Hayao Miyazaki

I am completely taken by the films of Hayao Miyazaki. For those of you who don't know who this is, I suggest you pay close attention and pop a few of his movies into your Netflix queue. Each and every one of Miyazaki's films is intricately detailed scene by scene and has the best animation I've ever seen. Not only that, but each story is like a morality play, but not as heavy handed as a Disney film (although Disney does now own the rights for Studio Ghibli film distribution here in America) - instead, he lets each character develop and learn their own lesson throughout the film in a much more subtle way (sometimes you won't understand until the very end of the movie). Also, I love these films because I find a lot of Christian symbolism within them (there is also a lot fo really cool Japanese symbolism as well - especially in the Oscar winning Spirited Away *plug, plug*). Anyway, I'm going to tell you about my 3 favorite Miyazaki films, and you are going to be compelled to watch and fall in love just as I have.

First up is My Neighbor Totoro, which is also Katie's favorite. It is the film that is most aimed at kids out of all of them, and yet it is brilliant. The movie centers on two sisters and their dad, who have just moved into a new home in the country while their mother is sick in the hospital. The girls, after exploring the house wind up playing and going into the forest where they meet the mischevious spirit of the forest - Totoro. Totoro is a huge, cute, fluffy bear-like thing who... well, I can't say all that he does, but suffice to say, the girls' encounters with Totoro are magical. My absolute favorite scene (probably out of all Miyazaki's films) is one where Totoro, his 2 little Totoro buddies, and the girls are dancing around a little garden and it grows into a forest. The symbolism of the creation story as the trinity of Totoros lead their human friends in the dance of life as the new garden springs up around them is beautiful. It is truly a wonderful moment and it nearly brings tears to my eyes as I think about it. Anyway, this is a film to get and watch with the family, the little ones will love Totoro (and the cat bus).

Next, we have my first experience with Miyazaki - Princess Mononoke. Definitely one of the most action-packed and probably the most adult of the films, Mononoke is visually stunning. The forest scenes are some of the most jaw-dropping sequences ever. Basically this is a story of a young man, who, after getting infected by a demon winds up in a huge war between people and animals who need the forest and those who want it destroyed. Anyway, the reason I picked this movie in my top 3 is because it has some of the coolest action sequences, and one of the best ending scenes ever. Plus even the dubbed version has great voice acting, which is a rarity in the move from Japan to America (don't even get me started on the Cartoon Network version of Naruto - Believe it!). Come to think of it, all of Miyazaki's films have been treated with care and on the whole have both great dubs and subs.

Finally, my number one pick is Castle in the Sky. You don't have to be a genius to figure out what this movie is gonna be about, but it is a beautiful and moving film about young love, war, and the respect of history and nature (a running theme in all of Miyazaki's films). What makes this film stand above the rest is the castle. When you see the castle and all of the sequences that take place there, you'll know what I mean. Plus, the plot is really cool - about a forgotten kingdom with an awesome power that people want to use for their gain. AND, the opening scene has pirates.... beat that.

I hope I have picqued your interest in these films, and I hope you check them out soon. If you find that you really like them, I'll let you borrow my Trigun series - 27 episode Anime TV series that is funny, thought-provoking, touching, and chock full of symbolism, just like Miyazaki's works. Anyhoo, I hope you enjoyed this little tangent, I'm stuck on duty this weekend, so I'd better log in to WoW and try to get a level or two. Godspeed.