Hayao Miyazaki and his movies

[thejboy88]

With the recent release of Hayao Miyazaki's final film, "The Wind Rises", as well as the subsequent announcement of his retirement, I thought it would be a good idea to start a thread about the guy and his work.

Miyazaki, often heralded with such titles as "the Walt Disney of Japan" has produced a slew of memorable animated films over the years, and while not all of them can be called massive hits, it's safe to say that his involvement has brought the medium of anime perhaps it's biggest successes, both within Japan and in foreign markets.

I would even go so far as to say that his work is perhaps as good as anime can ever be, at least as far as the movies are concerned.

So I would like you all to give your thoughts on the matter. What did you think of his films? What are your favourites? Do you agree with my and others high praise of him? And so on.

 

[Scarim Coral]

I have seen all of his film except for the newest one (I will definitely buy it on DVD) and loved most of them (Tales from Earthsea is my least favourite). Laputa: Castle in the sky, Spirit Away, Whisper of the Heart and Kiki Delivery Services are my favourites.

I won't be suprised if their films were to declined after his retirement as I kind of see it being natural in my own weird way given to Pixar film current decline from greatness.

 

[[Kira Must Die]]

I think he's alright.

Honestly though, I don't really care for a lot of his movies, or Studio Ghibli for that matter. I don't think they're bad movies, I just never been passionate about them or blown away. They're good (for the most part), but that's all I get out of them. They're nothing for me to talk about, and they never really stick with me like they do so many people. It's weird, because I always feel like I should like them. They're wildly original, weird, beautifully animated, and wonderfully orchestrated, but they're work has never grabbed me like it does so many people, no matter how many times I see them. I could never get into Spirited Away. Howl's Moving Castle I liked the first time but didn't like the other times I've seen it. I liked Princess Mononoke, Kiki's Delivery Service, and Castle of Cagliostro, though, but I didn't really like Ponyo nor Nassica and the Valley of the Wind. At the most I like his films, but even then they're never gonna be on any of my favorites lists.

I respect his work, but I've always been more into Satoshi Kon than Miyazaki.

EDIT: I just finished the Wind Rises. Overall I liked it, but I think I enjoyed some parts more than others. The dream sequences were interesting, and I did get kinda invested with the romance. Not a planes guy, though, so I didn't care much for the rest of the film, but the animation and the parts I liked I did really like.

 

[Johnny Novgorod]

I've watched all of his movies since Cagliostro (save for his final two, Ponyo and The Wind Rises) and I'm a big fan of the guy and his work. I'm sorry he's taken to retirement but at least the world knows it got all it could ever have from Miyazaki. I'm partial to his "smaller" movies like Totoro, Kiki and Porco Rosso. His bigger epics tend to be a bit lacking, movies like Nausicaa, Mononoke and Howl's Movin Castle lack a strong focus or narrative. But I'll always be in love with his style and the humanity of his films.

 

[SGT_Noobnuts]

I only ever watched his most famous works (phenomenally boring person that I am) and all I keep hearing is how it is really tough to find which of his two most famous movies is superior, Mononoke or Spirited Away.

Personally I think his best is Princess Mononoke myself. I found that (and this is going to sound a little weird and hard to explain) while I thought that Spirited Away is a really good film it is really kind of.......western? At least that was how I looked at it anyway. Whereas I found that Mononoke felt like it was more influenced by Japanese culture and as a result I could get into it a little more since it was more of a change of pace for me.

 

[ThatQuietGuy]

I find most of his films to be too... idealistic I guess fits, the animation is amazing don't get me wrong but I find the true love triumphs over all themes to be tiring at the best of times. Having said that Princess Mononoke and Spirited Away are definitely in my top 5 favorite animated movies.

 

[Sutter Cane]

With the recent release of Hayao Miyazaki's final film, "The Wind Rises", as well as the subsequent announcement of his retirement, I thought it would be a good idea to start a thread about the guy and his work.

Miyazaki, often heralded with such titles as "the Walt Disney of Japan" has produced a slew of memorable animated films over the years, and while not all of them can be called massive hits, it's safe to say that his involvement has brought the medium of anime perhaps it's biggest successes, both within Japan and in foreign markets.

I would even go so far as to say that his work is perhaps as good as anime can ever be, at least as far as the movies are concerned.

So I would like you all to give your thoughts on the matter. What did you think of his films? What are your favourites? Do you agree with my and others high praise of him? And so on.

He's claimed he's retiring so often that I'll have to see him actually stay away from animation to believe it. He's the Bret Favre of the animation industry.

 

[GundamSentinel]

He has a talent for the magical, more so than Disney, I feel. Sure he can sometimes be very idealistic and old-fashioned, but that's something I enjoy about his films. Watching any of them feels like expertly crafted nostalgia to me. Joe Hisaishi's music sure does help as well.

I also like his unwillingness to use black and white morality. From what I've heard, Miyazaki seems to dislike the idea that for everything bad that happens there is some specific thing you can blame.

I still haven't gotten around to watching all his films (I did recently see The Wind Rises and I thought it was amazing), but my favorite is still Laputa: Castle in the Sky.

 

[bartholen_v1legacy]

I have seen all of his film except for the newest one (I will definitely buy it on DVD) and loved most of them (Tales from Earthsea is my least favourite). Laputa: Castle in the sky, Spirit Away, Whisper of the Heart and Kiki Delivery Services are my favourites.

I won't be suprised if their films were to declined after his retirement as I kind of see it being natural in my own weird way given to Pixar film current decline from greatness.

Tales from Earthsea isn't by Hayao Miyazaki, it's by his son, Goro Miyazaki, and you're not alone in your opinion of it. It's usually considered the black sheep of the Studio Ghibli line of films. Whisper of the Heart was directed by Yoshifumi Kondo, who tragically passed away in a car accident only 3 years after the film was released.

OT: I worship the man's work. Probably 3 or 4 of his films would end up on my top 10 favorite movies ever list if you forced me to make one. No other director has made such adorable and whimsical yet natural and unforced films as Kiki's Delivery Service, Ponyo and My Neighbor Totoro, or brought such staggeringly beautiful visuals to the screen as Howl's Moving Castle or Spirited Away. Though he's had a couple of missteps during his Ghibli career, I'll still herald him as the supreme overlord of animated cinema until my dying breath.

Until Phil Lord and Christopher Miller decide to move exclusively into animated movies that is. Maybe then I'll have to rethink my stance.

 

[Laughing Man]

I can remember the exact moment I heard, and then got hooked on his movies. It was Jonathan Ross doing a review of Spirited Away on Film (insert year here (I can't remember the year)) anyway I was on some what of an Anime kick at the time and for whatever reason was looking for new stuff and to see a Movie review show being shown on a BBC channel and have it review an Anime and give it a glowing review as well, well I had to check it out and my god was it good, bloody good in fact.

For the most part all the Ghibli movies have been good save for Princess Mononoke, Nausicaa Valley Of the Wind (sorry I just couldn't get in to these two) and the most recent efforts have been pretty meh, Tales From Earthsea and Ponyo were kinda poo, in fact of the most recent Howl's Moving Castle was the last one I liked and I haven't seen Ocean Waves yet.

Saying that I didn't like Porco Rosso first time round but have grown to really love this film with sub sequent watches.

 

[Lilani]

Someone posted this article [http://www.salon.com/2014/06/23/dont_call_him_the_walt_disney_of_japan_how_animator_hayao_miyazaki_became_a_cultural_icon_by_doing_everything_pixar_doesnt/] on the Facebook page of my school's Japanese animation club, and I think it gives some great insight into Miyazaki's mindset both as a person and a creator. I've never done much research on the man as a person, but this article really wants me to do just that.

He actually resents modern technology quite a bit: in the past he's said he sees the use of iPads as a form of public masturbation. About environmental destruction and its impact on society, he's quoted as saying, ?I?m hoping I?ll live another thirty years. I want to see the sea rise over Tokyo and the NTV tower become an island. I?d like to see Manhattan underwater. I?d like to see when the human population plummets and there are no more high-rises, because nobody?s buying them. I?m excited about that. Money and desire ? all that is going to collapse, and wild green grasses are going to take over.?

It certainly explains a lot about his themes. Even in Howl's Moving Castle, which lacks a lot of the overt environmentalism his other films have, the automobiles aren't exactly shown as clean or elegant forms of travel. Only the flying machines lack those huge plumes of smoke and loud, shuddering internal combustion engines. It also puts his friendship with Pixar co-founder John Lasseter into a more interesting light. Lasseter loves cars, his animation company was founded by Steve Jobs, and he is one of the people to blast 3D animation into the stratosphere to overshadow 2D. Yet somehow they have become best buds.

A great read for any Miyazaki fan, or even just a person interested in peeking into the mind of a typically reclusive creative mastermind.

 

[Theminimanx]

I'm mostly indifferent of them. I enjoyed both Mononoke and Spirited Away, although both had problems that could be easily solved. I liked The Wind Rises as well, though I didn't really understand what it was about. But then again, I absolutely HATE Ponyo, and his constant environmentalist messages can get tiring.

 

[Lovely Mixture]

I find his films mostly overrated and the man himself to be pretentious and bitter.
His fims go over the same messages and he tries to put his works over others by insisting that they aren't "anime"

That said, some of his works are well-done.

 

[Squilookle]

I have seen all of his film except for the newest one (I will definitely buy it on DVD) and loved most of them (Tales from Earthsea is my least favourite). Laputa: Castle in the sky, Spirit Away, Whisper of the Heart and Kiki Delivery Services are my favourites.

I won't be suprised if their films were to declined after his retirement as I kind of see it being natural in my own weird way given to Pixar film current decline from greatness.

Earthsea and Whisper of the Heart weren't Hayao Miyazaki films. Studio Ghibli, yes, but not Hayao Miyazaki.

 

[crazygameguy4ever]

I've seen quite a few of his films and while their good ,they all seem the same.. in terms of tone i mean.. as for his retirement.. i wouldn't say this is his final retirement, he's retired before, 6 times now and always come back. he's already working on a manga series, so it won't be long before he's working on another anime film. most likely he'll come back from retirement (yet again) and someday he'll die while working on another anime film.

 

[BloatedGuppy]

This is like the third or fourth time Miyazaki has 'retired' and then returned to helm or contribute to a new project. While there will eventually be a last time, there will always be a part of me that doesn't fully believe the guy is done.

He peaked years back with Spirited Away/Princess Mononoke. Latter efforts like Ponyo or Howls have been solid if unspectacular entries. Still...one of the finest film makers of all time, IMO. National treasure.

 

[V4Viewtiful]

My fav of his was Castle of Cagliostro but that's because I've seen the film what it was based on and I 'm a Huge Lupin III fan. He has one of the best grips on female characters than most directors but then again in animation it's surprisingly easier (no really, think about).

 

[templar1138a]

Miyazaki is pretentious and overrated.

I've seen Spirited Away, Howl's Moving Castle, parts of Princess Mononoke, and that one with the pig pilot. In all of them, I noticed several annoying things.
1. They all felt at least twice as long as they actually were. That's a BAD thing. Ideally, a movie should feel half an hour longer or shorter than it is, depending on the pacing you want.
2. Most of the characters who were women (who were supposed to look like typical young women or girls anyway) wore blank, dead faces. I have a high-functioning form of autism, and even I was bothered by how little they conveyed through their faces.
3. That god damn audible breathing! You know what I'm talking about. Those stupid little dramatic sighs that only filled time and were probably used as a means of expression to compensate for point 2.

Based on what others have been saying about Miyazaki's history of retirement, it looks like he won't retire until he's dead. And then I'll audibly breathe a dramatic sigh of relief.