Hayao Miyazaki (宮崎 駿, Miyazaki Hayao, [mijaꜜzaki hajao]; born January 5, 1941) is

a Japanese animator, director, producer, screenwriter, author, and manga artist. A

co-founder of Studio Ghibli, he has attained international acclaim as a masterful
storyteller and creator of Japanese animated feature films, and is widely regarded
as one of the most accomplished filmmakers in the history of animation.

Born in Bunkyō ward of Tokyo, Miyazaki expressed interest in manga and animation
from an early age, and he joined Toei Animation in 1963. During his early years at
Toei Animation he worked as an in-between artist and later collaborated with
director Isao Takahata. Notable films to which Miyazaki contributed at Toei include
Doggie March and Gulliver's Travels Beyond the Moon. He provided key animation to
other films at Toei, such as Puss in Boots and Animal Treasure Island, before
moving to A-Pro in 1971, where he co-directed Lupin the Third Part I alongside
Takahata. After moving to Zuiyō Eizō (later known as Nippon Animation) in 1973,
Miyazaki worked as an animator on World Masterpiece Theater, and directed the
television series Future Boy Conan (1978). He joined Tokyo Movie Shinsha in 1979 to
direct his first feature film The Castle of Cagliostro as well as the television
series Sherlock Hound. In the same period, he also started writing and illustrating
the manga Nausicaä of the Valley of the Wind (1982–1994), and he also directed the
1984 film adaptation produced by Topcraft.

Miyazaki co-founded Studio Ghibli in 1985. He directed numerous films with Ghibli,
including Castle in the Sky (1986), My Neighbor Totoro (1988), Kiki's Delivery
Service (1989), and Porco Rosso (1992). The films were met with critical and
commercial success in Japan. Miyazaki's film Princess Mononoke was the first
animated film ever to win the Japan Academy Prize for Picture of the Year, and
briefly became the highest-grossing film in Japan following its release in 1997;[a]
its distribution to the Western world greatly increased Ghibli's popularity and
influence outside Japan. His 2001 film Spirited Away became the highest-grossing
film in Japanese history,[b] winning the Academy Award for Best Animated Feature at
the 75th Academy Awards, and is frequently ranked among the greatest films of the
2000s. Miyazaki's later films—Howl's Moving Castle (2004), Ponyo (2008), and The
Wind Rises (2013)—also enjoyed critical and commercial success. Following the
release of The Wind Rises, Miyazaki announced his retirement from feature films,
though he returned to work on the upcoming feature film How Do You Live? in 2016.

Miyazaki's works are characterized by the recurrence of themes such as humanity's

relationship with nature and technology, the wholesomeness of natural and
traditional patterns of living, the importance of art and craftsmanship, and the
difficulty of maintaining a pacifist ethic in a violent world. The protagonists of
his films are often strong girls or young women, and several of his films present
morally ambiguous antagonists with redeeming qualities. Miyazaki's works have been
highly praised and awarded; he was named a Person of Cultural Merit for outstanding
cultural contributions in November 2012, and received the Academy Honorary Award
for his impact on animation and cinema in November 2014. Miyazaki has frequently
been cited as an inspiration for numerous animators, directors, and writers.