"Hayao Miyazaki's hand-crafted fables have made him Japan's most successful film-maker."
A Picture Worth A Thousand Words
One of the most captivating trait in a Miyazaki's work is the "hand-drawn cell animation (perhaps the greatest there has ever been) at a time when the art form appears to be headed the way of the dodo." In an interview with Xan Brooks, Miyazaki was said to have been critical of computer-generated imagery, often describing it as "thin, shallow, fake". With that mindset, he originally hand-drew most of the visuals in his films, leaving only 10% for technological touches.
Growing up watching a large sum of Japanese animations, or anime, I noticed that there are some differences between a normal anime and a Miyazaki anime by the specific features of the characters. For one example, take a look at the pictures below.
Growing up watching a large sum of Japanese animations, or anime, I noticed that there are some differences between a normal anime and a Miyazaki anime by the specific features of the characters. For one example, take a look at the pictures below.
On the left is a few of Miyazaki's characters while on the right is the characters from one of my favorite anime, Fairy Tail - picked as a representative for the general anime. One very clear difference between these pictures is from the eyes. Notice the eyes in Miyazaki's characters are usually more simple than the eyes from Fairy Tail's characters. Miyazaki's eyes has round borders with a black pupil and a white dot in the middle. Fairy Tail's eyes, on the other hand, varies in different borders (e.g. Lucy's, Natsu, and Gajeel), with a more complex shaded pupil and a white dot at the top. Another aspect is face shapes. Miyazaki's face shapes are usually rounded with soft lines, while Fairy Tail's face shapes are sharp and pointy in the chin region. In terms of the physical body, the young women's bodies (e.g. Mononoke) in Miyazaki's pictures are in the norms, however, Fairy Tail's young women's bodies (such as Lucy) are presented with enhanced sexual features of bigger breasts. Miyazaki's hand-drawn characters, overall, often possesses an innocent and childish feel. His drawings, although seemingly simple in comparison to the general anime's drawings, are amazingly fascinating in its own ways.
A Beautiful Mind
Hayao Miyazaki's beautiful mind takes his imaginations to another level. This example can be seen within the diverse types of spirits of the magical realm and the different destinations presented in Spirited Away. His highly imaginative visuals gave birth to the most unique characters ranging from petrifying and creepy, No-Face, to cute and cuddly, Totoro. Here are a few other examples.
Kudos to You, Mr. Hayao Miyazaki
Being one of the greatest auteurs of the time, Hayao Miyazaki succeeded in creating films that conveyed important humanitarian and naturalistic themes as well as developing his own astounding hand-crafted artworks, adding the little details such as blinking eyes which contributed to bringing his animated world to life. He was often praised for his notable talent in story-telling, and how he connected to the audience in a deeper level through the messages presented in his movies.
"His stories, while not lyrical or necessarily poetic, are nicely (if not, when he goes to the extreme, wonderfully) constructed with a clear sense of what he wants to tell his audience and the emotional honesty to explore the messages and themes he wishes to present. Whether it be a simple story of young girls growing up while wondering about what the future holds for themselves and their family (Totoro), or the more complex stories of growing older while contemplating your own morality as well as the many failures and triumphs in your life (Porco Rosso), Miyazaki combines a deft touch of humanity with honest respect, not just for his characters, but the audience that could appreciate these character, in the construction of his stories."
Kudos to Mr. Miyazaki indeed.