Opinion The animated worlds of Hayao Miyazaki – a route to belonging the world
Miyazaki's movies make you confront human emotions and open you up to vulnerability and loss. The wonderful world of Hayao Miyazaki is an invitation to a realm of magic, possibilities, imagination, creativity, potential, love, belief and wonder. It has the ability to make you feel that you are not alone in the world
Japanese director Hayao Miyazaki and his film, 'How Do You Live'. (Wikimedia Commons/IMDb) 
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Hayao Miyazaki, the Japanese director, is releasing his last film, How Do You Live?, on July 14, before his retirement. But you will struggle to find any trailer or promotion for it. This is characteristic of Miyazaki, as he is known to be quite eccentric in his creative process. It is public knowledge that he has retired twice before. His skills become more impressive when you know that he doesn’t create a story first but develops it along the way after starting his movie. He also doesn’t allow for any changes or alterations by distributors lest it compromise with the quality of his work. But Miyazaki certainly lives up to his reputation of being one of the best animators and storytellers there is.
Miyazaki’s films capture your attention from the get-go. The expansive landscapes, the aesthetic, the story, the characters, and the little details – all make up parts of a whole to present a mesmerising piece of art. They are as interesting to adults as to a younger audience. They are simple yet profound.
The characters that Miyazaki creates are brilliantly thought out and presented with careful detail through animation. The titular Princess Mononoke shows you what belief and determination look like. The character of Kiki in Kiki’s Delivery Service inspires with her optimism towards a new phase of life, towards becoming independent. Umi in From Up on the Poppy Hill depicts the quiet resilience of a girl who had to grow up before her time. There is also the internal struggle of Shizuku from Whisper of the Heart in her journey to find her voice. His characters make you wonder about your place in the world, about the things that really matter to you.
His films show the innocence of the characters but that shouldn’t be mistaken as mere idealism or naivety. Through them, he portrays genuine respect and love for others. Nature, animals, and fantastical beings are also crucial in driving the narrative in the movies. There is a deep investment in relationships without selfish interests. This perhaps can be seen naturally in kids and gets lost somewhere along the way to fit into the moulds of society.
A recurring motif in his movies is the grave dangers of modernisation and the harmful effects of human greed and excess on nature. But he shows this with a focus on the human potential for change. His movies highlight how humans and nature are in a co-dependent relationship, or should be to survive.
Miyazaki also shows more urban settings, with their trains, busy roads, and fast-paced life. Shizuku’s rendition of the song ‘Country Roads in Whisper of the Heart’ shows how she perceives the city she lives in, confronting feelings of loneliness, and finding a sense of purpose in all the uncertainty of growing up. Miyazaki beautifully captures the kind of connections you make with the city you live in, which sets the rhythm of your life and helps make sense of the world.
One of my favourite things about his films is the focus on the themes of agency of children, women, and animals. Children, especially, are shown as thinking beings with feelings of their own and Miyazaki prods you to acknowledge them in all their complexity. The little girls in My Neighbour Totoro and Ponyo are curious about the world but this innocent curiosity doesn’t take away their hardships and they have to struggle and show strength to overcome their challenges.
A professor once told me that I need to find my community in this world. That could mean different things for different people. To me, it meant finding people with whom I feel at home and, most importantly, people who encourage rather than limit my personal expression. Miyazaki’s movies invoke such a feeling. His movies make you confront human emotions and open you up to vulnerability and loss. The wonderful world of Hayao Miyazaki is an invitation to a realm of magic, possibilities, imagination, creativity, potential, love, belief and wonder. It has the ability to make you feel that you are not alone in the world.
The writer is a student at the Centre for Modern Indian Studies, Göttingen University, Germany
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