What Makes a Hayao Miyazaki Film (and show)

May 28, 2021

I am starting a new series on animation directors and it would be criminal if I didn't start with the master himself, the great Hayao Miyazaki. Hayao Miyazaki is the greatest filmmaker ever! He has made some of the best films ever made such as Spirited Away, My Neighbor Totoro, Princess Mononoke, Howl's Moving Castle, Kiki's Delivery Service, Ponyo, and so much more! He has inspired so many people with his wonderful stories, believable characters and worlds, and gorgeous animation. But what makes a Miyazaki film a Miyazaki film? Lets find out!

Airships and Flight Scenes

Miyazaki loves planes! Or just things that fly! It doesn't even have to be a plane! It could be a made up flying object!

Miyazaki does flight scenes without airships to.

War

The reason why there's a ton of war in Miyazaki's films might be because when was just four, his family was escaping the bombing at the end of World War 11. They passed a mom and her child that asked if they come with them. They said no because there was no room in there truck. That stayed with him his whole life.

Magical Creatures

Magical Creatures are all over Miyazaki Sans movies. (San is like Sir or Mister in Japanese)

Lots and Lots of Magical Creatures.

Natural Landscapes

Environmental Message

Miyazaki loves nature so its only Natural that his movie have a environmental message.

Heroines

Most off Miyazaki's films have a compassionate, strong female main character.

Main characters that are Kids

Music by Joe Hisiashi

He has done the music for all of Miyazaki's films except his first movie, Lupin the III: The Castle of Cagliostro.

Last but not least is Ma. Ma basically means emptiness. Ma is like when a movie takes a breath from everything that's going on. Usually it involves characters sitting quietly, characters cooking or eating, or characters visiting places they've been to in the movie already to reflect. It includes a lot of small details.

This scene right up here with Ponyo and Sosuke looking at there ramen from Ponyo is a very special scene to me. Ponyo was my first movie I saw in the movie theater. I was four and the scene that stuck with me all these years later was the scene where they simply sit down, drink milk with honey and eat ramen. That's it! I don't know why I remembered that scene the most out off all the incredible scenes from that movie, but it was so profound and so simply beautiful! This is a amazing example of ma! Ponyo was really the first animated movie memory I have and I think without realizing it was when I got in to animation. Thank you Hayao Miyazaki. Your films continue to inspire me and so many other people. Your films mean more to me then any other films. I am grateful that we have you in the animation industry. Thank You.