News culture 20 more years until “Spirited Away”: Hayao Miyazaki and Studio Ghibli steal the show from Disney
Disney can only see the damage. 2023 was a difficult year for the company, which suffered one setback after another in the cinema and Japanimation was in the spotlight. Studios Ghibli, in the person of Hayao Miyazaki, enchanted the cinemas with “The Boy and the Heron” and convinced the professionals in the industry.
Inspired by the novel And you, how will you live? by Genzaburō Yoshino, the last son of Hayao Miyazaki, The Boy and the Heronalready crowned with a Golden Globe in January, was awarded the Oscar for Best Animated Film this Sunday, March 10th.
Winner in more ways than one
After Awakened in 2002, This is the second Oscar for Best Animated Film won by Studios Ghibli for her new feature film. “The Boy and the Heron” was in the running against titles like Primary school from Disney or Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse from Sony, “still a given favorite”.
This victory is all the more important for the Academy of Oscars. This proves that she recognizes Miyazaki’s artistic genius and distinguishes between animation as pure entertainment (which characterizes most American animated films) and Japanese animation – Roland Kelts (CNN)
After Sunday’s success, congratulations poured in on social networks, both from the public and from politicians. Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida congratulated the director in a press release for “his wild imagination and insight” and stated that his work “has resonated with many people, across borders and languages.”
Japan on the map
After announcing his retirement in 2013 following his feature film The wind is increasingHayao Miyazaki stated in 2016 that he was working on a new film for his grandson. He wanted to make it clear to him that “his grandfather loves him, but he will soon leave for another world and leave this project behind him.” Far from repeating his previous farewell announcement, The director does not rule out producing another film. However, he points out that this time it could be a short film rather than a long one. Toshio Suzuki, president and producer of Studio Ghibli, said Hayao Miyazaki celebrated his Oscar win privately in his studio without attending the studio’s event.
This victory this Sunday should be compared to that of Godzilla Minus OneAlso won the Oscar for best visual effects. These help highlight Japanese cinema, which hasn’t had a one-two punch since 2009. An editorial in the Japanese newspaper Yomiuri even announced “a new page in the history of Japanese cinema,” adding that these victories represent “rays of hope that the country desperately needs.”
