Hayao Miyazaki receives honorary Oscar

By: Nimra Khan

Hayao Miyazaki, legendary Japanese animator and co-founder of Studio Ghibli, best known for his work on animated classics like Spirited Away and My Neighbour Totoro, received an honorary Oscar at the Governor’s Award Ceremony on Nov 8. All I have to say is it’s about time.

Miyazaki has become known as the “Walt Disney of Japan,” who still adheres to the traditional style of animation where one draws out each frame of the movie by hand. This incredible attention to detail is present across the twenty feature films that Studio Ghibli has created since 1986 and resulted in films that rival many works of art. These films have brought considerable success in Japan, especially with the overseas success of Spirited Away, which is also the highest grossing film in Japan.

This success is furthered by the enthusiasm of John Lasseter (chief creative officer at Disney and Pixar), who has worked to show American audiences the beauty of Miyazaki’s work, resulting in the two animators becoming friends over the years. Unfortunately, despite Miyazaki’s efforts and powerful partnerships, he has only received one Oscar back in 2001 for Spirited Away. While he has since been nominated twice for other works, this is only the second Oscar for the filmmaker, making the award that much more important.

Miyazaki took the stage at the ceremony as Lasseter enthusiastically presented him the award. Given to us through a translator, Miyazaki began his acceptance speech with “my wife tells me that I’m a very lucky man,” as he described how happy he was to have been a part of the last era of animated films created with pen and paper. Regardless of the awkwardness that language barriers provide, Miyazaki possessed the decorum of a man with enough experience to rival most people in the room, as he stepped off the stage with an “arigatou gozaimasu” (thank you).

Unfortunately, this award also follows Miyazaki’s official announcement of retirement, making The Wind Rises his final feature film with Studio Ghibli. Like many people all over the world, Miyazaki’s films inspired me when I was a child, and continue to inspire me into adulthood. I’m heartbroken to see him leave, but I will always be thankful for the respect I gained for animation through his work. This Oscar only scratches the surface in terms of appreciating the amount of joy he has brought to children all around the world, but it is definitely a step in the right direction. Like many fans, I have my fingers crossed hoping that this won’t be the last we see of Miyazaki.