Hayao Miyazaki

by Jessica Niebel, Peter Docter, Daniel Kothenschulte

A richly illustrated journey through the extraordinary cinematic worlds of beloved filmmaker Hayao Miyazaki

For over four decades, Hayao Miyazaki has been enchanting audiences of all ages. His animated films, often featuring children navigating unfamiliar and challenging worlds, offer timeless explorations of youth and what it means to grow up. Celebrated and admired around the globe for his artistic vision, craftsmanship and deeply humanistic values, Miyazaki has influenced generations of artists. The universal appeal of his evocative natural settings and complex characters, many among them strong girls and young women, cuts across cultural boundaries. This book is published on the occasion of the 2021 inaugural exhibition at the Academy Museum of Motion Pictures in Los Angeles, in collaboration with Studio Ghibli in Tokyo. It accompanies the first ever retrospective dedicated to the legendary filmmaker in North America and introduces hundreds of original production materials, including artworks never before seen outside of Studio Ghibli's archives. Concept sketches, character designs, storyboards, layouts, backgrounds and production cels from his early career through all 11 of his feature films, including My Neighbor Totoro (1988), Kiki's Delivery Service (1989), Princess Mononoke (1997), Spirited Away (2001) and Howl's Moving Castle (2004), offer insight into Miyazaki's creative process and masterful animation techniques.

Genres: Art, Nonfiction, Film, Manga, Coffee Table Books, Reference, Memoir

288 pages, Hardcover

First published December 10, 2019

Reviews

[midori · Rating 5 out of 5]

beautiful!!! so nostalgic to look though, I fear this has reignited a desire in me to binge studio ghibli’s entire catalog. also super informative, as far as coffee table books go. a lot of really enlightening stuff about eastern v. western culture as it impacts animation and Miyazaki’s early life and politics (the politics are indeed good, unsurprisingly). can’t wait to continually come back to this as it sits on my coffee table from now until eternity :-)

[Sean Smart · Rating 5 out of 5]

A really beautiful book about these amazing films

[Michael · Rating 4 out of 5]

This companion book for the Hayao Miyazaki exhibit at the Academy Museum of Motion Pictures has some great essays amongst the Studio Ghibli artwork. It covers most of the storyboards, drawings, and cels on display. I only wish they had captured some of the models and lovely layout of the exhibition itself. Still, definitely worth reading for a Ghibli fan.

[Katja · Rating 4 out of 5]

At first I thought it was just a picture book of cels, storyboards and concept arts etc. but there were nice short essays/introductions focusing on different elements in Miyazaki's films (like heroines, spirituality) and of course on the creator himself too.

[Saf · Rating 5 out of 5]

really captured my fascination and love for ghibli movies. stunning and beautiful.

[Alex MacMillan · Rating 4 out of 5]

I'm flying to LA in a few weeks to visit this exhibition at the Academy Museum for myself. This is a beautiful book, with unprecedented access to preproduction artwork from the GOAT of genga. The only other book I could compare this to would be The Illusion of Life— artistic genius preserved in book form so that future animators and filmmakers can learn after the master is no longer with us. - 4/3/22

[Elina Mäkitalo · Rating 4 out of 5]

Ihan kiva tietopaketti, ihan kaikkea tekstiä en jaksanut lukea. Ei sitä paljoa edes ollut. Kuvat olivat paras osuus tässä kirjassa ja alkuperäispiirroksiakin, mistä sitten on elokuvat tehty. Värimaailma oli kiva. Itse kirjan asettelu, kuvat ja teksti, oli myös hyvää ja selkeää. Riittävän isot kuvat, ei tarvinnut tihrustaa.

[Amanda [Novel Addiction] · Rating 3 out of 5]

I'll be honest.... I just looked at the pictures. But this book is worth getting just for the images, seriously. Beautiful art.

[Kathryn Pearson · Rating 5 out of 5]

"The question then becomes, what is hope? And the conclusion I'd have to venture is that hope involves working and struggling along with people who are important to you. In fact, I've gotten to the point where I think this is what it means to be alive."

So unsurprisingly the heron and the boy launched me into a studio ghibli hyperfixation round 2, and this book was an absolute investment well spent. As soon as it arrived in the post, I curled up in bed with a cuppa to pour over the dreamy pages, which is a similar energy I have for the films themselves. Been struggling to concentrate on reading recently too so this was a refreshing break. Definitely added a whole new layer to my appreciation of the ghibli animation art form, film themes and narratives and work behind the scenes. Really loved the range of artwork included as well as the range of reflections on it. Despite being a supposed fan, I embarrassingly didn't even know Miyazaki's name before reading this and am ready to know much more. Like the films are just...so good. And this book really gave them justice (even if I would've been happy if it was twice as long!)

[Nick Pierce · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Miyazaki deep dive continues. This must have been an incredible exhibit, and absolutely makes me long for a pilgrimage to Mitaka. Provides insightful chronology & evolution of Miyazaki's work and surface level biographical info on Miyazaki, Suzuki & Takahata that was wonderful to consider. Some light interpretations of the works, and demonstrations of the creative process (e.g. how Miyazaki approaches building characters, environments, etc.) Of course, beautifully designed as well. Wouldn't mind if this book was twice as large. Highly recommend.

[Katarina · Rating 5 out of 5]

I visited the Miyazaki exhibit on the last weekend of its run at the Academy Museum. It curated some of the most beautiful art I’ve ever seen and it is ALL in this book. Between the printed paintings and sketches, it also features thoughtful essays honoring his legacy. I’d say the book has more of an impact than the exhibit itself could express. Highly recommend buying, keeping, and treasuring this!

[Kaitlyn Judd · Rating 5 out of 5]

I just adore Hayao and his works! His creative process and view on creativity is so refreshing. He is authentic and his ideas and execution are very pure. He doesn’t create for the masses- he just creates! And I love that. As someone who works in a creative field I found this so enlightening and gave me a new perspective on creation. Would so recommend.

[Ansley E Hudson · Rating 5 out of 5]

I was not expecting this book to be an in-depth history of Hayao Miyazaki’s life and creative process, but I’m glad it was! It was very inspiring and I’ll be back… I have to go watch every Ghibli Movie ever made now 🤎

[gabrielle lovisa · Rating 5 out of 5]

Miyazaki’s work is unparalleled. Getting to read about his thought process and inspiration behind some of my favorite films ever created was such a treat.. and I loved just learning about how far he came as an illustrator, film director, and human!! Such a cool read.

[Joseph Jenkins · Rating 5 out of 5]

Not just a coffee table picture book. Would recommend to any GHIBLI / Miyazaki lover. So much great insight on individual films, their characters, and the world(s) Miyazaki has crafted. A great read following Miyazaki World.

[Annina Luck Wildermuth · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a beautiful book and so lavishly illustrated. I especially enjoyed seeing so many color sketches from the Miyazaki movies that I love.

[sofia bessette · Rating 4 out of 5]

I LOVE STUDIO GHIBLI

[Cory · Rating 5 out of 5]

A really beautifully designed book with some great write-ups. Aside from some concept drawings that I’d never seen before (which were awesome to see btw), for the most part there wasn’t much new here for someone like me who’s read/watched pretty much everything about Miyazaki. That being said, it’s probably one of the best general books about Miyazaki out there, especially for people who love Miyazaki’s films but don’t know much about the background of it all. For its likely intended purpose as a pretty coffee table book, it’s perfect!

[Lily · Rating 4 out of 5]

i kind of just looked at the pictures 😅 but still really interesting and nice quality 😏😌

[★ Elle ★ · Rating 4 out of 5]

4 ★ such a pretty book, love all of miyazaki’s work !!

[Mathou · Rating 5 out of 5]

Thank you Mr. Miyazaki

Hayao Miyazaki's work is probably my favorite in the world.

That being said, this book is a "must have" if you like this art.

It talks about the museum that opens its doors to this magnificent exhibition, but especially about Miyazaki's art within Studio Ghibli.
Expect to learn more about the way of working, the concepts, the worlds, the characters and many other things that form this universe that is so dear to us.

This book is made with a great respect for these works and we can thank him for it.
Moreover, a large part of the book is devoted to sketches and drawings that have never been released from the archives of Studio Ghibli. This is a real opportunity for us to dive a little more into this universe.

It is difficult for me to make a good review of this book because, very subjective, this review would surely end in a love letter.

So let me just finish by thanking all the people of the museum of Los Angeles (such a great sorrow that I can't see this exhibition), as well as the whole team of Studio Ghibli without whom nothing would have been possible.
Finally, a special thanks to Mr. Miyazaki for his art, his talent and his invitation to enter his world.

どうもありがとうございました。

[Carlitos · Rating 4 out of 5]

It's a solid retrospective with very high quality reproductions. The texts are generally informative, although I found 3 pieces of wrong information in there. That's of course embarrassing since I'm really just a casual fan of the studio/director. Also, some of the texts are a tad too pretentious. There's a sense that they wanted the texts to be a swan song to Miyazaki's career and that's why they sound so much more haughty and aggrandising than texts about the same films 10-20 years ago.

Anyway, if you're a fan of the man, you should probably get this. I say, spend more time on the reproductions than on the essays!

[Lily · Rating 3 out of 5]

idk how to rate this because it’s functionally a coffee table book

thinking about all the work that goes into my favorite movies is enough to keep me up at night

i wish there was more focus on the wind rises or even porco rosso or howl’s moving castle, but i enjoyed how much nausicaa was in here. i really need to watch castle in the sky and ponyo…

i think i’ll just rate this a solid 3 stars because some of the analysis in here was pretty surface-level, and i felt that all the deeper and more interesting commentary came from the miyazaki quotes.

some of my favorites:

p. 64: ‘Miyazaki takes the words of the film’s tragic hero, the airplane builder Caproni, for his own credo: “You know, people who design airplanes and machines, no matter how much they believe that what they do is good, the winds of time eventually turn them into tools of industrial civilization. It’s never unscathed. They’re cursed dreams. Animation, too. Today, all of humanity’s dreams are cursed somehow. Beautiful yet cursed dreams….What i mean is, how do we know movies are even worthwhile? If you think about it, is this not just some grand hobby?”’

p. 123: ‘Miyazaki is clearly critical of harmful human behaviors and openly disapproves of war and pollution, but it would be too simple to label him a pacifist or environmentalist. After all, he asks, “Isn’t the height of arrogance to keep showing nature as needing protection to keep it from disappearing?”…”I think it’s important to remember that we can’t control the world,” he advises, “that we need a sense of respect for it, even some humility.”’

It also would’ve been nice to have some more content regarding projects he didn’t direct but produced and/or wrote (WHISPER OF THE HEART…).

A good read for anyone w a special interest in miyazaki or ghibli in general, though most of the joy just comes from owning it and knowing you’ll get to flip through it for years to come.

[Ben Nash · Rating 5 out of 5]

A masterpiece. If you love Miyazaki's films, you'll enjoy this book. Well written articles and wonderful images from his hand drawings and features films.

A few things I admire about Miyazaki:

1. He wants to infuse his films with meaning and purpose (even though I'd argue he doesn't know what they are for humans).

2. His desire is to "create films that help children feel glad that they've been born." How refreshing in this day in age! He wants to instill gratitude and wonder in children. That's very different than 'look at yourself' and 'find yourself'.

3. His worlds are made for all your senses. His films are a vacation for the mind. His animation shows the beauty, wonder, and magic of the world.

His films help you stop, savor, and enjoy what's in front of you.

He is a master of his craft. He isn't without faults as it seems that his work is his life. And it makes me wonder what he had to sacrifice to do what he did.

A delightful read and a marvel to see his work.

For more enjoyment, see the documentary, 'Never-Ending Man: Hayao Miyazaki'.

[Guille · Rating 4 out of 5]

Way too short, I wanted it to be, at least, double the lenght. The essays are interesting but the highlight for me were the behind the scene peeks (storyboards, early sketches, production images...). The worst thing about the book is that it doen't follow any orther like some of these other books dedicated to a film director or artist (the Guillermo del Toro one comes to mind as a much better book), there's a section dedicated to characters but it doesn't explore all the protagonists of Miyazaki's films; there's a section dedicated to places in the films but it only explores a couple of them... It seems weird and even lazy to only go into some of the movies and totally ignore the others, above all when the ignored ones are some of his best; Howl's Moving Castle, Porco Rosso, Ponyo on the Cliff by the Sea and The Wind Rises are mostly ignored. On the other side, Laputa, Totoro, Nausicäa and Mononoke get most of the spotlight.

[Kaci Harrison · Rating 5 out of 5]

✨(Mini) Book Review✨

This is required reading for Studio Ghibli/Miyazaki fans. I’ve been slowly working my way through all the films over the past year, and My Neighbor Totoro was my favorite childhood film. So I already loved Miyazaki’s work, but I did not expect to love it this much more from this book!

I was impressed by the amount of written content and how beautifully it all came together. I learned so much about the process behind my favorite comfort films as well as what makes them such unique fictional worlds and what defines their distinctive aesthetic style. This really scratched an itch I didn’t know I had. Everyone’s entry is so beautifully written. I can’t get enough of how creatives gush about other creatives they admire—almost had me in tears several times. It’s a wholesome and delightful book to flip through. Cannot recommend enough!

📖: (5/5) ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

[Alex · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a nice "coffee table" book. It's pretty shallow and doesn't offer many insights into Miyazaki's personal life, his opinions or personality, or really even much of his work habits or creative process. Instead it has a lot of short essays from Miyazaki fans(?) or I guess "film historians" who describe his films and make connections throughout his work. Accompanying these essays are behind the scenes art pieces from Miyazaki used in pre-production, as well as screenshots of his finished films.

It's a nice collection, and seeing the behind the scenes art work along with some of the quotes from Miyazaki and the essays of the writers gives you a fun general sense of some of his creative thought process. It's not in depth, and it's not exhaustive, but it's a nice collection.

[James Kiscaden]

From an artistic and philosophical standpoint, this book is the best way to get insight into Miyazaki’s creative process. Hearing the things that guide his decision making seem so natural and graceful and yet they don’t seem to be employed in other animated works to any degree near what is seen in his movies. I’d only recommend this after seeing all of his works with Ghibli up until The Wind Rises as, not only are there spoilers, but it makes it so much more impactful to read about something that you’ve experienced as a viewer as told by the person who made that memory for you.

[Carli Green · Rating 4 out of 5]

This man is just astonishing and this is a brilliant look into his work, processes and philosophy. I think for anyone using their art to create work that is meaningful to and felt by others, this is a great to get a glimpse into how one of the world's most renowned animators does it... every. single. time. Some of the artwork in this book is also just as stunning, if not more so, than any single shot from the movies he has directed.

[Sarah Dunmire · Rating 3 out of 5]

I think this book was based on a Hayao Miyazaki exhibition in the US as they introduced with that. It starts with different authors digging into Miyazaki’s films and then talks about different categories of the artwork and film themes. I think I was expecting more of a collection of drawings and not as much background Information, but I did learn more about his creative process and thoughts behind his work in general as well as the origins of some stories.