Spirited Away, My Neighbor Totoro, Castle in the Sky, Howl's Moving Castle, Kiki's Delivery Service, etc. One way or another, everyone I know is familiar with at least one of these films by Hayao Miyazaki who co-founded Studio Ghilbi. Sadly though, our beloved Hayao Miyazaki announced his retirement, just recently, from making feature films. He has contributed a lot to Japanese animation, and I believe that it's also time for him to let other talented animators get the spotlight.
In this article, I'm going to write about some of Hayao Miyazaki's works which includes Spirited Away, Howl's Moving Castle, and My Neighbor Totoro.
First movie is Spirited Away. It's about a little girl who gets lost and enters an alternate world full of spirits. It's the first movie by Hayao Miyazaki that I've watched and I was convinced then that he's a genius. I was fascinated by all the weird things in the movie, it's like I was dreaming. An intricate dream, which you'll never question with regards to its eccentricity. Like all of his films, it's not simply an animation for kids to watch because even a full-grown adult will be shocked and would decipher the real meaning behind every symbolism in the film.
I actually watched this after taking a course on Japanese Religion and Philosophy, and upon watching Spirited Away, I was amazed of how the Japanese philosophy is widely seen in the movie, and that's why I love it more.
Next movie is Howl's Moving Castle. This man right above is Howl, the owner of the said moving castle. He is still gorgeous, no matter how many times I look at him. This movie is somewhat a love story between Howl and Sophie, those two people above. Like many (or all) of Studio Ghilbi's films, it's also full of meaning with Sophie being sort of a dual character, and with the secrets of the magical moving castle.
The last movie I'm going to talk about is My Neighbor Totoro. Some might know Totoro because he's kind of the mascot of Studio Ghilbi and some like how cute he is. The movie My Neighbor Totoro is about two kids who goes on a summer adventure in their new house and neighborhood. I have to admit that this is my favorite among all of Studio Ghilbi (and Hayao Miyazaki) films. What I love about it first is that it is set in summer. I usually like Japanese animations when it portrays summer in Japan. It just seems so peaceful and quiet and all you hear are crickets all day. Second reason is the story itself. It seems like the movie is just about the happy adventure of the two sisters but then it also breaks your heart at some point. However, it's still a feel-good movie for me. Last reason is because of our cute Totoro. I had imagined him to be gentle before I watched the movie but then he's just a huge fluffy beast.
I have yet to watch some of Hayao Miyazaki's movies like Ponyo and his latest film, Kaze Tachinu. I hope to watch these two soon, though. In general, Hayao Miyazaki's films brings us our childhood imagination that we might or might not have lost in the process of growing up. Although his films are imaginative and playful, it still instills us valuable messages that will get us thinking.
Next time I also want to talk about Joe Hisaishi's works. He has composed songs for Hayao Miyazaki and they've worked closely with almost all of Miyazaki's films. If you've watched any of Miyazaki's films, I know you'll notice the songs because it really gives life to the animation itself, all thanks to Joe Hisaishi.
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