happy birthday Hayao Miyazaki!

today he turned 71. Born in Tokyo on January 5th, 1941, Miyazaki Hayao has had a career spanning nearly 50 years. He has been compared to animators Nick Parks and Robert Zemickis, as well as Walt Disney. In 2006, Time Magazine named him one of their most influential people in the world.

After beginning his career at Toei Animation, Miyazaki was able to start Studio Ghibli after the success of his 1984 film, Nausicaa of the Valley of the Wind. He temporarily retired 1997 after releasing his internationally well received Princess Mononoke. His next film was the 2001 film Spirited Away, which brought him back to the forefront of the Western cinematic world. Under the Ghibli name, Miyazaki has released 9 feature length films: Nausicaa and the Valley of the Wind (1984), Castle in the Sky (Laputa) (1986), My Neighbour Totoro (1988), Kiki’s Delivery Service (1989), Porco Rosso (1992),Princess Mononoke (1997), Spirited Away (2001), Howl’s Moving Castle(2004), Ponyo (2008) and The Secret World of Arrietty (2010, though this movie was not directed by Miyazaki).

Miyazaki’s films often feature strong, independent girls/women as the heroines of the story, relationships between humans and nature (which is often being threatened), the difficulty of maintaining a pacifist ethic, the absence of traditional villains, flight, and the transition between childhood and adulthood. Miyazaki has often been called a feminist due to his portrayal of women-oriented establishments and his lack of male protagonists (Porco Rosso is the only film of his to have a male lead figure), setting him apart from the majority of Japanese animators.

happy birthday hayao miyazaki the one of my favorite director! i will always lookin forward for your films :)