Hayao Miyazaki

Hayao Miyazaki is the most influential animator in film history, having co-founded Studio Ghibli and directed Spirited Away, which won the Academy Award for Best Animated Feature in 2003. His films, including Princess Mononoke and My Neighbor Totoro, have grossed over $1.9 billion worldwide, outperforming the typical animated director by 4x. Miyazaki's ability to weave environmental themes and emotional depth surpasses Christopher Nolan in critical consensus, with a 97% average Rotten Tomatoes score across his 11 feature films—higher than the average for any other director on this list.