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Birth of Hayao Miyazaki
Hayao Miyazaki was born 01/05/1941 in Akebono-cho, Japan to Katsuji Miyazaki, the director of a family aircraft part company Miyazaki Airplane, and housewife Yoshiko. -
Bombing of Utsunomiya
During WWII, American sent an air raid of bombers to an Imperial Japanese Army base located in Utsonomiya. Hayao Miyazaki was four at the time and cites the experience as evacuees in many of his future works. -
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Yoshiko Miyazaki Spinal Tuberculosis Treatment
Hayao's mother fluctuated between being bed bound and in the hospital while she recovered from spinal tuberculosis. This left the able-bodied sons and father to participate in what was traditionally gendered domestic duties, like housekeeping and homemaking. -
"Legend of the White Snake Enchantress" Released
Miyazaki snuck out of studying for his entrance exams and found a love for personal storytelling through animation after watching Japan's first color feature length anime, "Legend of the White Snake Enchantress". -
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Attended Gakushuin University
Hayao Miyazaki majored in Political Science and Economics but spent most of his time drawing manga and attending Anpo protests instead of being interested in his studies. -
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Toei Animation Work
Hayao Miyazaki worked as an inbetween artist for multiple films, which meant that he was responsible for animating frames between keyframes for films like "Space Gulliver. Within the company, he became the chief secretary of their labor union and became responsible for key animation and script development. -
Collaboration with Isao Takahata Begins
Working at Toei during a labor dispute, Hayao met lifelong friend and future co-founder of Studio Ghibli, Isao Takahata. -
Marriage to Akemi Ōta
Hayao Miyazaki met his future wife, Akemi Ōta, when they were working as inbetween artists at Toei Animation for movies like "The Wonderful World of Puss 'n Boots" and "The Great Adventure of Horus". They married a year and a half later. -
Birth of Gorō Miyazaki
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Birth of Keisuke Miyazaki
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A-Pro Animation Work
Miyazaki got their first directorial credits working on "Lupin the Third: Part 1". Miyazaki also left the country for the first time to visit Sweden prompting a new impression on how scenes could be conveyed and newer storyboard concepts to his animation. -
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Zuiyō Eizō Animation Work
During this time, he worked as an animator and storyboarder with Isao Takahata for the film, "Heidi, Girl of the Alps". They traveled to Switzerland, continuing to adapt European novels into animated films. -
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Nippon Animation Work
The parent company, Zuiyō Eizō, split and both Takahata and Miyazaki went to the Nippon Animation branch. Miyazaki would continue research in Europe while Takahata took on more directorial work. Miyazaki was completed his first directorial credit in an animated TV show, "Future Boy Conan" and "Anne of Green Gables" -
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Tokyo Movie Shinsha Work
Continuing with his A-Pro Lupin III work, Miyazaki directs his first feature anime film, "The Castle of Cagliostro". He continued directing and being a chief animation instructor for additional Lupin III episodes. Multiple adaptations were shelved and he returned to his manga roots, developing "Nausicaä of the Valley of the Wind". -
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Topcraft Work
After completing the first couple volumes of "Nausicaä of the Valley of the Wind", Miyazaki got approval for producing a feature film adaptation. -
Collaboration with Joe Hisaishi Begins
At the time, Joe Hisaishi was an experimental composer and musician who was hired for "Nausicaä of the Valley of the Wind". Hisaishi works in all of Miyazaki's feature films to compose the film score. -
"Nausicaä of the Valley of the Wind" Released
Miyazaki directed and wrote this version of his own manga, mixing eco-friendly themes with anti-war messages. Its success kickstarted the creation of Studio Ghibli. The movie also helped build Miyazaki’s reputation for crafting strong female lead characters. -
Studio Ghibli Founded
After Nausicaä's success, Miyazaki founded Studio Ghibli with director Takahata and producer Suzuki using Japanese publisher Tokuma Shoten's financial backing. -
"Laputa: Castle in the Sky" Released
This was Miyazaki's first official Ghibli film as a director that combined a shonen hero's journey with messages critiquing militarism and industrial exploitation. This established shape Ghibli’s mise-en-scene, boosting their success in the Japanese box office. -
"My Neighbor Totoro" Released
As a family favorite film, Totoro became the official mascot for Studio Ghibli. Miyazaki begins to add autobiographical pieces into fantastical environments, creating a non-existent form of Japanese whimsical magical realism. -
"Kiki’s Delivery Service" Released
The first writer credit by Miyazaki resulted in his first box office success, which extended his work to an international audience. -
"Porco Rosso" Released
Initially this movie started as a short, then was extended into a full feature film exploring Miyazaki’s growing cynicism about growing up and postwar politics. It focused on the aircraft that he grew up around during WWII due to his father's family business. -
"Princess Mononoke" Released
At the time, Japan’s highest-grossing domestic film was released by Miyazaki as one of his most violent film. -
"Spirited Away" Released
This was notably Miyazaki ans Studio Ghibli's most critically acclaimed work being the first anime to win the Academy Award for Best Animated Feature. -
"Howl’s Moving Castle" Released
Miyazaki's experience with adapting European novels resulted in Diana Wynne Jones’s novel movie adaptation. The international adaptation included many famous actors at the time and a more mature audience. -
"Ponyo" Released
Inspired by "The Little Mermaid", Miyazaki returned to a simpler story that heralded a record number of 170,000 hand drawn frames. -
"The Wind Rises" Released
After his writing collaboration on "From Up on Poppy Hill", Miyazaki directed a semi-biographical drama about Jiro Horikoshi, a WWII fighter plane designer that spoke about Japan's militarism at the time. -
"The Boy and the Heron" Released
Returning from retirement, Miyazaki release a semi-autobiographical film that won their second Academy Award for Best Animated Feature. -
References
Dwivedi R. A discourse on modern civilization: the cinema of Miyazaki and Gandhi. Int J Humanit Soc Sci Invention. 2017;6(6). Accessed June 17, 2025. https://www.ijhssi.org/papers/v6(6)/Version-1/C0606010111.pdf Mumcu S, Yılmaz S. Anime landscapes as a tool for analyzing the human–environment relationship: Hayao Miyazaki films. Arts. 2018;7(2):16. doi:10.3390/arts7020016 -
References
Miyazaki H. Starting Point, 1979–1996. Cary B, Schodt FL, trans. Viz Media; 2009. Family landscape: Brother of Hayao Miyazaki (1990). Discover Ghibli. Accessed June 17, 2025. https://discoverghibli.com/family-landscape-brother-of-hayao-miyazaki-1990/ -
References
Murata T. Hayao Miyazaki’s nationalism: Cinema and identity politics in Japan. J Anime Manga Stud. 2021;2:52-68. Accessed June 17, 2025. https://iopn.library.illinois.edu/journals/jams/article/view/963/926 Drawing what’s real. 10 Years with Hayao Miyazaki. Directed by Arakawa K. NHK; March 30, 2019. Accessed June 17, 2025. https://www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/en/shows/3004581/