He’s the great master of Japanese anime films who produced "Heidi" and "Spirited Away". A documentary tells the story of how his latest film, "Ponyo on the Cliff by the Sea", was made.
"Ponyo on the Cliff by the Sea"
Who is Hayao Miyazaki?
Did you know that the films "Heidi" and "Spirited Away" were made by the same director? Hayao Miyazaki directs anime films and his influence both in Japan and around the world has been enormous. He has produced over 10 feature-length anime films and his work has won many prestigious awards, but he’s not that interested in obtaining prizes. He is driven by his preoccupation with modern society and children to make films that are packed with messages.
However, he hasn’t always succeeded. The first film he directed, "The Castle of Cagliostro", premiered in 1979 with less than spectacular results. Science fiction was all the rage at the time and, even though critics and anime fans appreciated the film’s high quality, his style did not capture the attention of general audiences.
He had a lot of ideas for new films, but Japanese production companies rejected his projects. After a long period in the dark, he was finally given another chance with the film "Nausicaä of the Valley of the Wind", based on a series of comics he had published. The film’s theme was man against nature and it became a social phenomenon. From then on, he began making big-budget films for the Ghibli film studio.
"All About Hayao Miyazaki", the Documentary
A Japanese TV program reported on the making-of Ponyo, his latest film. They shot in the director’s studio for 300 days and got a closer look at him as a person. Producing this film took more effort than ever, and, to find inspiration, the director spent several months living in isolation in a small village. His wife made him promise he’d send a postcard with a drawing every day, so she wouldn’t have to worry whether he was all right.
It took a lot of work to make the film: over 170 thousand sketches were hand drawn without using computers to obtain more precise and realistic movements. This translates into the following data: it took cartoonists drawing in his studio one week to produce 5 seconds of animation. And one year to produce 5 minutes.
The documentary also offers an interesting profile of the director. There’s a scene where we see him crying as he recalls his mother, who was a major influence in his life. His films are filled with characters inspired by her. For instance, his mother was so fragile that, as a boy, he often worried that she might die, a fear shared by the little girls in "My Neighbor Toroto". Nevertheless, she was also had very lively personality, just the grandmother in "Laputa, Castle in the Sky".
The following video is the documentary’s opening.
Here you can see the trailer for the film "Ponyo", which premiered in Japan last summer and will be launched in Spain this month. The film tells the story of a 5 year-old boy and a fanciful little girl who was born a fish but became human. The film is dedicated to his son, now 40 years old and also a film director. Its theme expresses his regret for not being about to dedicate much time to his son when he was a child, since he was busy working.
Hayao Miyazaki was very weak when he was born and doctors did not expect him to live beyond the age of 20. He is now 68 years old. He was a tortured child, he felt guilty for being alive, but his passion for anime changed his life. He recently announced his retirement, but rumors point to a come back motivated by his desire to break box-office records. If this is true, audiences will no doubt be thrilled.
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"Ponyo on the Cliff by the Sea"
