Miyazaki Hayao

Miyazaki Hayao (宮崎 駿) (born January 5, 1941) is one of the most famous creators of anime, or Japanese animated films.

Miyazaki was born in Tokyo. He is the creator of many popular anime feature films, as well as some manga. Although largely unknown in the west outside of animation circles until his 2002 Animated Feature Oscar, his films are almost without exception huge box-office and critical successes in Japan.

Nausicaä of the Valley of Wind was one of his first films as both script writer and director. He adapted it from his manga of the same name, which he had created two years previously. He later co-founded the animation film company, Studio Ghibli, and has produced most (if not all) of his subsequent work through it.

In 1997, Princess Mononoke (Mononoke Hime) became the highest grossing film of all time in Japan, until the later success of Titanic. Miyazaki retired after making Mononoke, intending it to be his last film as a director.

He came out of retirement after meeting the daughter of a friend who became the inspiration for Spirited Away (Sen to Chihiro no Kamikakushi), which was released in Japan in July 2001 and broke the attendance and box office records previously set there by Titanic, with over 23 million viewings and over 29,900 million yen of total gross earnings. It has received numerous film awards including the 2002 Academy Award for Best Animated Feature.

Miyazaki is currently finishing production on Howl's Moving Castle[?], an anime film adaptation of Diana Wynne Jones' fantasy book.

Filmography

(as director)

• The Castle of Cagliostro (Lupin III) - (ルパン三世カリオストロの城 Rupan sansei: Kariosutoro no shiro), 1979
• Nausicaä of the Valley of Wind - (風の谷のナウシカ Kaze no tani no Naushika), 1984
• Laputa: The Castle in the Sky - (天空の城ラピュタ Tenku no shiro Rapyuta), 1986
• My Neighbor Totoro - (となりのトトロ Tonari no Totoro), 1988
• Kiki's Delivery Service[?] - (魔女の宅急便 Majo no takkyubin), 1989
• Porco Rosso - (紅の豚 Kurenai no buta), 1992
• Princess Mononoke - (もののけ姫 Mononoke Hime), 1997
• Spirited Away - (千と千尋の神隠し Sen to Chihiro no Kamikakushi), 2001

(as producer)

• Grave of the Fireflies - (火垂の墓 Hotaru no Haka), 1988

External links

• Miyazaki Information at Nausicaa.net (http://www.nausicaa.net/miyazaki/miyazaki/)
• The Official Studio Ghibli Site (Japanese) (http://www.ntv.co.jp/ghibli/)