Hayao Miyazaki is one of the giants of Japanese animation, and his creative journey is full of legends. From the original "Valley of the Wind" to the recent "The Wind Rises", his works have not only won the love of audiences around the world, but also left a profound impact on the animation industry. This article will introduce Miyazaki's upbringing and the creation process of his works in detail, in order to bring readers a deep understanding of Miyazaki and his works.
Hayao Miyazaki's upbringing into the animation industry
Hayao Miyazaki, who was physically weak as a child, was obsessed with the manga of Osamu Tezuka and Shigeru Sugiura, and the one that attracted him the most was Tetsuji Fukushima's "Desert Demon King". "The Desert Lord" is very similar to "Aladdin and the Magic Lamp", with bold compositions and three-dimensional depictions influenced by American comics. This style can also be seen in the paintings of "Valley of the Wind" and "Sky Maiden". When I was in my third year of high school, I watched Toei Anime "The Legend of the White Snake" and became interested in anime. "The Legend of the White Snake" is Japan's first feature-length color anime. In Japan, where the animation production system was not yet perfect, it was possible to complete large-scale reforms such as the establishment of animation studios, the training of animators, and the development of animation camera equipment. Most of the people involved in this work have led the Japanese animation industry, and Hayao Miyazaki has also led the animation industry.
The first work he directed was "Future Boy Conan".
Hayao Miyazaki directed "Future Young Conan", which can be said to be his first directorial work. The tragic impression of the original "people left behind" has been greatly revamped with cheerful and positive content for children, and it has almost been reborn as an original work. In the tight schedule of the weekly **, he is responsible for the director, setting, and character design alone, and most of the storyboards and layout designs are done by himself, and he also has to check the scripts, storyboards, typesetting, and original drawings produced by the staff, which is simply an unimaginable workload for ordinary people. Despite these efforts, the ratings have not improved, but there are not a few creators who have been influenced by this work, which can be said to be the origin. Mitsuru Hongo, the director of "Crayon Shin-chan", and Yuki Tomino, the director of "Mobile Suit Gundam", are both in the same place, and he himself said that he felt the advantages of animation through this work.
The film "Lupin III: Castle of Cagliastro", which he directed for the first time, did not do well at the box office
Lupin III: The Castle of Cagliastro is a work released in 1979, when Yasuo Otsuka was nominated as a director, but did not have much interest, and Hayao Miyazaki took his place, which was his first film directed. He said, "Knowing the limits of physical strength," Miyazaki poured his heart into this work. Including the idea, I completed it with an amazing schedule of half a year. As a result, box office receipts are estimated at only 6100 million yen, although it did not exceed the 1 billion yen of the previous work, but it was repeatedly ** on TV and at screenings, and its popularity gradually increased. Released in 2001, *** recorded a shipment of about 400,000 copies, and sales of 1.2 billion yen for 3,000 yen per sheet, which can be seen from the film's popularity. It is said that director Steven Spielberg commented on this film"One of the greatest adventure movies of all time"。
In 1985, Studio Ghibli was finally founded
Studio Ghibli was founded with funding from Tokuma Shoten, based on the box office success of the film "Valley of the Wind". Miyazaki and Takahata, who were in a hurry to find a production base, finally found a home. Ghibli is the hot wind that blows in the Sahara Desert and was named to set off a whirlwind in the Japanese animation industry. Studio Ghibli's first work, Castle in the Sky, and the second installment, My Neighbor Totoro, did not earn well at the box office, but the explosive sales of merchandise helped Ghibli's business. Released in 1989, "Witch Courier Service" was sponsored by Yamato Transport and actively promoted, eventually achieving a box office revenue of 4.3 billion yen, which was an unprecedented feat. The success of "The Witch Home Delivery Service" is a big turning point for Ghibli in the future. In order to produce a good work, it was necessary to secure high-level talent, and the mainstream practice on the animation production scene at that time was to disband each work after gathering talent, and Ghibli was no different. Miyazaki took precautions and proposed to improve the treatment of low-paid original artists and maintain high-quality and stable talents. In addition to cultivating and securing human resources, public relations activities are becoming more active to compensate for the huge labor costs.
"Princess Mononoke" is a hit!At that time, there was a retirement theory
Princess Mononoke is a masterpiece produced by Ghibli with a production cost of 2.1 billion yen, and was released in 1997, setting a new box office record for a Japanese film in 15 years. He doubled the number of drawings that had been 570,000 and exhausted his physical strength and energy with the realization that he would "run out of Ghibli". At the celebration banquet after completion, he said "This will be my last work", which was widely reported, but the following year he withdrew his retirement declaration. The filmmaking of the work is unique, first of all, the director draws the image board himself. The image board is the heart of the work, an impressive sketch. Most of Miyazaki's works are transcribed on posters, so it's easy to understand. In "Castle in the Sky", there is a scene where Hita falls from the sky with both hands, and in "My Neighbor Totoro", Totoro appears next to Satsuki, who is waiting for his father at the bus stop. Draw a synopsis of the work on this board, and immediately start storyboarding (a script depicted with pictures). The storyboard alone can be read as a manga, which is very detailed and very physically demanding. When he finished the period drama "Princess Mononoke", he said with great desire that "this is the last work", but Miyazaki, who is Ghibli's precious income, is not a matter that can be decided by personal thoughts alone.
After the 2013 film The Wind Rises, did he finally retire from the ranks of animation directors?
"The Wind Rises" is based on the actual character Horikoshi Jiro, reflecting Hori's ** "The Wind Rises" and his father's image, and is an original work in which Hayao Miyazaki served as the original, script, and director. After the production of "Goldfish on the Cliff" was completed, it was not so much about work as it was about drawing closer to my interest. Although the idea of cinematography has been around for a long time, according to the consistent proposition that "animation is for children", this work, which is not suitable for children, does not consider film and television. However, Ghibli's Toshio Suzuki raised the contradiction of Hayao Miyazaki, who loved fighters but hated war, and he called for an answer to this proposition, so "The Wind Rises" in response to visualize it. The protagonist Horikoshi Jiro is represented by the Zero fighter, and is famous for designing fighter jets during the Pacific War, in addition to this work, there are also movies such as "Zero War Burning", etc., which came out on many **. There is also ** "The Wind Rises", which tells the story of the protagonist who wants to live with his fiancée whose tuberculosis is gradually worsening. Miyazaki's father, who was involved in the operation of the Zero carrier-based fighter and the Moonlight Windshield Manufacturing Company, later lost his wife to tuberculosis. In September 2013, he announced that he would no longer make feature-length films and held a press conference. Miyazaki, who was an animator by training, made movies out of drawing, so it all started with his own drawings. The work is getting more and more serious every year, and it is irresistible. It took 5 years from "The Goldfish on the Cliff" to "The Wind Rises", and the estimated time to challenge the next work is 7 years, and in another 7 years, he will be 80 years old. As I grew older, I realized that my time was over and decided to retire.
Hayao Miyazaki is a genius who can animate without a script
A director who starts animation without a script may come across as a rough one, but Miyazaki's work starts with drawings unlike the usual method of making out scenes and lines that unfold in detail (writing out detailed scenes and lines) or starting with scripts and drawings (image sketches). It is said that dozens of people such as original artists, designers, and screenwriters will participate in this basic stage, but he will do it all by himself. The work conceived from Miyazaki's mind alone is different from a collective idea, and time is not wasted because of opposing opinions, but because of this, the burden of one person is very large, and the labor required is beyond imagination. The staff involved in Miyazaki's work are not simple people, but the things they make are very meticulous and there is no room for revision.
Influenced the work of Hayao Miyazaki
Since the translation and publication in 1976, I have not put it down for a moment, and I even put it next to my pillow when I sleep. In a conversation with the author himself, he even said that his works so far have been influenced by "The Battle of the Earth and the Sea". Hayao Miyazaki, who is an old fan, twice asked the original author and the publisher if he wanted to make it visual, but because the author did not know Miyazaki's name, he refused their request. By the time Miyazaki, the author who learned of his fame had already lost his enthusiasm for film and television by the time Miyazaki got in touch with him, too. Hayao Miyazaki's "Tales of the Earth-Sea War" ended in a vision.
Saint-Exupéry's Land on Earth
When Hayao Miyazaki was asked about Saint-Exupéry during a TV project, he praised Saint-Exupéry as the writer who had the greatest influence on him. For example, Saint-Exupéry's assertion that "there is something more precious than life" feels the same way. Hayao Miyazaki was responsible for the cover and commentary of "The Land of the World" published by Shincho Bunko.
Is there an unfinished fantasy work?
There are several works in which Miyazaki was involved in some form, but for some reason did not come to fruition.
Pippi Longstocking
Pippi Longstocking is a classic fairy tale created by Astrid Lindgren, known as the "fairy tale grandmother", who invited Hayao Miyazaki and others to animate it, but was frustrated by not getting permission from the original author. Published in October 2014, Iwanami Shoten is a collection of interviews looking back at the time, as well as impression boards, scripts, and sketchbooks that have never been used. The prospect of filming on location for this work was utilized in "The Witch Courier Service".
Nemo: Nemo is a 5.5 billion yen production by Telecom, a company founded by Yutaka Fujioka, who was the president of Tokyo Film Company at the time, in order to enter the United States. Miyazaki was selected as the main staff member on the Japanese side, going back and forth between Japan and the United States, but Miyazaki was embarrassed about the project from the beginning, which is why Miyazaki left the telecommunications company. Originally intended to be directed by Hayao Miyazaki or Isao Takahata, the work was successfully completed with the participation of celebrities such as George Lucas and Disney's famous animators. As part of the promotion of this work to the American industry, his company's production "Lupin III: Cagliastro Castle" was released, which became an opportunity to raise awareness in Hollywood.
After the completion of "Anchor" and "Castle in the Sky", it was conceived by a luxurious cast produced by the original Yumepil tapir, screenwriter Hayao Miyazaki, directors Mamoru Oshii, and Isao Takahata, but Mamoru Oshii had a difference of opinion on the character design of the protagonist and disappeared at the planning stage. The story is set in Tokyo in the 1980s, with a princess-like girl as the main character, and before reaching the destination, there will be bad guys who hinder the girl's progress and a teenager who helps the girl, and it is an adventure work with love elements. The script comes from ** Home Dream Pillow Tapir.
Painting the Chimney of the Forest
In the fictional aftermath of the earthquake in Tokyo, the story of Hayashi painting on a chimney. It was a project that took one year and was discussed quite concretely, and "No matter how many times" was used as the theme song for "Spirited Away", and the name of the protagonist Hayashi was also used as the character.
Caterpillar Hole".
This is a project that Miyazaki has attached great importance to for a long time, and it is a new attempt to depict the world from the perspective of insects. As a failure of the film, this work was born as a short animation for the Ghibli Museum under the title of "Water Spider". Meng Meng, the water spider, fell in love with Agen the water strider, although he was hated because of his appearance, but because he saved Agen, who was about to be eaten by a fish, love sprouted between the two spiders.