entertainingtheintellect

As a first post, we felt it appropriate to introduce our readers to the extraordinary genre of Miyazaki anime films.  We make the distinction of Miyazaki animes, because - like all genres - there are many divergent styles and sub-genres of Japanese animation and those films written and directed by Hayao Miyazaki are in a class all their own.

Hayao Miyazaki first broke onto the Western film scene in 1993 with the release of his epic tale, Mononoke Hime (Princess Mononoke).   This sweeping, deeply emotional story is set in an ancient world where gods dwell yet among men, but are dying off as burgeoning industries change the face of history and nature.  Many of the themes that would come to define Miyazaki’s films can be found in this extraordinary piece:  The influence of industry on nature and humanity, the importance of family, and heroism found in the most unlikely:  awkward, imaginative young girls.

Miyazaki has since gone on to introduce the world to many more fairytales and legends that find their roots in the ancient cultures and aspirations of Asia.  Many of these films have been produced by Miyazaki’s brainchild, Studio Ghibli, a film production studio that has taken on a life of its own and turned out some of the most influential animated films of their time:  Nausicaa of the Valley of the Wind , Howl’s Moving Castle , My Neighbor Totoro , Spirited Away and many others.

One of the most important developments in Miyazaki’s relationship with the Western audience was his relationship with John Lasseter , one of the driving visionaries of Pixar Animation Studios .  Lasseter made resources available to Studio Ghibli that they never would have found otherwise:  the voice-over work of actors like Billy Bob Thornton , Christian Bale , Gillian Anderson and Emily Mortimer and the cooperation of Disney animaters in the American cross-overs.

Interested in learning more about Miyazaki Animes?  Look into the U.S.-based nausicaa.net or sign up for Netflix and begin renting each of these remarkable stories one by one.  I’ll give you priorities based on the recommendations of a friend of mine who hates anime but loves Miyazaki:

1.  Spirited Away (This may be the easiest by far for Westerners to be drawn into.  It’s a sort of Alice in Wonderland idea with a definitive series of twists.)

2.  Howl’s Moving Castle (Being set somewhere in a Western Europe of the past, this story has universal themes of love and good versus evil that pull at any heart.)

3.  Princess Mononoke (This is an epic, a legend in the making, a grand tale of gods and demons and the magic that exists in all the hidden places of the world.  So be in the mood for grandeur.)

4.  My Neighbor Totoro (Totoro brings your focus from the grand and extraordinary back to the simple and beautifully mundane.  I belive that Totoro is not just Miyazaki tipping his hat to childhood (though it is that, too).  Totoro is the driving archetype behind most of Miyazaki’s visions.  The doorway that first led Miyazaki himself to Faerie.)

5.  Nausicaa of the Valley of the Wind (Many of the ticks and eccentricities of Asian film-making are in this film, which is why it’s a little further down the list.  That is certainly not to say that it’s of lesser quality.  I just don’t want you to miss the extraordinary beauty of the film because of the cultural differences.

There are other films, of course, and I strongly recommend them all, but these are those that have captured my own heart.  Thoughts?  Impressions?  Further suggestions?  Post your ideas and tell me more about this genre in which I am but an enamored amateur.

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