Hayao Miyazaki
 

Well, now that I'm laid up at home for a while after having minor surgery on my foot (I had half a needle embedded in it, WEAR YOUR SLIPPERS, FOLKS!)
I finally decided to start this thread...

This is my family's latest addiction. For those of you who don't know who Miyazaki is, he's a Japanese animator, considered by some to be the Japanese Disney, although that's not a completly accurate comparison. And I really wouldn't consider this stuff to be Anime either. He's truly in a class all his own.

Disney bought the rights to most or all of his films and has been re-releasing them with new American dubs with well-known American actors, under the strict condition that the films not be altered.

The animation is beautiful. Amazing! Most of the themes are environmental, with nature not being so willing to let man walk all over it! Also lots of magic, since Shinto gods and spirits play heavily in a lot of these. His latest, Howl's Moving Castle, is more of a romance/adventure sort of thing.

I watch all the films with my five-year old daughter, and she has taken to "playing Princess Mononoke" or "playing Spirited Away" in the yard with my husband, which is really funny. I keep wondering if she's going to have a hard time in Kindergarten when she want to do the same and she tells the boy that he's going to play "A****aka"! :laugh:

Anyway, for those of you who know nothing about these films, TRY THEM! Especially if you have kids. These are our favorites:

Spirited Away (#1 grossing film of all time in Japan)

Princess Mononoke (More violent and with disturbing imagry than the others, but what a FABULOUS movie! Watch it first before the kids do just so you know what you're getting into. If you don't have kids, JUST WATCH IT!)

My Neighbor Totoro (Very kid friendly. Family moves to the country, only to find out that there are fuzzy spirits living in the nearby forest. LOVE the cat bus!)

Howl's Moving Castle (I had to watch it a couple times to get my head around the story, but it's very sweet. And the castle animation is AMAZING!

Anyone else love this guy?

I've never heard of him, but had to stop and say, OW- I hope you feel better and heal quickly. :xoxo:

I've never seen them, but I knit a Totoro hat for a friend. So cute!

Thanks! I'm actually feeling pretty good. Just amazing that my "splinter" became such a big fat hairy deal! :laugh:

And now that you HAVE heard of him, try one of the movies! They are so different and original, not the same freaking retreads that Disney keeps trotting out over and over.

Another cool thing is that almost all his movies feature strong young girl lead characters. Wonderful for my little girl to watch!

Totoro is actually the first one we saw. I think it was TCM who had a Miyazaki month a few months back. My husband and I like animation anyway, so we actually wanted to watch it, with my daughter in the background going, "This is bo-ring!" But within 15 minutes she was totally sucked into Totoro!

Did you have a Totoro patch or did you actually knit him into the pattern? I'm amazed at how much Totoro gear there is out there! Go to Ebay and search "Totoro, -DVD"...holy crap!

yeah, I've been pretty into him for a bit. :wavey: I saw spirited away first, though.

I modified this pattern. My digital camera crapped out right before I gifted it so I never took a picture of mine. So cute.

Oh man, that is cute!

And for the rest of you here is Totoro from my favorite scene in the movie (he's the big furry one).

And here's the cat bus:

That's my favorite scene too, plus the scene where they're dancing around the seed patch trying to make the acorns grow.

I stumbled into these as well. I watch every one I can get my hands on. Turner Classic Movies (TCM) has been showing them on Fridays at 1:00 AM central time. They showed Princess Mononoke last week, and Castle in the Sky the week before (have you seen that one?). I haven't checked this week's schedule yet, but I can't wait.

EDIT: http://www.turnerclassicmovies.com/t...ticleId=133235 This week it's Whisper of the Heart. And looks like this is the last one! :(

Another good one, not sure if it's Miyazaki or not, is Akira. It's more PG-13 like Mononoke, but still pretty family-friendly. And a great creepy story and visuals.

Wait - Akira isn't family friendly! It's pretty violent. Don't you think? I remember feeling a bit squeamy at some parts.

Have you seen Spirited Away yet? Oh, man. The dragon/water visuals at the end...*the whole thing, really* Mesmerizing. It's all perfectly creepy, and beautiful.

That acorn scene is cute! I just love the scene in the rain because it's so beautifully done! So lush and green!

I saw Castle in the Sky when Cartoon Netwook was showing them for a month (I guess all the cable channels are taking their turn!) Actually I fell asleep during part of it, buit I still didn't think it was as good as some of the others. I felt the same way about Nausicaa...it's hard for me to warm up to big bugs!

I've heard of Akira...really one of the classic Animes I think, though I've never seen it. But I dig creepy, so now I'll have to check it out.

I really think Mononoke is my favorite! Again the beautiful forest scenes, the way the nightwalker is animated...and I love Gillian Anderson as Moro the Wolf God. Apparently the character was a man in the first Japanese version, but I think Moro as a woman, taking in the abandoned San, works better.

Thanks for this edit! I've been meaning to see this one. I don't think it's Miyazaki but it is Studio Ghibli (the company that puts these out in Japan). And its sequel, The Cat Returns, IS Miyazaki.

Can you tell I've been doing my research...:p

I'll still check it out, but like with Mononoke, I'll watch it first to determine if my daughter woul A) be interested in it and B) can handle it. Thanksfor the warning, though!

Truly. It's usually the one I start people out on if they're hanging out at the house. When I first put it on I get polite eye rolls, but usually by the time the Stink Spirit appears people are hooked.

You know Yubaba is Suzanne Pleshette, right? Nice.

You're right - I just re-read Sugar's post, and I wouldn't recommend Akira for a 5 year-old. :laugh: But it's more psychologically violent than Mononoke, which has dismemberments in the first 10 minutes and all those awful bloody battle towards the end, so... :shrug:

But Akira has a good overall message, some redeeming characters, etc. - so it's not like it's violence or terror just for the sake of it. Like you said, Sugar, watch it first before showing it to the kiddies.

You're welcome - I hate that those channels (AMC and TCM) both have "Classic" and "Movies" in their names. I'm forever getting them mixed up!

Actually it was my husband that let her watch the violent scenes before I did. They're pretty fleeting, and sometimes you don't even notice exactly what's going on in them because there's so much going on in the shot. But I had to laugh when she watched the scene where the guy's arms get cut off and I'm thinking "oh ****!" She starts to laugh and says, "Mommy, how's that guy gonna eat now?" :laugh:

:lol: Oh, that's priceless and right at the top of the cuteness scale.

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0094625/

I just looked Akira up after what Amber said, and I think she was right. But for some reason I don't remember a lot of "graphic violence and brief nudity" like the synopsis says.

I guess it's true what they say about becoming desensitized to sex and violence. :lol:

I think Spirited Away is easily his masterpiece, just for pure inventiveness and sheer beauty, but Howl's Moving Castle is a close second.
Where's David? Has he an opinion on the fantastic Mr Miyazaki I wonder.

Mononoke is up there too. Amazing that it was supposed to be his masterpiece and he retired, and THEN got pulled out of retirement to do Spirited Away. And I thought he retired after that too and got pulled out again for Howl. He should call Christine McVie. :laugh:

The animation of the castle in Howl is just so beyond any of his previous animation. Spirited Away is just such a beautiful story with so many beautiful themes woven throughout. Mononoke is fierce and complex. The tree spirits, I think, are pure genius, and the whole ending, especially the music, is just so brilliant.

I'm still so smitten with all of them!

I totally agree, his work puts Disney et al to shame (bar Pixar that is). The Moving Castle is a work of genius, it's fascinating to watch, but Spirited Away is more spellbinding as a story I think.
I love Mononoke too, it was the first Miyazaki I ever saw. I almost registered as Princess Mononoke you know!

I'm a huge Miyazaki fan, both for his series and movies, they're contant souce of deep feelings for me. One of the best things in Venice was to get his autograph. I'm really happy he' s starting a new film.

Romy

Wow, how was he in person?

New film? I've not heard this. Do you know any details?

Did you like Ghost in the Shell? I thought it was very visually arresting.

He's very witty, humble self ironic, and kind. About the new movie, nobody knows much yet. He just said in an interview with a Japanese TV a couple of weeks ago that he's starting to work on a new movie but he didn't want to say more.

About Akira it's from the other genius of Japanese animation, Katsuhiro Otomo. I wouldn't say it's family friendly, but after the first violent impact it shows how deep and nuanced it is. Otomo's latest movie Steamboy (2004) is very beautiful too. It's a mesmerizing ode against every war set at the start of 1900. Here's a very nice video from Youtube made by frankieh27229 with the movie images:



Romy

That's great that he was so affable in person. And yeah I was just looking on Google that he wouldn't say much about his new work. BUT THERE IS NEW WORK!!! That makes my day!

I love Miyazaki, and did get to see him in Seattle in a film fest. The backround paintings in his movies are incredible!
My favorites are: Laputa: "Castle in the Sky" and "Spirited Away". My son has been enjoying "My Neighbor Totoro" recently. I also like "Kiki's Delivery Service" just because I like anything with witches in it.


I am dying to go to this Studio Ghibli museum:http://www.tautoz.com/ghiblimuseum/photos/

Everybody--& I mean everybody--talks about Miyazaki on my movie forum, but I have never, sorry to say, seen a Miyazaki. In fact, I have never seen any anime all the way through. The few patches I've seen remind me of the animation style of the old Speed Racer, so I never got interested.

One of these days, I will give Spirited Away a try.

My eldest LOVES anime (books as well) and has tried on several occasions to get me to see this movie (to no avail) and I have to say it's extremely hard to get used to the style of animation, esp when youv'e grown up with the Hanna/Barbara ones all thru childhood. Also, I do find the anime plots ( mostly about good and evil, being a bit well...boring.. and almost annoying sometimes, although I appreciate you can say that Tom and Jerry were about that as well, sort of ) Some of the anime can be quite violent/sexual (as cartoons go) as already pointed out and that dosn't grip me either, but having said that, she enjoys them immensely and they've even helped her improve her art!

Again, I would hardly describe Miyazaki's movies as "anime," though I don't know the strict definition. The ones I've seen are not at all sexual and, aside from Princess Mononoke, are not violent. And Mononoke's violence is pretty fleeting. The characters are all complex, so that even the "bad guys" have likeable qualities. It's not black and white, good and bad. Really. This guy is in a class all his own.

I'm not certain which movie it is your daughter has been trying to get you to see, but yes, the animation style is what it is.

I would say, if you've got it in you, to start with Spirited Away. I think it's the most accessable and arguably his best.

Very cool! I swear when we first got "Totoro" my daughter watched it at least once a day! We have Kiki too, which is very cute and such a sweet story, but for some reason it doesn't always like to play on my DVD player. :confused: And Phil Hartman as the cat is just so cute (kinda sad too)!

And yeah, you just can't escape the unmitigated beauty in the scenes. Any of the Nightwalker scenes in Mononoke, Totoro's scene in the forest in the rain, the walk to Zeniba's in Spirited Away...I think I'm gonna go find some pretty scenes and post them...

Well color me shocked. :eek:

Really you should give it a shot. It can take a little bit of effort to get into the story lines sometimes and the prevalence of Shinto gods in many of his movies can really make it seem even more "foreign," though I hardly believe that to be a barrier for you. ;)

I would say Spirited Away or, if you find that one too soft, Princess Mononoke for you. The Disney dub of Mononoke also has a really strong cast: Minnie Driver, Claire Danes, Billy Crudup, Gillian Anderson, Jada Pinkett Smith, and even Billy Bob Thorton, which admittedly is a little strange as a little Japanese guy!:laugh:

From Spirited Away:

Multiple scenes from Spirited Away:

From Howl's Moving Castle:

Anime covers avery kind of Japanese animation, and as the term movie includes many genres, like manga. Miyazaki is definitely the best of his generation, but in Japanese tradition many others great animators and manga creators haven't been violent or used explicit sexual themes, starting with Osamu Tezuka, the first real anime creator, after the WWII, who was considered ther Japanese Walt Disney. Among his creations there were classics like "Astro Boy" and the beautiful "Kimba the White Lion". If you see them you could see how influential he was on Miyazaki.

David, to start with Miyazaki, I suggest you Porco Rosso, http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0104652/is set in Italy in the Thirties and the leading character is an antifascit pilot. I think you could like it, also for the hystoric background, is very well done, and the planes are spectacular.

Romy

I love Miyazaki so much that I spelled his name incorrectly - out of great love and respect for his humble nature:rolleyes: .
You have quoted me, and no editing can fix my error. sigh.



Phil Hartman was such a talented voice...when I recognized his voice as the cat, I was sad too.
I love the train ride in Spirited Away - so eery and beautiful!

^^^

Well, it's obvious you were thinking about Saki, which is a good thing. :)

I haven't seen all these. You have inspired me.

mmmmm saki! I really love that unfiltered saki, the kind they serve chilled. Oh, but I love the warm saki too. yummmmmm.:p