Miyazaki in America David Goerz COM 329 Dr. Neuendorf

Background ● Born January 5, 1941 in Bunkyo, Tokyo, Japan ● Began his animation career at Toei, where he stirred the pot, including leading a labor dispute and influencing script changes on a feature early on. ● Co-Founded Studio Ghibli in 1985 ● Married to animator Akemi Ota ● Father of Director Goro Miyazaki (Tales from Earthsea [2006], From Up on Poppy Hill [2011]) ● See also: Studio Ghibli powerpointStudio Ghibli powerpoint

Nausicaa of the Valley of the Wind (1984) ● A peaceful princess works to halt a war brewing in a post-apocalyptic world ● Based on a Manga of the same name, which Miyazaki wrote and illustrated, and continued after the film's release. ● Introduces themes of environmentalism, flight, and the horrors of war, as well as the strong female leads which are prevalent in many of Miyazaki's later films. ● Trailer Trailer

Nausicaa in America ● Originally saw a heavily-edited release in America as Warriors of the Wind. These edits were designed to make the film fit better with America's child-centric animation industry, but significantly altered the plot and message of the film. ● Miyazaki was so displeased with the edits that he has since asked fans to ignore this version entirely. ● Re-dubbed and re-released to American audiences in an unedited form in 2005, complete with a cast including such stars as Patrick Stuart and Uma Thurman.

Princess Mononoke (1997) ● A simple villager in feudal Japan becomes entrenched in a war between an industrial mining colony and a band of forest spirits – including San, a feral human girl raised by a wolf goddess. ● Returns to themes of environmentalism and war, as well as a strong female lead. ● First animated feature to win Best Picture in the Japan Academy Prize ● Trailer Trailer

Princess Mononoke in America ● Released by Miramax, with a credible cast of voice talents ● Received critical acclaim, called one of the best films of the year by Roger Ebert. ● After pressure from Miramax for Miyazaki to allow the studio to make cuts to the film, a Ghibli producer reportedly sent Miramax co-chairman Harvey Weinstein a katana along with a message saying “No cuts.”

Spirited Away (2001) ● A young girl stumbles upon a magical world on the edges of our own, and finds herself pressed into service at a bathhouse for the many creatures which inhabit it. ● Explores themes of fantasy, family, and childhood seen his earlier films such as My Neighbor Totoro (1988) and Kiki's Delivery Service (1989) ● Trailer Trailer

Spirited Away in America ● Dubbed and released by Disney, although with less then their full corporate might. ● Like Princess Mononoke, Spirited Away received critical acclaim, and was the first Japanese film to receive the Academy Award for Best Animated Feature. ● While the film is exceedingly Japanese in cultural tone (given that half of the film takes place in a bath house) the universality of its themes, and similarity to stories such as Alice in Wonderland, give western audiences a touchstone for understanding the film.

Other Films ● Studio Ghibli's distribution arrangement with Disney continues to allow the english versions of Miyazaki's films to enjoy production values and publicity not afforded earlier work – Howl's Moving Castle (2004), and Ponyo (2008) both had star-studded english-language casts, including such names a Christian Bale and Liam Neeson. ● Many of his earlier films have been redubbed and re-released in recent years – My Neighbor Totoro (1988) re-released with star cast in 2006

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