Recognize Miyazaki's recurring themes (flight, nature, young heroines, pacifism, the world of spirits) and understand his commitment to hand-drawn animation.
What sets his films apart
Miyazaki's recurring themes
Miyazaki's films have very different plots, but the same motifs come back again and again. Once you learn to recognize them, any of his films becomes easier to understand.
— Flight and the sky. His characters fly on gliders, broomsticks, strange machines, and creatures; for Miyazaki the sky is a symbol of freedom and dreams. This love goes back to a childhood spent near the aircraft industry.
— Ecology and nature. Forest, wind, water, and the living spirits of nature appear as something vast and worthy of respect; the harm people do to the world is almost always at the center of the conflict.
— Strong young heroines. His main characters are often girls and young women — brave, active, and kind: Nausicaä, San, Chihiro, Sophie. They don't wait to be rescued; they change the world around them themselves.
— An antiwar, pacifist message. Miyazaki lived through the aftermath of war and hates it; in many of his films violence is shown as a dead end, and true strength lies in compassion and reconciliation.
— The border between worlds and Shinto spirits. In his stories the ordinary world sits next to the world of spirits (kami) — this comes from Japan's Shinto religion, where every river, mountain, and tree has its own spirit.
Lesson notes
Miyazaki's recurring themes
Miyazaki's films have very different plots, but the same motifs come back again and again. Once you learn to recognize them, any of his films becomes easier to understand.
— Flight and the sky. His characters fly on gliders, broomsticks, strange machines, and creatures; for Miyazaki the sky is a symbol of freedom and dreams. This love goes back to a childhood spent near the aircraft industry.
— Ecology and nature. Forest, wind, water, and the living spirits of nature appear as something vast and worthy of respect; the harm people do to the world is almost always at the center of the conflict.
— Strong young heroines. His main characters are often girls and young women — brave, active, and kind: Nausicaä, San, Chihiro, Sophie. They don't wait to be rescued; they change the world around them themselves.
— An antiwar, pacifist message. Miyazaki lived through the aftermath of war and hates it; in many of his films violence is shown as a dead end, and true strength lies in compassion and reconciliation.
— The border between worlds and Shinto spirits. In his stories the ordinary world sits next to the world of spirits (kami) — this comes from Japan's Shinto religion, where every river, mountain, and tree has its own spirit.
Why his films look so special
Miyazaki is a committed champion of traditional animation drawn “by hand.” For many years his studio drew frames in pencil and paint, many thousands of drawings per film, and was cautious about computer graphics: technology was allowed, but it was not supposed to push aside living hand drawing and the artist's labor.
His style is instantly recognizable: soft, watercolor-like landscapes, carefully drawn clouds and grass, everyday things shown in detail — how food is cooked, how the wind blows, how water drips. Miyazaki loves “pauses”: quiet scenes where nothing happens, but the viewer feels the mood and the beauty of the moment.
His characters are not strictly divided into “good” and “bad.” Even opponents have their own truth, and the good characters have weaknesses. That's why Miyazaki's films feel honest and grown-up, even though children enjoy watching them too.