Hayao Miyazaki

Movie2 list appearances

Japanese animation auteur who co-founded Studio Ghibli (1985) and directed My Neighbor Totoro, Princess Mononoke, Spirited Away, and The Boy and the Heron. Historical Milestone: 2-time Academy Award winner for Best Animated Feature (*Spirited Away* [2003] and *The Boy and the Heron* [2024]); Honorary Oscar (2014); Ramon Magsaysay Award (2024) Education & Toei Animation: Son of Katsuji Miyazaki, director of Miyazaki Airplane (manufacturing fighter plane rudders during WWII, sparking Hayao's lifelong obsession with aviation). Graduated from Gakushuin University in 1963 with degrees in Political Science and Economics (joining the children's literature research club). Joined Toei Animation in 1963 as an in-between artist, rising to key animation alongside mentor Isao Takahata. Founding Studio Ghibli (1985): Following the critical success of his manga adaptation *Nausicaä of the Valley of the Wind* (1984), co-founded Studio Ghibli in Tokyo in June 1985 with Isao Takahata and producer Toshio Suzuki. Directed hand-drawn masterpieces exploring pacifism, environmentalism, and strong female protagonists: *My Neighbor Totoro* (1988), *Kiki's Delivery Service* (1989), *Princess Mononoke* (1997), *Spirited Away* (2001, shattering Japanese box office records), *Howl's Moving Castle* (2004), *The Wind Rises* (2013), and *The Boy and the Heron* (2023, winning his second Oscar at age 83). Married fellow animator Akemi Ōta in 1965; two sons, including film director Gorō Miyazaki.

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