Hayao Miyazaki

If the name mentioned in the title is completely alien to you, then you're very lucky; a bit like someone who would have yet to see Goodfellas or the Shawshank Redemption.

It is quite fair to say that most of us, in the western world, discovered japanese animated movies via the release of the fantastic Akira in 1988. This first contact with mangas (for the majority of people) was a bit of a slap in the face for it led to the realization that "cartoons" could be used as a media to bear all kind of storylines, even the darkest. And for a while, surfing on the successful wave initiated by this "pioneer" movie, a lot of Akira-like movies were brought to us implanting a false notion in our minds : Mangas were violent movies were teenagers kill each other, have sex, drink and fight demons in horrific bloodbaths. And, boy, that was Cool!
But there is way more to mangas than this and a whole world was waiting to be revealed. Miyazaki had been around all this time but we just hadn't seen him yet.
His work became known to us when, in 1997, Princess Mononoke was released in the cinema in Europe. The film was highly successful and, soon after, other Miyazaki movies came to us defining a new benchmark in animation. Originally, I only wanted to talk about Spirited Away, but in all fairness, all his movies deserves to be recognized. But why is that ?

First of all, Miyazaki's movies can be seen by people of all ages for there are many layers to their plots. If these stories of hidden spirits, demons, faeries and magicians could easily be labeled as "faerie tale stuff" thus destined to a young audience, adults will find themselves involved at some stage by another "layer" treating of a more serious and actual subject. Whether it's about War (Porco Rosso, Howl's moving castle), the defense of nature against pollution (Nausicaa, Princess Mononoke, Spirited away, My neighbour Totoro) or the path from childhood to adulthood (Spirited away), with Miyazaki there always is a message coupled with a genuine love for nature and people. The characters are never lame; the bad guys are not simply evil but have their own motivations sometimes even noble, the good guys are never flawless and they always have to face their own weaknesses in order to evolve in the story.

The blend of japanese mythology with actual world and a wee Lewis Carroll touch as well as Jules Verne for all the wacky machinery is definitely another attention grabbing asset. All these elements together bring a real depth and coherence to Miyazaki's world, with its own rules and amazing scenery. And the scenery, indeed, will blow you away; bright colors applied on spectacular landscapes with a particular love for grass (no, not the one you think...), deep forests, immaculate oceans, and high plains, very often seen from above, flying being a recurrent idea for the director. Breathe people! Breathe!

You also have to admire the man for sticking with 2D movies in an age when even Disney studios have lost their souls to 3D. Miyazaki started using computers only from Princess Mononoke onward, and not to draw but just to give a bit of shine to his films. Apart from that, everything is done by hand making him one of the last real "craftsmen", a very endangered species indeed. Winning choice ? Definitely yes, because when most of the "pixar-like" films fade away quickly as soon as technology goes one step further, Miyazaki's will remain timeless and they'll probably even look better in a hundred years from now.

At the end of the day, whether you will like Hayao Miyazaki's world is entirely a matter of taste obviously. But he deserves that you give it a try anyway, for his work isn't only about craft or talent, it's also about love, passion, sensations and the genuine belief that there is beauty all around us. And these days, we do need a bit of that...