The master of Japanese animation is putting his pencils away. Hayao Miyazaki on Friday announced he’s retiring from feature films at the age of 72. He’s talked about retirement before, but the writer and director says his upcoming “The Wind Rises” will be his last film. Read more about his retirement and future plans at
deadline.com.The news is a fine excuse for his admirers to talk about Miyazaki’s best films, and hopefully make some new fans out of those who remain in the dark about his amazing talent. He’s a brilliant auteur with such imagination that the quality of his writing is surpassed only by his artistic ability. His signature is visible in every image he animates, any of which could be framed and hung on a gallery wall. From the tranquil forest scenes of “My Neighbor Totoro” to the under-the-sea universe of “Ponyo,” Miyazaki portrays the world so beautifully you could cry.
Unfortunately, I had little luck finding any Miyazaki films streaming online, but I encourage you – if you haven’t seen these five – to track down DVDs at the library or video rental store.
'Spirited Away' (2001)
Chances are, if you've seen a Hayao Miyazaki film, it's this one that earned him the Oscar for best animated feature in 2003. It has little in the way of star power in the voice roles, but the talented youngster Daveigh Chase and fantastic old broad Suzanne Plechette perform to perfection. The creative story and deeply developed characters are what makes this such a winner. You'll never forget every detail, this movie is that good.
Roger Ebert does a great job giving you the gist of the story and a taste of the animation.
'Princess Mononoke' (1997)
As it is with many of my favorite directors, ranking the top two movies is a challenge. I’ll put it this way: “Spirited Away” is Miyazaki’s best film, but “Princess Mononoke” is my favorite. It’s the story of an altruistic young warrior (Billy Crudup) who is forced into exile and finds himself embroiled in both sides of a battle of man vs. nature. Or, more accurately, woman vs. nature – Minnie Driver voices the antagonist you can’t help but sympathize with. Her enemy is a girl who was literally raised by wolves – the titular princess voiced by Claire Danes. This incomparable voice cast (which also includes Billy Bob Thornton, Gillian Anderson and Jada Pinkett Smith) is just part of what makes this film such a success. It’s complex, intelligent and deeply moving.
This fan-made trailer offers some good highlights from the action.
Howl’s Moving Castle (2004)
Although most of his works as a writer/director are original stories, Miyazaki produced a real winner with this adaptation of a young-adult novel by Diana Wynne Jones. It’s a fantasy love story about a sad young woman (Emily Mortimer) whose life is changed when an evil witch (Lauren Bacall) curses her for catching the eye of the handsome wizard Howl (Christian Bale). I’m always so affected watching this film because of its theme of letting your heart shine through whatever exterior the world sees. And I’m always so amused at the voice work of Billy Crystal as Howl’s heart, magically removed from his body.
Check out these clips from the film.
'Ponyo' (2008)
This is the only of Miyazaki’s films I’ve been lucky enough to see on the big screen, and of course it’s a visual feast. Geared more toward the younger set, the love story this time involves a little boy, Sosuke (voiced by one of the Jonas brothers) who rescues a goldfish who turns out to be the daughter of a sea goddess and a powerful wizard. She uses her father’s power to turn herself into a little girl but upsets the balance of nature in her quest to be with her love. It’s a sweet story about family, love and learning about the world.
Check out a great clip at
imdb.com.'My Neighbor Totoro' (1988)
Of all the characters Miyazaki has created in his career, Totoro has to be the most beloved. The plush toys inspired by the magical forest creatures are popular even today, and Totoro is the symbol of Studio Ghibli, the Japanese animation studio co-founded by Miyazaki. The film itself is another probably best appreciated by younger viewers, but I admire it for its ability to tell a moving story about two young sisters with sparse dialogue and little in the way of a plotline. When my nephew nears kindergarten age, I can’t wait to show him this film and see if he loves the super-cool kitten bus (just as it sounds, it’s a cat that’s also a bus) as much as I do. Someday I’m going to get a bed shaped like the giant Totoro on which baby sister Mei falls asleep, and my insomnia will be cured forever.
Also, the dust-bunny-like spirits of the house are so great they make a reappearance decades later as the coal-workers in "Spirited Away."
Here's what the other Prairie Nerds had to say:
Jason PowersMy first experience with Hayao Miyazaki was in 1997 when the art house movie theater I worked at in Denver decided to show "Princess Mononoke."
We screened it for ourselves as soon as it was out of the film cans and stitched together. It had an amazing cast for the English language dub, which was rare at the time.
Billy Crudup wasn't quite Billy Crudup yet, but Gillian Anderson was still hot from "The X-Files," Billy Bob Thornton had just done "Sling Blade" the year before, Minnie Driver had released both "Good Will Hunting" and "Grosse Pointe Blank" that same year, and Claire Danes was basking in the glow of "Romeo +Juliet."
It was one of the few Anime in the '90s put into semi-wide release based on the strength of the voice cast. After seeing it, I devoured everything Miyazaki had done previously (not an easy task back when the Internet was still in its infancy), and have kept up with him ever since.
I'm also now in an awesome position where my own kids are getting to the age where they can appreciate Miyazaki, so I'm slowly introducing a lot of his work to them. Thanks to "Ponyo," nobody in my household can open the lunch meat container without yelling "HAM!" at the top of our lungs.
Chris MooreMiyazaki films are those kinds of Japanese animations that are flat out polarizing. When talking, people don’t really regard them as standard anime. They are treated more like films; something of high class and higher quality.
For me, the most memorable one was Princess Mononoke. Near the end when the Forest Spirit begins to turn into the Nightwalker and lose it head. It is almost horrifying to see the oozing corruption wash over the land and kill every living thing. That is a moment that will surely last with me. His films were something else.
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