Hayao Miyazaki Research Paper

Hayao Miyazaki was born in the Bunkyo-ho district of Tokyo on January 5, 1941. His father, Katsuji Miyazaki, was employed as an aeronautical engineer at a factory owned by Miyazaki’s uncle that manufactured and constructed parts of Japanese fighter planes that were to be deployed in World War II (Cavallaro 29). At the ripe age of three, the Miyazaki family was evacuated from Tokyo, returning four years later. His mother was a strong, courageous, and determined woman, but despite this, she developed spinal tuberculosis for protracted periods throughout her son’s early school days. This caused him to take up many of the household chores, such as cooking and cleaning. His young mind was greatly influenced by these responsibilities and by his schooling, …show more content…
Miyazaki acquired an intense interest in topics such as political science and economics, inspired by his vision to help Japan reestablish its broken economy. On the side, generated a sizable enthusiasm towards children's stories, joining a children’s literature research club that showcased fables from around the world. Like a multitude of other aspiring illustrators in Japan’s postwar era, Miyazaki’s inspiration and role model was the powerful and renowned Osamu Tezuka, whose TV series and manga were exported worldwide. Miyazaki had a serious case of “anxiety of influence;” because of this, it wasn’t until 1963 when he graduated and was appointed as an animator for Toei Animation Studios that Miyazaki developed his own illustration style (Cavallaro …show more content…
His work, polished and perfected at this point, was soon widely recognized and admired by the public. Debuting as a director in 1979 with The Tale of Cagliostro, Miyazaki gained confidence from the positive reviews and was ultimately dictated by his thoughts to show the world what he could turn animation into. Henceforth, when 1984 rolled around, he and Takahata once again quit their jobs in pursuance of starting their own company. Studio Ghibli, as they resolved to call it, is where Miyazaki works and directs today, gladly stirring controversies related to the strong themes and symbolism present in his movies while bending the limits of traditional animation. His movies are even popular in America; in a survey completed by American high school students, 60% of people had seen at least one of his movies, and astoundingly enough, 45% actually knew him by name (Lapinski). Miyazaki, in response to criticism, once declared that “works of art are created by those who are prepared to go to the limit” (as quoted in Cavallaro 32). Studio Ghibli has produced a multitude of famous films, the most popular being Spirited Away, Ponyo, Howl’s Moving Castle, and My Neighbor Totoro. Select messages and symbols are portrayed throughout these works, all galvanized by people close to Miyazaki and his perceptions of the modern