The films of Hayao Miyazaki
Acclaimed Japanese animator Hayao Miyazaki sent fans into a frenzy when he said on an NHK television special that he planned to make one more animated feature film, hopefully to be released by 2019.
Miyazaki, co-founder of Studio Ghibli, retired in 2013 after finishing "The Wind Rises," but he has been working on "Boro the Caterpillar." He says he started working on the movie as a short, but would now like to make it a full-length feature.
Click through to see the movies that made Miyazaki one of the greatest animated storytellers ever.
"The Castle Of Cagliostro," 1979
"The Castle of Cagliostro" is one of Miyazaki's least-known works, but it was also the first feature-length film he directed.
The film follows gentleman thief Arsene Lupin III, who discovers that bills he stole from a casino are high-quality counterfeit. He then goes on a journey to find where the bills are made, rumored to be the country of Cagliostro, and finds himself trying to save a runaway named Clarisse from marrying the Count of Cagliostro. Miyazaki had worked with the character of Lupin III before on TV shows.
"Nausicaa of the Valley of the Wind," 1984
In "Nausicaa of the Valley of the Wind," Miyazaki dove into the fantastical sci-fi themes he became known for; he also employed a young female protagonist, as he has in most of his films.
The movie is set in a post-apocalyptic landscape with terrifying, carnivorous bugs and the Toxic Jungle, a poisonous forest. But Nausicaa, a young princess, can communicate with the bugs and she tries to keep peace between the forest and the people who want to wipe it out.
"Castle in the Sky," 1986
"Castle in the Sky" marked Miyazaki's first film with Studio Ghibli. It follows young orphan Sheeta and her kidnapper, Col. Muska, who are overtaken by a gang of air pirates on their way to a military prison.
Sheeta escapes a mid-air collision and meets another orphan, Pazu, and the two go on a journey to find the floating city of Laputa, with the pirates and Col. Muska hot on their trail.
"My Neighbor Totoro," 1988
"My Neighbor Totoro" made the woodland creature, Totoro, an icon after its release.
The movie follows two sisters, Satsuke and Mei, as they move into a new home amidst their mother's recovery from an illness. They meet cute spirits out in the country, big and small, and befriend the kind and friendly Totoro.
"Kiki's Delivery Service," 1989
Young witch Kiki must spend a year alone in order to train. She moves to a seaside town with her talking cat, Jiji, and sets up a flying delivery service on her broomstick. But Kiki finds herself stumbling and losing her magical abilities due to her self-doubt, and she must learn how to be confident again to regain her powers.
"Porco Rosso," 1992
A break from young female-led tales full of fantasy creatures, "Porco Rosso" focuses on an Italian World War I pilot, Marco Pagott, who mysteriously turns into a pig after all of his comrades die in battle. He starts going by Porco Rosso and still fights air pirates over the Adriatic Sea, but becomes tangled in a feud with a brash American ace named Curtis. All the while, Porco grows close with his female mechanic, Fio.
"Princess Mononoke," 1997
"Princess Mononoke" follows young prince Ashitaka as he tries to make peace between the gods of a forest and the humans who are using its resources.
He meets San, also known as Princess Mononoke, who was raised by wolves and dislikes humans. He gets to know the young girl as he navigates the different spirits of the forest.
"Spirited Away," 2001
"Spirited Away" is arguably Miyazaki's best-known and most praised work.
After 10-year-old Chihiro and her parents find an abandoned amusement park, Chihiro is horrified to find that her parents have turned into pigs. She learns that she must work at the magical park to free herself and her parents, and she encounters many mystical creatures along the way.
"Spirited Away" will be shown in theaters on Dec. 4 and 5 to celebrate its 15th anniversary.
"Howl's Moving Castle," 2004
Sophie meets and befriends a wizard named Howl, who lives in a moving castle. But the Witch of Waste becomes jealous when she sees the two become friends and casts a spell on Sophie to make her 90 years old. Howl must use his magic to bring Sophie back to her youth.
"Ponyo," 2008
A goldfish princess visits the surface world -- a forbidden trip -- and meets a human boy named Sosuke, who names her Ponyo.
Ponyo wishes to become human against the wishes of her father, but as she becomes closer with Sosuke, she becomes more humanlike. Her father brings her back to the ocean kingdom where they live, but she breaks free and becomes human, creating huge tsunami and magical imbalance in the world.
"The Wind Rises," 2013
Miyazaki initially said "The Wind Rises" would be his last feature film.
It is a fictionalized biopic of Japanese engineer Jiro Horikoshi, who designed the Mitsubishi A5M fighter aircraft and its successor, the Mitsubishi A6M Zero, which Japan used during World War II.