History Creator / HayaoMiyazaki

Miyazaki currently stands alone as the only anime director to win an Oscar -- for aforementioned ''Spirited Away'' and for ''Anime/TheBoyAndTheHeron''. ''Spirited Away'' was the first traditionally animated film, anime film, and non-English-language animated film to win the award (with ''The Boy and the Heron'' being the second), with its victory also coming alongside the improbable defeat of both ''WesternAnimation/IceAge1'' and Disney's own ''WesternAnimation/LiloAndStitch''. The film's unprecedented -- and unexpected -- Oscar win caused Disney to widen the film's theatrical release for a few weeks prior to the film's DVD release; both film critics and fans of animation (Japanese or otherwise) heaped praise upon the film. (Miyazaki would later be nominated three more times for the same award: in 2006 for ''Anime/HowlsMovingCastle'', in 2013 for ''Anime/TheWindRises'', and in 2023 for ''Anime/TheBoyAndTheHeron''. He also received an Academy Honorary Award in 2014 for his overall contributions to animation and film.)

Miyazaki currently stands alone as the only anime director to win an Oscar -- for aforementioned ''Spirited Away'' and for ''Anime/TheBoyAndTheHeron''. ''Spirited Away'' was the first traditionally animated film, anime film, and non-English-language animated film to win the award, with its victory also coming alongside the improbable defeat of both ''WesternAnimation/IceAge1'' and Disney's own ''WesternAnimation/LiloAndStitch''. The film's unprecedented -- and unexpected -- Oscar win caused Disney to widen the film's theatrical release for a few weeks prior to the film's DVD release; both film critics and fans of animation (Japanese or otherwise) heaped praise upon the film. (Miyazaki would later be nominated three more times for the same award: in 2006 for ''Anime/HowlsMovingCastle'', in 2013 for ''Anime/TheWindRises'', and in 2023 for ''Anime/TheBoyAndTheHeron''. He also received an Academy Honorary Award in 2014 for his overall contributions to animation and film.)

Miyazaki currently stands alone as the only anime director to win an Oscar -- as aforementioned, for ''Spirited Away''. It is the first traditionally animated film, anime film, and non-English-language animated film to win the award, with its victory also coming alongside the improbable defeat of both ''WesternAnimation/IceAge1'' and Disney's own ''WesternAnimation/LiloAndStitch''. The film's unprecedented -- and unexpected -- Oscar win caused Disney to widen the film's theatrical release for a few weeks prior to the film's DVD release; both film critics and fans of animation (Japanese or otherwise) heaped praise upon the film. (Miyazaki would later be nominated three more times for the same award: in 2006 for ''Anime/HowlsMovingCastle'', in 2013 for ''Anime/TheWindRises'', and in 2023 for ''Anime/TheBoyAndTheHeron'', and won again for the last. He also received an Academy Honorary Award in 2014 for his overall contributions to animation and film.)

He has teased retirement since 1997, only to [[TenMinuteRetirement defy himself every couple of years]] with the announcement of a new film, to the point that him announcing that each new film will be his "last one" has become a {{running gag}} among fans. As of this writing, he has released his most recent "last" film, ''Anime/TheBoyAndTheHeron'', as well as a computer animated short, ''Boro the Caterpillar'', a break from his usual disdain of digital technology.

* ''Anime/SherlockHound'', TMS[=/=]RAI, 1982 (aired in 1984), director, 5 episodes (people tend to say 6 episodes, however, one of said episodes ["''The Sovereign Gold Coins''"] is really directed by Nobuo Tomizawa (although Miyazaki was ''series director'' for it too))

* ''Anime/SherlockHound'', TMS[=/=]RAI, 1982 (aired in 1984), director, 5 episodes (people tend to say 6 episodes, however, one of said episodes ["''The Sovereign Gold Coins''"] is really directed by Nobuo Tomizawa)

As far as [[SignatureStyle recurring elements]] in Miyazaki's work go, he enjoys {{Green Aesop}}s, [[UsefulNotes/{{Airships}} airships]], and SceneryPorn, has an unexplained love for pigs, is considered to be responsible for a fair amount of [[NightmareFuel/HayaoMiyazaki Nightmare Fuel]] by animation fans, and contains flying scenes in almost[[note]]''Mononoke'' and ''Anime/PonyoOnTheCliffByTheSea'' are his only films without one[[/note]] all of his films. He dislikes the simplicity of BlackAndWhiteMorality (i.e. "good vs. evil"); he generally eschews this approach by [[GreyAndGrayMorality placing both sides of his main conflicts in the grey]]. Exceptions to this rule include ''Nausicaa''[[note]]and even there, nobody in the film is portrayed as irredeemably evil, and the manga is even more grey as Nausicaa is portrayed as not necessarily being in the right[[/note]] and especially ''Anime/CastleInTheSky''[[note]]though, there are still traces of gray in that film in the form of the Sky Pirates[[/note]].

[[caption-width-right:350:[[TenMinuteRetirement The never-ending man]].]]

Miyazaki currently stands alone as the only anime director to win an Oscar -- as aforementioned, for ''Spirited Away''. It is the first (and currently only) traditionally animated film, anime film, and non-English-language animated film to win the award, with its victory also coming alongside the improbable defeat of both ''WesternAnimation/IceAge1'' and Disney's own ''WesternAnimation/LiloAndStitch''. The film's unprecedented -- and unexpected -- Oscar win caused Disney to widen the film's theatrical release for a few weeks prior to the film's DVD release; both film critics and fans of animation (Japanese or otherwise) heaped praise upon the film. (Miyazaki would later be nominated three more times for the same award: in 2006 for ''Anime/HowlsMovingCastle'', in 2013 for ''Anime/TheWindRises'', and in 2023 for ''Anime/TheBoyAndTheHeron'', and won again for the last. He also received an Academy Honorary Award in 2014 for his overall contributions to animation and film.)

Miyazaki currently stands alone as the only anime director to win an Oscar -- as aforementioned, for ''Spirited Away''. It is the first (and currently only) traditionally animated film, anime film, and non-English-language animated film to win the award, with its victory also coming alongside the improbable defeat of both ''WesternAnimation/IceAge1'' and Disney's own ''WesternAnimation/LiloAndStitch''. The film's unprecedented -- and unexpected -- Oscar win caused Disney to widen the film's theatrical release for a few weeks prior to the film's DVD release; both film critics and fans of animation (Japanese or otherwise) heaped praise upon the film. (Miyazaki would later be nominated twice more for the same award: in 2006 for ''Anime/HowlsMovingCastle'', and in 2013 for ''Anime/TheWindRises''.)

* ''Manga/SallyTheWitch'' (60's version), Toei, 1966, key animation

Miyazaki has also gained notoriety for vocalizing his beliefs regardless of whom he might offend, which makes him a unique case of an executive who goes by his word. When his 2001 film ''Anime/SpiritedAway'' won the UsefulNotes/AcademyAwardForBestAnimatedFeature in 2003, he didn't accept the Oscar in person because America had gone to war with Iraq and he had refused to travel to the US. He also considers himself a feminist, which should make it no big surprise that nearly all of his films feature female main characters (though it should be noted that he left his wife Akemi Ota, a promising animator in her own right, to raise their two sons alone at the expense of her career, despite promising that she would not have to stop working). He doesn't keep in touch in high-tech gadgets and consumer products; only his most popular titles have CG elements in them, and he later [[GoodOldWays shut down Ghibli's entire CG department]]. (Recently, however, he has said that whether hand-drawn animation or CGI is used is not as important as the talent of the person doing the animation.) He has also openly criticized high-tech materialistic societies (he once [[http://kotaku.com/5584759/hayao-miyazaki-compares-ipad-use-to-masturbation compared the [=iPad=] to "masturbation"]]) and has criticized the modern anime industry for being overrun by {{otaku}} who "don't spend time watching real people" and are "humans who can't stand looking at other humans."

[[caption-width-right:350:The never-ending man.]]

* TenMinuteRetirement: Miyazaki is one of the more notable examples of this Trope. Initially, his seventh film, ''Anime/PrincessMononoke'' was regarded as his final film way back in 1997. Yet, he would continue to work and released '''four''' more films. He would consider retirement again in 2013 (after the release of ''Anime/TheWindRises''). But this turned into ''another'' short-lived retirement, as his next film, ''Anime/TheBoyAndTheHeron'', started production in 2016 and released in 2023.

* TenMinuteRetirement: Miyazaki is one of the more notable examples of this Trope. Initially, his seventh film, ''Anime/PrincessMononoke'' was regarded as his final film way back in 1997. Yet, he would continue to work and released '''five''' more films. He would consider retirement again in 2013 (after the release of ''Anime/TheWindRises''). But this turned into ''another'' short-lived retirement, as his next film, ''Anime/TheBoyAndTheHeron'', started production in 2016.

* TenMinuteRetirement: Miyazaki is one of the more notable examples of this Trope. Initially, his film, ''Anime/PrincessMononoke'' was regarded as his final film way back in 1997. Yet, he would continue to work and released '''4''' more films. He would consider retirement again in 2013 (after the release of ''Anime/TheWindRises''). But this turned into ''another'' short-lived retirement, as his next film, ''Anime/TheBoyAndTheHeron'', started production in 2016.

* TenMinuteRetirement: Miyazaki is one of the more notable examples of this Trope. Initially, his film, ''Anime/PrincessMononoke'' was regarded as his final film way back in 1997. Yet, he would continue to work and released '''4''' more films. He would consider retirement again in 2013 (after the release of ''Anime/TheWindRises''). But this turned into ''another'' short-lived retirement, as his next film, ''Anime/TheBoyAndTheHeron'', started production in 2016 .

* TenMinuteRetirement: Miyazaki is one of the more notable examples of this Trope. Initially, his film, ''Anime/PrincessMononoke'' was regarded as his final film way back in 1997. Yet, he would continue to work and released '''4''' more films. He would consider retirement again in 2013 (after the release of ''Anime/TheWindRises''). But this turned into ''another'' short-lived retirement, as his next film, ''Anime/TheBoyAndTheHeron''.

* TenMinuteRetirement: Miyazaki is one of the more notable examples of this Trope. Initially, his film, ''Anime/PrincessMononoke'' was regarded as his final film way back in 1997. Yet, he would continue to work and released '''4''' more films. He would consider retirement again in 2013 (after the release of ''Anime/TheWindRises''). But this turned into ''another'' short-lived retirement, as his next film, ''Anime/TheBoyAndTheHeron'', started production in 2016 and ended in 2023 and was yet ''another'' short-lived retirement.

* TenMinuteRetirement: Miyazaki is one of the more notable examples of this Trope. Initially, his film, ''Anime/PrincessMononoke'' was regarded as his final film way back in 1997. Yet, he would continue to work and released '''4''' more films. He would consider retirement again in 2013 (after the release of ''Anime/TheWindRises''). But this turned into ''another'' short-lived retirement, as his next film, ''Anime/TheBoyAndTheHeron'', started production in 2016.

* ''WesternAnimation/InspectorGadget'' (pilot), TMS[=/=]Dic stationed at Telecom, made in 1982 but did not air until 1983, key animation
* ''Literature/TheLittles'', TMS[=/=]DiC stationed at Telecom, 1983, chief Telecom director during season 1 (Nobuo Tomizawa was the chief Telecom director during season 2) and episode animation director

* ''Literature/TheLittles'', TMS[=/=]Dic stationed at Telecom, 1983, chief Telecom director during season 1 (Nobuo Tomizawa was the chief Telecom director during season 2) and episode animation director

* ''Anime/TheWindRises'' (''Kaze Tachinu''), 2013

He named ''Animation/TheSnowQueen1957'' as one of his favorite films and one of his biggest influences to keep him in the animation industry.

He began his career in the early-'60s at Creator/{{Toei|Company}}, but came to prominence writing and directing anime for television in the '70s, including several episodes of the ''Anime/LupinIIIPart1'' TV series. This led to his first feature film work as director of an action-adventure caper flick starring the ''Lupin'' characters: ''Anime/{{The Castle of Cagliostro}}'' (which, despite its liberties with the characters, has become an acknowledged classic for both the ''Lupin'' franchise and Miyazaki). In addition to his early writing and directing work, he also lent his artistic talents to numerous anime series during this time by providing (among other things) storyboards, scene design, organisation, and occasional key animation for the early entries into the Anime/WorldMasterpieceTheater series.

One indicator of the stature and craftmanship of Miyazaki comes from who licenses his films in the United States: Disney paid exorbitant amounts of money to become the exclusive distributor of his works in English ''on his terms''. ''Nausicaa'' suffered a {{Macekre}} (''Warriors of the Wind'') that completely missed the point of the film; when he heard that Miramax would alter ''Anime/PrincessMononoke'' for American audiences, he allegedly sent the American-language version's producers a katana with a two-word note attached: "No cuts".[[note]]He later attributed this act to Ghibli's producer and then-company director, Toshio Suzuki.[[/note]]

Miyazaki has gained notoriety for vocalizing his beliefs regardless of whom he might offend, which makes him a unique case of an executive who goes by his word. He didn't accept his 2003 Academy Award in person because America had gone to war with Iraq and he had refused to travel to the US. He also considers himself a feminist, which should make it no big surprise that nearly all of his films feature female main characters. Though it should be noted that he left his wife, Akemi Ota - a promising animator in her own right - to raise their two sons alone at the expense of her career, despite promising that she would not have to stop working. He doesn't keep in touch in high-tech gadgets and consumer products; only his most popular titles have CG elements in them, and he later [[GoodOldWays shut down Ghibli's entire CG department.]] (Recently, however, he has said that whether hand-drawn animation or CGI is used is not as important as the talent of the person doing the animation.) He has also openly criticized high-tech materialistic societies (he once [[http://kotaku.com/5584759/hayao-miyazaki-compares-ipad-use-to-masturbation compared the [=iPad=] to "masturbation"]]) and has criticized the modern anime industry for being overrun by Otaku, who "don't spend time watching real people" and are "humans who can't stand looking at other humans."

Miyazaki currently stands alone as the only anime director recognized by Hollywood's highest honor, the Academy Award. His 2001 film ''Anime/SpiritedAway'' won the Oscar for Best Animated Feature Film in 2003, improbably defeating both ''WesternAnimation/IceAge1'' and Disney's own ''WesternAnimation/LiloAndStitch''. The film's unprecedented -- and unexpected -- Oscar win caused Disney to widen the film's theatrical release for a few weeks prior to the film's DVD release; both film critics and fans of animation (Japanese or otherwise) heaped praise upon the film. (Miyazaki received a nomination for the same award in 2006 with ''Anime/HowlsMovingCastle'' and in 2013 for ''Anime/TheWindRises''.)

He enjoys {{Green Aesop}}s, [[UsefulNotes/{{Airships}} Airships,]] and SceneryPorn. He has an unexplained love for pigs. Animation fans consider him responsible for a fair amount of [[NightmareFuel/HayaoMiyazaki Nightmare Fuel]]. His films (save for ''Mononoke'' and ''Anime/PonyoOnTheCliffByTheSea'') all have flying scenes in them, further showing his affinity for airplanes.

He dislikes the simplicity of BlackAndWhiteMorality (i.e. "good vs. evil"); he generally eschews this approach by [[GreyAndGrayMorality placing both sides in the grey.]] Exceptions to this rule include ''Manga/NausicaaOfTheValleyOfTheWind''[[note]]and even there, nobody in the film is portrayed as irredeemably evil, and the manga is even more grey as Nausicaa is portrayed as not necessarily being in the right[[/note]] and especially ''Anime/CastleInTheSky''[[note]]though, there are still traces of gray in that film in the form of the Sky Pirates[[/note]].

Has teased retirement since 1997, only to [[TenMinuteRetirement defy himself every couple of years]] with the announcement of a new film, to the point that Miyazaki announcing that each new film will be his "last one" has become a {{running gag}} among fans. As of this writing, he has released his most recent "last" film, ''Anime/TheBoyAndTheHeron'', as well as a computer animated short, ''Boro the Caterpillar'', a break from his usual disdain of digital technology.

His older son, Goro Miyazaki, is an animator and director who also works at Studio Ghibli. However, their relationship is somewhat strained since Hayao Miyazaki spends most of his time working for Ghibli and being an absent father to his family which disillusioned Goro a lot, as evident where Goro directed ''Anime/TalesFromEarthsea'', which shows his bitter feelings towards his father. Even during the production of ''Anime/FromUpOnPoppyHill'', things were tense due to their creative differences. Despite this, Hayao Miyazaki still displays some support to his son, as shown where he explains how even though his son doesn't understand how to be a director, it's OK for him to stop since it is not an easy job. He also added that he wanted Goro to try and tap in to his wisdom the production of ''From Up On Poppy Hill'' so he can change his vision and surely enough, the outcomes are positive enough that their relationship is mended a little.

He has his own [[http://ulp.ottawa-anime.org/index2.html fan-made religion]].

* TenMinuteRetirement: Miyazaki is one of the more notable examples of this Trope. Initially, his film, ''Anime/PrincessMononoke'' was regarded as his final film way back in 1997. Yet, he would continue to work and released '''4''' more films. He would consider retirement again in 2013 (after the release of ''Anime/TheWindRises''). But this turned into ''another'' short-lived retirement, as his next film, ''Anime/TheBoyAndTheHeron'' started production in 2016.

* TenMinuteRetirement: Miyazaki is one of the more notable examples of this Trope. Initially, his film, ''Anime/PrincessMononoke'' was regarded as his final film way back in 1997. Yet, he would continue to work and released '''4''' more films. He would consider retirement again in 2013 (after the release of ''Anime/TheWindRises''). But this turned into ''another'' short-lived retirement, as his next film, ''How Do You Live?'' started production in 2016.

Has teased retirement since 1997, only to [[TenMinuteRetirement defy himself every couple of years]] with the announcement of a new film, to the point that Miyazaki announcing that each new film will be his "last one" has become a {{running gag}} among fans. As of this writing, he has released his most recent "last" film, ''Anime/HowDoYouLive?'', as well as a computer animated short, ''Boro the Caterpillar'', a break from his usual disdain of digital technology.

* ''Anime/HowDoYouLive?'', 2023

* TenMinuteRetirement: Miyazaki is one of the more notable examples of this Trope. Initially, his film, ''Anime/PrincessMononoke'' was regarded as his final film way back in 1997. Yet, he would continue to work and released '''4''' more films. He would consider retirement again in 2013 (after the release of ''Anime/TheWindRises''). But this turned into ''another'' short-lived retirement, as his next film, ''How Do You Live?'' was released in 2023 after starting production in 2016..

* TenMinuteRetirement: Miyazaki is one of the more notable examples of this Trope. Initially, his film, ''Anime/PrincessMononoke'' was regarded as his final film way back in 1997. Yet, he would continue to work and released '''4''' more films. He would consider retirement again in 2013 (after the release of ''Anime/TheWindRises''). But this turned into ''another'' short-lived retirement, as his next film, ''How Do You Live?'' is scheduled for a 2023 release.