (local time) following ‘Spirited Away’ in 2003.
The award-winning film ‘How Will You Live’ (hereinafter referred to as ‘You’) is a work that Director Miyazaki made even after reversing his announcement of retirement. He was directly responsible for the original work and screenplay, spending about seven years on it. The film tells the story of a boy who loses his mother during the Pacific War and ends up wandering into a mysterious world.
‘You’ is highly acclaimed internationally. It was the first Japanese film to win the Best Animated Film award at the Golden Globe Awards, also known as the prelude to the Academy Awards, as well as the British Academy Awards.
◇Painting peace with childlike innocence
Capture of a scene from Studio Ghibli’s animation ‘My Neighbor Totoro (2001).’ (Provided by Ghibli) 2024.03.11/AFP commented that director Miyazaki “captivated viewers of all ages with his amazing imagination,” and that since his debut in 1979, “he has created a fan base by depicting nature and machines in fantastic detail.”
Director Guillermo del Toro, who produced ‘Pinocchio (2022),’ told the New York Times (NYT) that he “shed tears of emotion” after watching ‘My Neighbor Totoro.’ “He could not stop crying at the beauty and incredible feat of capturing the innocence of childhood,” he said. “It is very wrong to describe him as the Disney of the East.”
While creating lovable characters such as Totoro and Ponyo, Director Miyazaki himself complained of the pain of creation and announced his retirement several times.
A scene captured from Studio Ghibli’s animation ‘Ponyo on the Cliff (2008).’ (Provided by Ghibli) 2024.03.11/In an interview with the French press, he said that when he creates a work, he “begins to descend into the well of unconsciousness.” Then, the lid at the bottom of the brain opens and a new direction emerges,” he said, but he said it was better not to open the lid because “it could cause problems in family and social life.”
However, the works created through suffering became one of Japan’s greatest cultural exports and elevated him to the rank of master.
Director Miyazaki’s films are characterized by rich descriptions of nature, independent female protagonists, and the frequent appearance of flying objects. Representative examples include ‘The Red Pig (1992)’, ‘Nausicaä of the Valley of the Wind (2000)’, ‘Laputa: Castle in the Sky’ (2004), and ‘The Wind Rises (2013)’.
The reason the animation studio is named ‘Studio Ghibli’ is because there is a military plane of the same name. Ghibli is an Italian word derived from the Arabic word for the hot wind of the Sahara Desert, and symbolizes the desire to breathe new life into the world of animation.
◇The ‘anti-war’ belief that runs through life and work
A scene from Studio Ghibli’s animation ‘Red Pig (1992)’. (Provided by Ghibli) 2024.03.11/Director Miyazaki is a prominent progressive figure even in Japan. He also criticized the Prime Minister without hesitation. He criticized Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, who tried to revive the right to collective self-defense by revising the 2015 National Security Act, saying, “I think I want to leave my name in history as a great person who changed the interpretation of the Constitution, but that is foolish.”
He also told Britain’s Guardian: “We must free our children from nationalism.” According to the nationalist perspective, the world’s problems stem from multi-ethnicity, and this way of thinking leaves room for the beloved mother country to be seen as a negative entity in the world. He emphasized, “This is a lesson we learned from the last war and one that should not be forgotten.”
Capture of a scene from Studio Ghibli’s animation ‘Mononoke Hime (1997).’ (Provided by Ghibli) 2024.03.11/His firm belief in anti-war came from his childhood experiences. Director Miyazaki criticized his father, saying he was a man who profited from the war but was shameless. His father ran a munitions factory that produced wings for the Japanese fighter plane known as the ‘Zero’ during World War II. Then, when the bombing hit their hometown of Utsunomiya, the family had to hurriedly flee in their father’s car. Since then, Miyazaki has grown up witnessing rapid modernization and rapid urban expansion.
The NYT analyzed that the reason why Japanese people are attracted to director Miyazaki’s work is because it “essentially evokes nostalgia,” and that “there is a longing and a faint sadness for an old Japan without imperialist arrogance and Western materialism.”
Source: Donga
Mark Jones is a world traveler and journalist for News Rebeat. With a curious mind and a love of adventure, Mark brings a unique perspective to the latest global events and provides in-depth and thought-provoking coverage of the world at large.