Post by caucasoididiot on Feb 17, 2010 18:37:21 GMT -5
His name has cropped up a lot, but we never seem to have had had a poll on Hayao Miyazaki's movies. These include:
ルパン三世 カリオストロの城
Lupin III: Castle of Cagliostro
1979
I've never seen this one, and as Lupin III wasn't developed by Miyazaki I thought of including it in "other." Still, he was the writer/director and had done a lot of Lupin TV episodes, so I would imagine his imprint is there.
風の谷のナウシカ
Nausicaä of the Valley of the Wind
1984
I haven't caught this one either, but the imdb summary reads:"Warrior/pacifist Princess Nausicaä desperately struggles to prevent two warring nations from destroying themselves and their dying planet." As it's an adaptation of Miyazaki's own manga I suppose it would be his first "signature" work.
天空の城ラピュタ
Laputa: Castle in the Sky
1986
Never saw this one either, but the imagery I've seen from it is impressive. Again from the imdb: "A young boy and a girl with a magic crystal must race against pirates and foreign agents in a search for a legendary floating castle."
となりのトトロ
My Neighbor Totoro
1988
At last, one I've seen! I was beginning to wonder if I had the wrong imdb page. This is set in the Japanese countryside in the '50s and apparently has a lot of autobiographical elements. It's the story of two young sisters who meet and befriend magical forest spirits.
This seems to be the movie that the Japanese really love Miyazaki for; you still hear the "Arukou!" song all over the place. One thing I like about Miyazaki's work is how he avoids the cloying over-cuteness of a lot of Japanese pop-culture. Dai-Totoro is big and more than a little eerie, and in his first scene you can't help wondering if it's wise for the little girl to get quite so close to his mouth. Kids I've talked to seem to love the movie, but I think it works well for adults too.
Here's a great scene (which I don't think is much of a spoiler):
www.youtube.com/watch?v=bBvEHJOUbjk&feature=related
魔女の宅急便
Kiki's Delivery Service
1989
Miyazaki's next film is set in a mid-twentieth century Europe in which the world wars never happened . . . oh, and in which witches are a rarely met but accepted fact. Young witch Kiki takes broom and cat and sets out for the city by the sea on a sort of Wanderjahr. It's essentially a coming-of-age tale, well told and beautifully animated. Flying sequences are a Miyazaki trademark, and this movie has everything from brooms to Zeppelins to flycycles.
Here's the opening credit sequence:
www.youtube.com/watch?v=PSIeGpt5Sug&feature=related
紅の豚
Porco Rosso
1992
Set in 1929, this is the story of a an Italian combat pilot cursed (by guilt?) to wear the shape of a pig. This is the only one of Miyazaki's films which didn't quite work for me. I think it's because the tone shifts around between light-heartedness and something darker; not that I object to that concept but I never quite integrated the two. I've read that the conception of this film changed quite a bit during production, in part because of the tragic events unfolding in the Balkans at that time. Still, I really like the fact that Miyazaki never feels the need to spoon-feed us the explanation for Marco's transformation. I've only seen this one once and mean to give it another try someday.
Here's a trailer. Gorgeous visuals as always:
www.youtube.com/watch?v=zibFwVWgICc&feature=related
もののけ姫
Princess Mononoke
1997
Now this one is definitely not a kids' movie. The English title makes "mononoke" look like a proper name, but it actually means something along the lines of "avenging demon." Miyazaki returns to a mythic setting--this time a sort of Japanese "Middle-Earth"--in which progressive and conservational forces battle violently over the fate of the primeval forest. Its the most message-oriented of his films that I've seen but resists the urge to over-simplify the issues. Several factions are involved, each with their particular competing interests and values, and though by the end we know where Miyazaki stands he tells us without (in my view) stooping to the demolition of straw men.
I've only seen this one in the dubbed version and am not really happy with that. There's some fine voice talent, but a lot of it didn't seem to fit the characters well. I also cringed every time the word "rifle" cropped up, as the weapons shown are all either hand-cannon or arquebuses. Pedantic perhaps, but the generic "gun" would have been perfectly correct.
千と千尋の神隠し
Spirited Away
2001
Miyazaki had planned to retire, but was apparently inspired by the sullen young daughter of some friends to make this movie about a similar character. Exploring what seems to be an abandoned theme park, Chihiro's parents are transformed into pigs, and she finds herself as a menial servant in a spa resort for gods. But many of the denizens of this new world are as out of place as she is, and she ultimately has to help free them before she can free herself.
I don't think of this one as a kids' movie but I think it's fine for them, except maybe for younger ones who might find the kao-nashi character a bit frightening.
As an aside, Yubaba's renaming her "Sen" isn't arbitrary. Kanji are usually pronounced differently when alone than when in compound, so (Chi)(hiro) becomes (Sen) when the rest of her name is stolen.
www.youtube.com/watch?v=juPtg0b-SJE&NR=1
ハウルの動く城
Howl's Moving Castle
2004
I haven't yet caught this one. From the imdb: "When an unconfident young woman is cursed with an old body by a spiteful witch, her only chance of breaking the spell lies with a self-indulgent yet insecure young wizard and his companions in his legged, walking home."
It's the first one since Lupin III that's not wholly original with Miyazaki, being an adaptation of a novel. I've read that a different Ghibli director walked out on it very early and Miyazaki had to step in. Everything I've heard about it has been positive.
崖の上のポニョ
Ponyo on the Cliff
2008
I haven't seen this one either. "An animated adventure centered on a 5-year-old boy and his relationship with a goldfish princess who longs to become human."
ルパン三世 カリオストロの城
Lupin III: Castle of Cagliostro
1979
I've never seen this one, and as Lupin III wasn't developed by Miyazaki I thought of including it in "other." Still, he was the writer/director and had done a lot of Lupin TV episodes, so I would imagine his imprint is there.
風の谷のナウシカ
Nausicaä of the Valley of the Wind
1984
I haven't caught this one either, but the imdb summary reads:"Warrior/pacifist Princess Nausicaä desperately struggles to prevent two warring nations from destroying themselves and their dying planet." As it's an adaptation of Miyazaki's own manga I suppose it would be his first "signature" work.
天空の城ラピュタ
Laputa: Castle in the Sky
1986
Never saw this one either, but the imagery I've seen from it is impressive. Again from the imdb: "A young boy and a girl with a magic crystal must race against pirates and foreign agents in a search for a legendary floating castle."
となりのトトロ
My Neighbor Totoro
1988
At last, one I've seen! I was beginning to wonder if I had the wrong imdb page. This is set in the Japanese countryside in the '50s and apparently has a lot of autobiographical elements. It's the story of two young sisters who meet and befriend magical forest spirits.
This seems to be the movie that the Japanese really love Miyazaki for; you still hear the "Arukou!" song all over the place. One thing I like about Miyazaki's work is how he avoids the cloying over-cuteness of a lot of Japanese pop-culture. Dai-Totoro is big and more than a little eerie, and in his first scene you can't help wondering if it's wise for the little girl to get quite so close to his mouth. Kids I've talked to seem to love the movie, but I think it works well for adults too.
Here's a great scene (which I don't think is much of a spoiler):
www.youtube.com/watch?v=bBvEHJOUbjk&feature=related
魔女の宅急便
Kiki's Delivery Service
1989
Miyazaki's next film is set in a mid-twentieth century Europe in which the world wars never happened . . . oh, and in which witches are a rarely met but accepted fact. Young witch Kiki takes broom and cat and sets out for the city by the sea on a sort of Wanderjahr. It's essentially a coming-of-age tale, well told and beautifully animated. Flying sequences are a Miyazaki trademark, and this movie has everything from brooms to Zeppelins to flycycles.
Here's the opening credit sequence:
www.youtube.com/watch?v=PSIeGpt5Sug&feature=related
紅の豚
Porco Rosso
1992
Set in 1929, this is the story of a an Italian combat pilot cursed (by guilt?) to wear the shape of a pig. This is the only one of Miyazaki's films which didn't quite work for me. I think it's because the tone shifts around between light-heartedness and something darker; not that I object to that concept but I never quite integrated the two. I've read that the conception of this film changed quite a bit during production, in part because of the tragic events unfolding in the Balkans at that time. Still, I really like the fact that Miyazaki never feels the need to spoon-feed us the explanation for Marco's transformation. I've only seen this one once and mean to give it another try someday.
Here's a trailer. Gorgeous visuals as always:
www.youtube.com/watch?v=zibFwVWgICc&feature=related
もののけ姫
Princess Mononoke
1997
Now this one is definitely not a kids' movie. The English title makes "mononoke" look like a proper name, but it actually means something along the lines of "avenging demon." Miyazaki returns to a mythic setting--this time a sort of Japanese "Middle-Earth"--in which progressive and conservational forces battle violently over the fate of the primeval forest. Its the most message-oriented of his films that I've seen but resists the urge to over-simplify the issues. Several factions are involved, each with their particular competing interests and values, and though by the end we know where Miyazaki stands he tells us without (in my view) stooping to the demolition of straw men.
I've only seen this one in the dubbed version and am not really happy with that. There's some fine voice talent, but a lot of it didn't seem to fit the characters well. I also cringed every time the word "rifle" cropped up, as the weapons shown are all either hand-cannon or arquebuses. Pedantic perhaps, but the generic "gun" would have been perfectly correct.
千と千尋の神隠し
Spirited Away
2001
Miyazaki had planned to retire, but was apparently inspired by the sullen young daughter of some friends to make this movie about a similar character. Exploring what seems to be an abandoned theme park, Chihiro's parents are transformed into pigs, and she finds herself as a menial servant in a spa resort for gods. But many of the denizens of this new world are as out of place as she is, and she ultimately has to help free them before she can free herself.
I don't think of this one as a kids' movie but I think it's fine for them, except maybe for younger ones who might find the kao-nashi character a bit frightening.
As an aside, Yubaba's renaming her "Sen" isn't arbitrary. Kanji are usually pronounced differently when alone than when in compound, so (Chi)(hiro) becomes (Sen) when the rest of her name is stolen.
www.youtube.com/watch?v=juPtg0b-SJE&NR=1
ハウルの動く城
Howl's Moving Castle
2004
I haven't yet caught this one. From the imdb: "When an unconfident young woman is cursed with an old body by a spiteful witch, her only chance of breaking the spell lies with a self-indulgent yet insecure young wizard and his companions in his legged, walking home."
It's the first one since Lupin III that's not wholly original with Miyazaki, being an adaptation of a novel. I've read that a different Ghibli director walked out on it very early and Miyazaki had to step in. Everything I've heard about it has been positive.
崖の上のポニョ
Ponyo on the Cliff
2008
I haven't seen this one either. "An animated adventure centered on a 5-year-old boy and his relationship with a goldfish princess who longs to become human."