WEBVTT 00:00:00.000 --> 00:00:02.140 Welcome back to the Deep Dive. We're here to 00:00:02.140 --> 00:00:05.740 take a monumental career, throw this massive 00:00:05.740 --> 00:00:08.179 stack of source material onto the table, and 00:00:08.179 --> 00:00:10.839 really figure out what makes a creative titan 00:00:10.839 --> 00:00:14.259 tick. And today we are immersing ourselves completely 00:00:14.259 --> 00:00:17.399 in the life and art of Hayao Miyazaki. It's an 00:00:17.399 --> 00:00:18.920 immersion you really have to do. I mean, when 00:00:18.920 --> 00:00:20.699 you talk about the history of animation, especially 00:00:20.699 --> 00:00:23.300 in Japan, Miyazaki isn't just a foundational 00:00:23.300 --> 00:00:26.160 figure. He's widely regarded as one of the most 00:00:26.160 --> 00:00:28.620 accomplished and philosophically profound filmmakers 00:00:28.620 --> 00:00:31.820 in the history of cinema, period, animated or 00:00:31.820 --> 00:00:34.200 otherwise. So our mission for this deep dive 00:00:34.200 --> 00:00:37.320 is. Well, it sounds simple. We want to trace 00:00:37.320 --> 00:00:40.280 the entire sweeping trajectory of his 60 plus 00:00:40.280 --> 00:00:42.880 year career. We're talking from his childhood 00:00:42.880 --> 00:00:45.799 in post -war Tokyo right up to his latest globally 00:00:45.799 --> 00:00:48.460 celebrated blockbuster. And through that, we 00:00:48.460 --> 00:00:50.719 want to understand how his incredibly specific, 00:00:51.039 --> 00:00:54.020 deeply personal philosophy shaped the recurring 00:00:54.020 --> 00:00:56.200 world changing themes that defined his work. 00:00:56.380 --> 00:00:58.759 We're tracing the emotional and technical journey, 00:00:58.799 --> 00:01:01.359 you know, from the factory floor to the co -founding 00:01:01.359 --> 00:01:04.129 of Studio Ghibli. Exactly. And you have to frame 00:01:04.129 --> 00:01:06.609 him not just as a director, but as the architect 00:01:06.609 --> 00:01:09.790 of an entire institution. He is the co -founder 00:01:09.790 --> 00:01:13.540 and... honorary chairman of Studio Ghibli, which 00:01:13.540 --> 00:01:15.620 is a place that's as much a reflection of his 00:01:15.620 --> 00:01:18.920 artistic process as his films are. He is just 00:01:18.920 --> 00:01:21.219 a masterful storyteller. And you can see that 00:01:21.219 --> 00:01:23.980 mastery in the sheer scale of the accolades he's 00:01:23.980 --> 00:01:25.819 received. Oh, absolutely. The scale is incredible. 00:01:26.040 --> 00:01:27.920 It really is. I mean, you're talking about someone 00:01:27.920 --> 00:01:29.799 who has completely transcended the animation 00:01:29.799 --> 00:01:32.760 category. He is a two -time competitive Academy 00:01:32.760 --> 00:01:35.969 Award winner for Best Animated Future. Once for 00:01:35.969 --> 00:01:38.030 the global phenomenon Spirited Away, and then 00:01:38.030 --> 00:01:40.069 most recently for The Boy and the Heron. And 00:01:40.069 --> 00:01:42.349 that last win for The Boy and the Heron, that 00:01:42.349 --> 00:01:44.909 made him the oldest director ever to claim that 00:01:44.909 --> 00:01:47.069 prize. It's just wild. And it's not just the 00:01:47.069 --> 00:01:49.670 competitive awards. No, beyond that, the industry 00:01:49.670 --> 00:01:52.090 itself recognizes the sheer impact he's had. 00:01:52.349 --> 00:01:55.069 He received the Academy Honorary Award back in 00:01:55.069 --> 00:01:58.409 2014, specifically for his profound influence 00:01:58.409 --> 00:02:01.780 on cinema and animation worldwide. and a golden 00:02:01.780 --> 00:02:04.319 lion for lifetime achievement at the Venice Film 00:02:04.319 --> 00:02:07.060 Festival in 2005. Right. It signals that this 00:02:07.060 --> 00:02:09.800 is not just a story of box office hits. Not at 00:02:09.800 --> 00:02:13.319 all. It's a profound, enduring cultural legacy 00:02:13.319 --> 00:02:15.960 that has fundamentally changed the way the world 00:02:15.960 --> 00:02:18.659 views animation as an art form, as something 00:02:18.659 --> 00:02:21.840 capable of handling serious adult themes. Okay, 00:02:21.900 --> 00:02:24.340 so let's unpack this legacy. To really do that, 00:02:24.340 --> 00:02:26.099 we have to start right where his perspective 00:02:26.099 --> 00:02:29.099 was forged, to understand the profound depth 00:02:29.099 --> 00:02:31.599 of his movies. The unrelenting critique of war, 00:02:31.800 --> 00:02:34.800 the beautiful, obsessive focus on flight, the 00:02:34.800 --> 00:02:36.979 urgency of the environmental themes. You have 00:02:36.979 --> 00:02:39.580 to start right at the beginning in wartime Tokyo. 00:02:39.599 --> 00:02:43.740 Yes. Miyazaki was born January 5, 1941, during 00:02:43.740 --> 00:02:46.580 a period of intense national upheaval. And yet 00:02:46.580 --> 00:02:48.860 his family lived a surprisingly privileged life. 00:02:49.039 --> 00:02:51.219 And that tension right there, that internal tension 00:02:51.219 --> 00:02:53.900 affluence amid the destruction of war, is arguably 00:02:53.900 --> 00:02:56.400 the first and most defining philosophical scar 00:02:56.400 --> 00:02:58.520 on his psyche. It absolutely is. His father, 00:02:58.620 --> 00:03:00.860 Katsuji Miyazaki, was the director of Miyazaki 00:03:00.860 --> 00:03:03.599 Airplane. It was a company that specialized in 00:03:03.599 --> 00:03:05.400 manufacturing rudders for fighter planes during 00:03:05.400 --> 00:03:07.900 World War II. The family business. It's why they 00:03:07.900 --> 00:03:09.939 remained affluent during those dark early days. 00:03:09.800 --> 00:03:13.400 years and it created this emotional debt that 00:03:13.400 --> 00:03:16.419 Hayao spent his entire career trying to repay. 00:03:16.860 --> 00:03:19.919 He later confessed to feeling intense guilt about 00:03:19.919 --> 00:03:22.180 his family profiting directly from the war machine. 00:03:22.379 --> 00:03:25.000 He was protected, yes, but he was constantly 00:03:25.000 --> 00:03:27.360 surrounded by the horrifying results of the conflict 00:03:27.360 --> 00:03:29.639 his family was helping to fuel. And that guilt 00:03:29.639 --> 00:03:33.080 became a creative engine. His earliest memories, 00:03:33.319 --> 00:03:35.000 he's recounted, they weren't pleasant childhood 00:03:35.000 --> 00:03:36.979 memories. They were of seeing bombed out cities. 00:03:37.159 --> 00:03:39.259 Yeah. As a very young boy, I mean, he was three 00:03:39.259 --> 00:03:41.580 and four years old, he experienced these incredibly 00:03:41.580 --> 00:03:44.900 stressful evacuations. First to Utsunomiya in 00:03:44.900 --> 00:03:49.090 1944 and then to Kanuma in 1945. Those sites 00:03:49.090 --> 00:03:51.389 left a permanent, almost apocalyptic impression 00:03:51.389 --> 00:03:53.669 on him. And you can draw a straight line from 00:03:53.669 --> 00:03:55.930 those memories to the ruined landscapes, the 00:03:55.930 --> 00:03:58.389 technological obsession, and the pervasive anti 00:03:58.389 --> 00:04:01.169 -war sentiments we see across his entire filmography, 00:04:01.310 --> 00:04:03.969 from Nausicaa all the way to Howl's moving castle. 00:04:04.289 --> 00:04:07.310 Definitely. But moving past the war and the external 00:04:07.310 --> 00:04:10.849 world, we absolutely have to talk about his crucial 00:04:10.849 --> 00:04:14.680 internal influence, his mother, Yoshiko. She 00:04:14.680 --> 00:04:17.420 suffered from spinal tuberculosis from 1947 to 00:04:17.420 --> 00:04:21.220 1955, and this required long periods of hospitalization. 00:04:21.420 --> 00:04:24.759 Her illness and her unique personality are just... 00:04:25.389 --> 00:04:28.050 woven into the DNA of so many of his films. She 00:04:28.050 --> 00:04:30.370 was the closest parent to him, and the sources 00:04:30.370 --> 00:04:32.810 all describe her as this strict, highly intellectual 00:04:32.810 --> 00:04:35.050 woman who constantly questioned the societal 00:04:35.050 --> 00:04:38.069 norms of post -war Japan. Right. And that intellectual 00:04:38.069 --> 00:04:40.410 rigor, that emotional resilience, it completely 00:04:40.410 --> 00:04:43.509 informed his ideal of a heroine, a female character 00:04:43.509 --> 00:04:45.430 who approaches the world with critical intelligence 00:04:45.430 --> 00:04:47.850 and this deep internal strength. We can connect 00:04:47.850 --> 00:04:50.209 this directly across the decades. She's the closest 00:04:50.209 --> 00:04:52.529 thing we have to a consistent matriarchal ideal 00:04:52.529 --> 00:05:00.129 in his work. She inspired Captain Dole. And she 00:05:00.129 --> 00:05:03.170 also inspired Yasuko, the bedridden but loving 00:05:03.170 --> 00:05:05.949 mother in My Neighbor Totoro. And Sophie, the 00:05:05.949 --> 00:05:08.250 fiercely strong -minded woman who resists curses 00:05:08.250 --> 00:05:11.769 and howls moving castle. Right. And Toki in Ponyo, 00:05:11.889 --> 00:05:15.069 that matriarchal strength, that resilience and 00:05:15.069 --> 00:05:17.189 intellectual independence, it became a moral 00:05:17.189 --> 00:05:19.990 and thematic foundation for every single story 00:05:19.990 --> 00:05:22.810 he told. In sharp contrast to that foundational 00:05:22.810 --> 00:05:25.430 close relationship, the sources paint a picture 00:05:25.430 --> 00:05:28.889 of, well, ambiguity and distance with his father, 00:05:29.029 --> 00:05:32.970 Katsuji. Miyazaki later expressed deep regret 00:05:32.970 --> 00:05:35.670 that he never had a serious, meaningful discussion 00:05:35.670 --> 00:05:38.069 with his dad. It's kind of sad, really. Katsuji 00:05:38.069 --> 00:05:40.329 was an avid moviegoer, but apparently lacked 00:05:40.329 --> 00:05:43.430 any real artistic understanding. Miyazaki felt 00:05:43.430 --> 00:05:45.870 he inherited his father's anarchistic feelings 00:05:45.870 --> 00:05:48.649 and his lack of concern about embracing contradictions. 00:05:48.870 --> 00:05:51.050 That's such a poetic contradiction itself, isn't 00:05:51.050 --> 00:05:53.370 it? Grappling with the tension between his mother's 00:05:53.370 --> 00:05:56.009 intellectual ideals and his father's anarchic, 00:05:56.009 --> 00:05:59.250 profit -driven spirit. Exactly. And if his father... 00:05:59.310 --> 00:06:01.389 Provided the initial problematic inspiration, 00:06:01.889 --> 00:06:04.410 you know, the planes and machinery, he really 00:06:04.410 --> 00:06:06.389 struggled at first to integrate the humanity. 00:06:06.810 --> 00:06:10.170 Absolutely. His first artistic focus was very 00:06:10.170 --> 00:06:13.009 far from people. He initially wanted to be a 00:06:13.009 --> 00:06:15.490 manga artist, but he admitted candidly that he 00:06:15.490 --> 00:06:17.910 could not draw people. For years, he only drew 00:06:17.910 --> 00:06:21.360 technical objects, planes. tanks, battleships. 00:06:21.480 --> 00:06:23.680 Which, considering his family's business, that 00:06:23.680 --> 00:06:26.379 early exclusive focus on machinery makes perfect, 00:06:26.540 --> 00:06:29.920 if kind of sad, sense. But he felt intensely 00:06:29.920 --> 00:06:32.660 critical of this early work. The sources note 00:06:32.660 --> 00:06:34.839 he rejected imitation. He actually destroyed 00:06:34.839 --> 00:06:37.740 much of his work, believing that just copying 00:06:37.740 --> 00:06:40.680 the popular styles of figures like Osamu Tezuka 00:06:40.680 --> 00:06:43.269 was hindering his development. He was searching 00:06:43.269 --> 00:06:45.649 for an authentic voice, a way to move beyond 00:06:45.649 --> 00:06:47.889 drawing the technical objects he had inherited 00:06:47.889 --> 00:06:49.850 from his father's world. And that search for 00:06:49.850 --> 00:06:52.149 authenticity, it really crystallized in a truly 00:06:52.149 --> 00:06:55.649 cinematic moment in 1958. It was a catalyst film 00:06:55.649 --> 00:06:58.250 that changed his direction completely, watching 00:06:58.250 --> 00:07:00.730 The White Snake Enchantress. Which was Japan's 00:07:00.730 --> 00:07:02.850 first feature -length animated film in color. 00:07:03.129 --> 00:07:05.970 Right. And it moved him profoundly. He recalled 00:07:05.970 --> 00:07:07.430 falling in love with the heroine, saying that 00:07:07.430 --> 00:07:09.750 the film moved him to tears. This wasn't just 00:07:09.750 --> 00:07:11.329 entertainment for him, it was a kind of spiritual 00:07:11.329 --> 00:07:13.800 awakening. It prompted him to create work that 00:07:13.800 --> 00:07:16.000 was true to his own feelings and to stop dwelling 00:07:16.000 --> 00:07:18.699 on the negation of the world. He described the 00:07:18.699 --> 00:07:21.180 film's pure world as promoting a side of him 00:07:21.180 --> 00:07:23.660 that yearned desperately to affirm the world 00:07:23.660 --> 00:07:26.399 rather than negate it. And that shift right there 00:07:26.399 --> 00:07:28.699 from negation, which you can see stemming from 00:07:28.699 --> 00:07:31.660 wartime guilt and his paternal ambiguity, toward 00:07:31.660 --> 00:07:34.800 affirmation, drawing on his mother's idealism. 00:07:35.339 --> 00:07:37.939 That is the spiritual engine that fuels his entire 00:07:37.939 --> 00:07:40.660 career. It's why he creates such complex, hopeful 00:07:40.660 --> 00:07:43.180 narratives, even in these apocalyptic settings. 00:07:43.420 --> 00:07:46.120 It's incredible. Yet despite this intense artistic 00:07:46.120 --> 00:07:50.319 focus, his formal education followed a very pragmatic 00:07:50.319 --> 00:07:52.920 track. He described himself as a poor student, 00:07:53.019 --> 00:07:55.120 yet he did graduate from Gakushin University 00:07:55.120 --> 00:07:58.420 in 1963 with degrees in political science and 00:07:58.420 --> 00:08:00.379 economics. It's almost as if he was hedging his 00:08:00.379 --> 00:08:03.480 bets. preparing for a future in business or politics, 00:08:03.720 --> 00:08:06.319 the world his family inhabited while his heart 00:08:06.319 --> 00:08:08.660 was somewhere else entirely. The only thing connecting 00:08:08.660 --> 00:08:11.420 his study to his passion was his membership in 00:08:11.420 --> 00:08:13.759 the Children's Literature Research Club, which 00:08:13.759 --> 00:08:15.740 was apparently the closest thing available to 00:08:15.740 --> 00:08:17.939 a comics club or arts group at the time. He was 00:08:17.939 --> 00:08:20.199 already diverting all his true attention toward 00:08:20.199 --> 00:08:23.040 visual storytelling and art, away from industrial 00:08:23.040 --> 00:08:26.019 theory. But the irony is that the economic and 00:08:26.019 --> 00:08:27.939 political frameworks he studied at university 00:08:27.939 --> 00:08:31.000 likely sharkened his later critique of unchecked 00:08:31.000 --> 00:08:33.779 capitalism and industrial warfare, which forms 00:08:33.779 --> 00:08:36.460 the bedrock of his ecological themes. It was 00:08:36.460 --> 00:08:38.759 a useful detour, even if he wasn't passionate 00:08:38.759 --> 00:08:41.200 about it. That sets the stage for the true grind. 00:08:41.379 --> 00:08:44.019 The path from this art -focused university graduate 00:08:44.019 --> 00:08:47.779 to legendary director involved a really demanding 00:08:47.779 --> 00:08:50.120 climb through the commercial animation world. 00:08:50.360 --> 00:08:54.580 So in 1963, Miyazaki joins Toei Doga, which we 00:08:54.580 --> 00:08:56.759 know today as Toei Animation. And he started 00:08:56.759 --> 00:08:58.320 right at the bottom of the production hierarchy. 00:08:59.019 --> 00:09:01.139 He was an in -between artist, for any listener 00:09:01.139 --> 00:09:03.240 who might not be familiar. An in -between artist 00:09:03.240 --> 00:09:05.820 draws the frames that bridge the major movements, 00:09:05.940 --> 00:09:08.759 the key frames that are created by senior animators. 00:09:08.899 --> 00:09:11.659 It's grueling work. His initial salary was low, 00:09:11.759 --> 00:09:15.399 only $19 ,500, and he quickly found the repetitive, 00:09:15.539 --> 00:09:17.600 mechanical in -between work to be thoroughly 00:09:17.600 --> 00:09:20.909 unsatisfying. So how did that early dissatisfaction 00:09:20.909 --> 00:09:22.929 start to pay off? It wasn't just in his drawing. 00:09:23.070 --> 00:09:24.570 No, he wasn't just drawing. He was organizing. 00:09:24.929 --> 00:09:27.210 The crucial step he took early on wasn't just 00:09:27.210 --> 00:09:29.830 artistic. It was deeply political and organizational. 00:09:30.309 --> 00:09:33.669 In 1964, he became chief secretary of the labor 00:09:33.669 --> 00:09:36.309 union at Toei. And this is where he connected 00:09:36.309 --> 00:09:38.309 with a man who would become his lifelong partner 00:09:38.309 --> 00:09:41.070 and friend, Isao Takahata, who was the union's 00:09:41.070 --> 00:09:43.330 vice chairman. This wasn't just a casual meeting. 00:09:43.409 --> 00:09:45.710 This was a philosophical alignment forged in 00:09:45.710 --> 00:09:48.009 the crucible of labor politics, fighting for 00:09:48.009 --> 00:09:50.070 better conditions and greater creative input. 00:09:50.230 --> 00:09:52.690 That union work showed his early capacity for 00:09:52.690 --> 00:09:55.629 leadership, organization, and a commitment to 00:09:55.629 --> 00:09:58.090 protecting the artist. These were skills he would 00:09:58.090 --> 00:10:00.429 absolutely need later when he founded an entire 00:10:00.429 --> 00:10:03.480 studio. but his time at Toei was also marked 00:10:03.480 --> 00:10:06.120 by creative friction because his vision was already 00:10:06.120 --> 00:10:09.299 too grand for the system. Right. In 1968, he 00:10:09.299 --> 00:10:11.279 worked on The Great Adventure of Horus, Prince 00:10:11.279 --> 00:10:13.899 of the Sun. He was chief animator, concept artist, 00:10:14.000 --> 00:10:15.919 and scene designer, and he worked closely with 00:10:15.919 --> 00:10:18.379 his mentor Yasuo Suka. And Horus is pivotal. 00:10:18.740 --> 00:10:22.100 It received huge critical praise and is considered 00:10:22.100 --> 00:10:25.100 a milestone in the evolution of expressive, complex 00:10:25.100 --> 00:10:28.629 animation. But commercially? It was a disaster. 00:10:28.889 --> 00:10:31.850 A total bomb. One of Toei Animation's worst box 00:10:31.850 --> 00:10:34.830 office results ever. Yeah. And this commercial 00:10:34.830 --> 00:10:37.789 failure fueled Miyazaki's intense dissatisfaction 00:10:37.789 --> 00:10:40.389 and led to increasing clashes with Toei management 00:10:40.389 --> 00:10:42.990 over the lack of creative prospects and autonomy. 00:10:43.309 --> 00:10:46.549 It was a painful lesson. Artistic success didn't 00:10:46.549 --> 00:10:48.450 automatically guarantee institutional backing 00:10:48.450 --> 00:10:51.039 or freedom. So to keep his creative muscles working 00:10:51.039 --> 00:10:53.240 outside of the constrained studio environment, 00:10:53.600 --> 00:10:56.639 he also practices manga under the pseudonym Akitsu 00:10:56.639 --> 00:10:59.320 Saburu. He wrote and illustrated People of the 00:10:59.320 --> 00:11:03.419 Desert between 1969 and 1970. That practice proved 00:11:03.419 --> 00:11:06.039 vital. It blended his early interest in warfare 00:11:06.039 --> 00:11:09.019 narratives with these imaginative, human -centered 00:11:09.019 --> 00:11:11.580 worlds, finally moving away from drawing only 00:11:11.580 --> 00:11:14.580 machines. He was finding his voice. Seeking greater 00:11:14.580 --> 00:11:17.360 creative autonomy, he followed Takahata in 1971, 00:11:17.799 --> 00:11:20.860 leaving Toei for a studio called A -Pro. This 00:11:20.860 --> 00:11:23.500 immediately led to his directorial debut, where 00:11:23.500 --> 00:11:25.960 he co -directed 17 episodes of Lupin the Third 00:11:25.960 --> 00:11:28.500 Part I alongside Takahata. And their job was 00:11:28.500 --> 00:11:30.980 specifically to steer the tone toward humor and 00:11:30.980 --> 00:11:33.019 adventure rather than the series' traditional 00:11:33.019 --> 00:11:35.299 violence, which aligned the material with their 00:11:35.299 --> 00:11:37.639 more pacifist leanings. Then came the famous 00:11:37.639 --> 00:11:40.620 Swedish trip. He and the president of Tokyo movie 00:11:40.620 --> 00:11:43.649 Shinshaw traveled to Sweden. this was Miyazaki's 00:11:43.649 --> 00:11:46.090 first time outside Japan, to try and secure the 00:11:46.090 --> 00:11:48.429 rights for a Pippi Longstocking series from the 00:11:48.429 --> 00:11:50.809 author Astrid Lindgren. And they were refused. 00:11:51.190 --> 00:11:53.610 The series was canceled despite extensive pre 00:11:53.610 --> 00:11:56.190 -production work. That refusal was a major disappointment. 00:11:56.529 --> 00:11:58.990 But the international trip itself was transformative, 00:11:59.370 --> 00:12:01.830 leaving this profound visual impression on him. 00:12:02.090 --> 00:12:04.669 They were efficient, though. Miyazaki recycled 00:12:04.669 --> 00:12:07.110 many of those concepts, scripts, designs, and 00:12:07.110 --> 00:12:09.529 animation ideas, especially the setting and characters, 00:12:09.690 --> 00:12:13.090 into the popular panda. go panda shorts in 72 00:12:13.090 --> 00:12:16.610 and 73 it just shows his efficiency and his reluctance 00:12:16.610 --> 00:12:19.269 to discard viable artistically rich concepts 00:12:19.269 --> 00:12:21.529 which would prove essential to sustaining ghibli 00:12:21.529 --> 00:12:23.980 later on He continued his apprenticeship throughout 00:12:23.980 --> 00:12:27.100 the 1970s at Nippon Animation, contributing to 00:12:27.100 --> 00:12:29.299 the famous World Masterpiece Theater series. 00:12:29.500 --> 00:12:32.080 And he took these meticulously detailed research 00:12:32.080 --> 00:12:34.659 trips, traveling to Switzerland to research for 00:12:34.659 --> 00:12:37.000 Heidi, Girl of the Alps, and later to Argentina 00:12:37.000 --> 00:12:39.580 and Italy for 3 ,000 Leagues in Search of Mother. 00:12:39.740 --> 00:12:42.720 These trips are so critical. They provided the 00:12:42.720 --> 00:12:45.980 meticulous visual detail and grounded, non -Japanese 00:12:45.980 --> 00:12:48.519 settings that would later define Ghibli films 00:12:48.519 --> 00:12:50.539 like Kiki's Delivery Service and Howl's Moving 00:12:50.539 --> 00:12:53.879 Castle. He wasn't just drawing cartoons. He was 00:12:53.879 --> 00:12:56.740 grounding fantasy in tangible, researched reality, 00:12:57.100 --> 00:13:00.059 giving his world incredible weight. All of this 00:13:00.059 --> 00:13:02.580 culminated in his first solo television series, 00:13:02.820 --> 00:13:06.659 Future Boy Conan, in 1978. He directed 24 of 00:13:06.659 --> 00:13:09.929 the 26 episodes. I think for any aspiring filmmaker, 00:13:10.169 --> 00:13:12.769 this series is a true foundational text, isn't 00:13:12.769 --> 00:13:15.450 it? It absolutely is. It prominently featured 00:13:15.450 --> 00:13:17.929 the core themes that define his career. The beauty 00:13:17.929 --> 00:13:20.629 of airplanes, the dangers of militaristic warplanes, 00:13:20.710 --> 00:13:23.590 and urgent environmentalism, all woven into this 00:13:23.590 --> 00:13:25.909 post -apocalyptic narrative. And crucially, it 00:13:25.909 --> 00:13:27.789 established the framework with key collaborators 00:13:27.789 --> 00:13:31.529 like Tsuka, Takahata, and Yoshifumi Kandu, forming 00:13:31.529 --> 00:13:33.750 the core team that would eventually define Studio 00:13:33.750 --> 00:13:36.450 Ghibli. The leap to features came in 1979 with 00:13:36.450 --> 00:13:38.700 The Castle of Cagliostro. another loop into the 00:13:38.700 --> 00:13:40.240 third installment that took only four months 00:13:40.240 --> 00:13:42.419 to produce. It was a massive critical success, 00:13:42.639 --> 00:13:44.740 with animated readers voting it the best animation 00:13:44.740 --> 00:13:47.440 of all time for over 15 years. That theatrical 00:13:47.440 --> 00:13:50.399 debut cemented his place as a director with real 00:13:50.399 --> 00:13:53.019 vision and an incredible capacity for tightly 00:13:53.019 --> 00:13:55.879 paced action and adventure. But the truly pivotal 00:13:55.879 --> 00:13:58.379 transition came after that, when he decided he 00:13:58.379 --> 00:14:00.620 needed an original epic, something that could 00:14:00.620 --> 00:14:02.700 carry the full weight of his accumulated philosophy. 00:14:03.580 --> 00:14:06.480 After rejecting several film proposals, he poured 00:14:06.480 --> 00:14:08.960 his energy into the manga Nausicaa of the Valley 00:14:08.960 --> 00:14:12.419 of the Wind, which ran for 1 ,060 pages across 00:14:12.419 --> 00:14:17.269 seven volumes from 1982 to 1994. This was a deeply 00:14:17.269 --> 00:14:19.690 researched project that took his ecological concerns 00:14:19.690 --> 00:14:22.590 to a monumental level. The ecologically ruined 00:14:22.590 --> 00:14:25.029 world and the pervasive pollution were directly 00:14:25.029 --> 00:14:27.610 inspired by the mercury poisoning disaster at 00:14:27.610 --> 00:14:30.289 Minamata Bay, a major environmental catastrophe 00:14:30.289 --> 00:14:32.649 in Japan. And the sources show his reading was 00:14:32.649 --> 00:14:34.970 incredibly broad, too. He was synthesizing information 00:14:34.970 --> 00:14:37.070 from scientific writings on plant cultivation 00:14:37.070 --> 00:14:39.629 with heavy political histories, specifically 00:14:39.629 --> 00:14:42.210 mentioning Paul Carell's Hitler Moves East. He 00:14:42.210 --> 00:14:44.230 blended ecological collapse with geopolitical 00:14:44.230 --> 00:14:46.690 warfare, creating a world where survival demanded 00:14:46.690 --> 00:14:49.809 total commitment. Even the protagonist, Nausicaé, 00:14:49.950 --> 00:14:52.549 was partly inspired by Homer's Odyssey and the 00:14:52.549 --> 00:14:55.710 Japanese folktale, The Lady Who Loved Insects. 00:14:55.730 --> 00:14:58.730 It's the synthesis of Eastern and Western mythologies. 00:14:59.049 --> 00:15:02.190 The 1984 film adaptation, produced by Topcraft, 00:15:02.549 --> 00:15:04.970 was the turning point that cemented his reputation 00:15:04.970 --> 00:15:07.549 internationally, to spike future trouble with 00:15:07.549 --> 00:15:10.830 distribution. This film also marked the beginning 00:15:10.830 --> 00:15:13.169 of his critical symbiotic collaboration with 00:15:13.169 --> 00:15:16.190 the minimalist musician Joe Hisaishi. Who would 00:15:16.190 --> 00:15:18.950 go on to score all of Miyazaki's feature films, 00:15:19.129 --> 00:15:21.950 giving Ghibli films that unmistakable, emotionally 00:15:21.950 --> 00:15:24.950 resonant sound. Exactly. And what's fascinating 00:15:24.950 --> 00:15:27.230 here is his reasoning for choosing a female lead, 00:15:27.389 --> 00:15:29.889 which directly informed his future heroines and 00:15:29.889 --> 00:15:32.889 his feminist perspective. Miyazaki stated clearly 00:15:32.889 --> 00:15:35.330 that Nausicaa needed the capacity to truly understand 00:15:35.330 --> 00:15:37.919 her opponent. not merely defeat them, a trait 00:15:37.919 --> 00:15:40.559 he felt required her to be female. And that philosophical 00:15:40.559 --> 00:15:43.200 choice, prioritizing empathy and survival over 00:15:43.200 --> 00:15:45.840 militaristic victory, it defined his heroines 00:15:45.840 --> 00:15:48.139 going forward and established his pacifist ethic. 00:15:48.440 --> 00:15:50.679 The successful cooperation on the Nasikai film 00:15:50.679 --> 00:15:53.519 and manga provided the financial and collaborative 00:15:53.519 --> 00:15:56.259 impetus needed to form the copyright studio Nibiriki 00:15:56.259 --> 00:15:59.080 in 1984, which was the final stepping stone. 00:15:59.279 --> 00:16:02.299 The stage was set for the legend. That foundation 00:16:02.299 --> 00:16:05.360 seed quickly sprouted into a global powerhouse. 00:16:05.659 --> 00:16:08.799 Following the success of Nausicaa, Miyazaki and 00:16:08.799 --> 00:16:11.200 Takahata officially founded Studio Ghibli on 00:16:11.200 --> 00:16:14.779 June 15, 1985. The name itself is significant. 00:16:15.179 --> 00:16:18.039 Right. Ghibli is Italian for a hot wind that 00:16:18.039 --> 00:16:20.620 blows in the desert, referencing an Italian aircraft. 00:16:20.940 --> 00:16:23.639 It links his love of flight and his wartime childhood 00:16:23.639 --> 00:16:27.100 to a new artistic ambition. A perfect convergence 00:16:27.100 --> 00:16:29.440 of his interests. What's fascinating is that 00:16:29.440 --> 00:16:32.529 initial power structure. Takahata, despite being 00:16:32.529 --> 00:16:34.929 a co -founder, refused to sign the official business 00:16:34.929 --> 00:16:37.750 paperwork. He maintained this belief that an 00:16:37.750 --> 00:16:39.730 artist shouldn't be involved in such documents. 00:16:40.029 --> 00:16:42.230 Yeah, but they're still considered the founders, 00:16:42.409 --> 00:16:45.549 with Toshio Suzuki joining as producer, cementing 00:16:45.549 --> 00:16:47.490 the three -man artistic and commercial leadership 00:16:47.490 --> 00:16:49.330 core that would guide the studio for decades. 00:16:49.820 --> 00:16:51.940 The first film produced was Laputa, Castle in 00:16:51.940 --> 00:16:55.000 the Sky in 1986, and here we see the research 00:16:55.000 --> 00:16:57.980 trip methodology applied immediately. For visual 00:16:57.980 --> 00:17:00.659 research, Miyazaki traveled to Wales, specifically 00:17:00.659 --> 00:17:03.679 drawing the mining villages of Rwanda. And the 00:17:03.679 --> 00:17:06.559 experience there was clearly profound. The sources 00:17:06.559 --> 00:17:08.599 note he witnessed the miners' strike, which was 00:17:08.599 --> 00:17:11.559 a bitter, difficult labor conflict. He felt the 00:17:11.559 --> 00:17:13.740 anguish of the striking workers and saw a deeper 00:17:13.740 --> 00:17:16.500 historical resonance. The feeling that the historical 00:17:16.500 --> 00:17:19.220 conquest of the Celts by the Roman Empire was 00:17:19.220 --> 00:17:21.359 still somehow perceptible in those communities. 00:17:21.740 --> 00:17:24.259 A historical grievance played out through class 00:17:24.259 --> 00:17:27.059 conflict. That experience directly infused Laputa. 00:17:27.259 --> 00:17:29.819 The film is not just a fantasy adventure. It's 00:17:29.819 --> 00:17:32.220 a commentary on class division, exploitation, 00:17:32.589 --> 00:17:35.609 and the divide between the elite advanced floating 00:17:35.609 --> 00:17:38.410 city and the hardworking terrestrial exploited 00:17:38.410 --> 00:17:41.329 population below. The setting, the mines, the 00:17:41.329 --> 00:17:44.009 struggle for labor rights, it all comes from 00:17:44.009 --> 00:17:46.789 that real world exposure in Wales. It's a powerful 00:17:46.789 --> 00:17:48.970 example of how he turns geopolitical conflict 00:17:48.970 --> 00:17:52.500 and labor politics into universal fantasy. Interestingly, 00:17:52.680 --> 00:17:54.480 the sources mentioned that Laputa was created 00:17:54.480 --> 00:17:56.980 partly to fund Takahata's live -action documentary, 00:17:57.299 --> 00:18:00.940 The Story of Yanagawa's Canals, for which Takahata 00:18:00.940 --> 00:18:03.720 had depleted his funds. So the first Ghibli film 00:18:03.720 --> 00:18:06.180 masterpiece was in part a commercial enterprise 00:18:06.180 --> 00:18:08.700 designed to fund another serious artistic endeavor. 00:18:08.920 --> 00:18:11.359 They were balancing commerce and art right from 00:18:11.359 --> 00:18:14.099 day one. And that desire for artistic integrity 00:18:14.099 --> 00:18:16.740 leads directly to their famous reluctance regarding 00:18:16.740 --> 00:18:20.359 Western distribution. The American 1985 release 00:18:20.359 --> 00:18:22.960 of Nausicaa, it was called Warriors of the Wind, 00:18:23.119 --> 00:18:25.640 was severely compromised. Oh, it was a butcher 00:18:25.640 --> 00:18:28.559 job. Nearly 30 minutes of dialogue, character 00:18:28.559 --> 00:18:30.680 development and critical plot points were hacked 00:18:30.680 --> 00:18:33.039 out by the distributor, obliterating the core 00:18:33.039 --> 00:18:35.619 environmental and pacifist themes. That severe 00:18:35.619 --> 00:18:38.279 editorial decision led Miyazaki and Takahata 00:18:38.279 --> 00:18:41.690 to famously impose a moratorium. They refused 00:18:41.690 --> 00:18:44.390 all Western releases of their films for the next 00:18:44.390 --> 00:18:47.210 decade. They essentially declared, my film, my 00:18:47.210 --> 00:18:50.150 rules. They prioritized total artistic control 00:18:50.150 --> 00:18:52.329 and integrity over immediate global distribution. 00:18:52.490 --> 00:18:54.309 That's something almost unheard of in the commercial 00:18:54.309 --> 00:18:57.299 film world. They took control. The next defining 00:18:57.299 --> 00:18:59.359 period for the studio came with the simultaneous 00:18:59.359 --> 00:19:03.619 release of two masterpieces in 1988, Miyazaki's 00:19:03.619 --> 00:19:06.160 My Neighbor, Totoro, and Takahata's devastating 00:19:06.160 --> 00:19:09.779 war film, Grave of the Fireflies. While Totoro 00:19:09.779 --> 00:19:12.400 received universal critical acclaim, it was only 00:19:12.400 --> 00:19:14.460 moderately successful at the box office, at least 00:19:14.460 --> 00:19:16.660 initially. But this is where their commercial 00:19:16.660 --> 00:19:19.579 ingenuity came in. The sources note that it achieved 00:19:19.579 --> 00:19:22.460 massive commercial success later through merchandising 00:19:22.460 --> 00:19:25.460 profits, which the studio approved in 1990. Those 00:19:25.460 --> 00:19:28.160 sales of Totoro merchandise literally sustained 00:19:28.160 --> 00:19:31.099 Studio Ghibli financially for years, buying them 00:19:31.099 --> 00:19:33.140 the creative independence that Miyazaki needed 00:19:33.140 --> 00:19:35.519 to make films without compromise. And the film's 00:19:35.519 --> 00:19:38.079 philosophy, again, is key, linking back to his 00:19:38.079 --> 00:19:40.799 mother. Totoro introduces the theme that harmony 00:19:40.799 --> 00:19:43.359 is not a given, but the result of actively respecting 00:19:43.359 --> 00:19:46.650 and engaging with the environment. It also subtly 00:19:46.650 --> 00:19:49.609 references his personal life. The child protagonist's 00:19:49.609 --> 00:19:51.390 mother in the film is bedridden with an illness, 00:19:51.609 --> 00:19:54.690 echoing Yoshiko's long illness. He turned his 00:19:54.690 --> 00:19:57.029 pain into a source of gentle universal comfort. 00:19:57.230 --> 00:20:00.069 Moving quickly after that, 1989 brought Kiki's 00:20:00.069 --> 00:20:02.710 Delivery Service. This film was originally planned 00:20:02.710 --> 00:20:05.710 as a 60 -minute special, but Miyazaki took over 00:20:05.710 --> 00:20:07.829 directing because he was dissatisfied with the 00:20:07.829 --> 00:20:10.569 script and expanded it into a full feature. He 00:20:10.569 --> 00:20:12.690 built the visual world based on his research 00:20:12.690 --> 00:20:15.230 trip to Sweden, setting the story in places like 00:20:15.230 --> 00:20:17.970 Stockholm and Visby. He felt Kiki's struggle. 00:20:18.230 --> 00:20:20.809 A young girl leaving home to find her independence 00:20:20.809 --> 00:20:23.450 in a big city mirrored the feelings of young 00:20:23.450 --> 00:20:25.890 Japanese girls yearning for independent urban 00:20:25.890 --> 00:20:29.190 life. It resonated enormously with its audience. 00:20:29.680 --> 00:20:31.599 It became the highest grossing film in Japan 00:20:31.599 --> 00:20:33.680 that year. It was a perfect encapsulation of 00:20:33.680 --> 00:20:35.980 a specific moment in Japanese social transition. 00:20:36.279 --> 00:20:38.619 The next phase allowed Miyazaki to indulge in 00:20:38.619 --> 00:20:41.819 a more personal passion project, Porco Rosso 00:20:41.819 --> 00:20:46.710 in 1992, based on his manga Hikutei Jidai. This 00:20:46.710 --> 00:20:48.789 is a fascinating anomaly. He admitted making 00:20:48.789 --> 00:20:51.529 it mainly for his own pleasure due to his lifelong 00:20:51.529 --> 00:20:54.190 complicated love of planes and flight, even calling 00:20:54.190 --> 00:20:56.250 the resulting mature film foolish for children. 00:20:56.349 --> 00:20:59.150 But the real world intervened powerfully to deepen 00:20:59.150 --> 00:21:02.099 its themes. The outbreak of the Yugoslav wars 00:21:02.099 --> 00:21:05.680 in 1991 prompted a somber shift in tone. This 00:21:05.680 --> 00:21:07.799 led him to change the setting to the Adriatic 00:21:07.799 --> 00:21:10.720 Sea and infuse the film with clear anti -war 00:21:10.720 --> 00:21:13.559 and anti -fascist themes, which he would later 00:21:13.559 --> 00:21:16.680 revisit extensively. It's a beautifully melancholic 00:21:16.680 --> 00:21:19.259 film, and despite its mature focus, it became 00:21:19.259 --> 00:21:21.359 the highest grossing film of the year in Japan. 00:21:21.559 --> 00:21:24.079 And during the production of Porco Rosso, Miyazaki 00:21:24.079 --> 00:21:26.259 turned his architectural focus inward again. 00:21:26.750 --> 00:21:29.029 He designed the blueprints for Studio Ghibli's 00:21:29.029 --> 00:21:31.630 new headquarters in Kogane, Tokyo, working directly 00:21:31.630 --> 00:21:34.210 with the builders. This just shows his commitment 00:21:34.210 --> 00:21:36.809 to control and craftsmanship, even in the physical 00:21:36.809 --> 00:21:39.549 space where the art is created. The studio opened 00:21:39.549 --> 00:21:43.819 in August 1992. His next feature, Princess Mononoke 00:21:43.819 --> 00:21:46.839 in 1997, was initially intended to be his final 00:21:46.839 --> 00:21:48.960 film. He was citing his age and physical pains. 00:21:49.180 --> 00:21:51.220 This film represented the culmination of his 00:21:51.220 --> 00:21:53.680 ecological philosophy set in the Muromachi period, 00:21:53.880 --> 00:21:56.200 a time he specifically chose because he felt 00:21:56.200 --> 00:21:58.099 it was when the Japanese people stopped worshipping 00:21:58.099 --> 00:22:00.480 nature and began the attempt to control and dominate 00:22:00.480 --> 00:22:02.880 it. Setting the stage for modern industrial conflict. 00:22:03.099 --> 00:22:05.579 And Mononoke represented a massive technological 00:22:05.579 --> 00:22:08.400 and financial leap for the studio. It was the 00:22:08.400 --> 00:22:10.980 most expensive Japanese animated film at the 00:22:10.980 --> 00:22:14.890 time. costing approximately 2 .35 billion, or 00:22:14.890 --> 00:22:18.509 about 23 .5 million U .S. dollars. And this is 00:22:18.509 --> 00:22:20.789 where Ghibli first integrated modern techniques, 00:22:20.970 --> 00:22:23.930 but with a very specific, strict methodology. 00:22:24.779 --> 00:22:27.119 The film employed about 15 minutes of computer 00:22:27.119 --> 00:22:30.359 animation, specifically using 3D rendering for 00:22:30.359 --> 00:22:33.319 writhing demon flesh and some fluid camera movements. 00:22:33.559 --> 00:22:36.480 But he strictly limited digital techniques, adhering 00:22:36.480 --> 00:22:39.279 to a rule that CGI would remain under 10 % of 00:22:39.279 --> 00:22:41.680 the final film to preserve the hand -drawn 2D 00:22:41.680 --> 00:22:44.019 aesthetic and ensure the animator's touch remained 00:22:44.019 --> 00:22:46.650 supreme. He personally supervised every single 00:22:46.650 --> 00:22:49.509 one of the 144 ,000 cells. It's that commitment 00:22:49.509 --> 00:22:52.029 to craft that sets him apart. And its success 00:22:52.029 --> 00:22:54.710 served as Studio Ghibli's true, unavoidable introduction 00:22:54.710 --> 00:22:57.450 to global markets after Disney acquired worldwide 00:22:57.450 --> 00:23:00.309 distribution rights in 1996. The film was the 00:23:00.309 --> 00:23:02.250 first animated feature ever to win the prestigious 00:23:02.250 --> 00:23:04.670 Japan Academy Film Prize for Picture of the Year. 00:23:05.000 --> 00:23:07.660 And despite a slow start at the U .S. box office, 00:23:07.880 --> 00:23:10.839 its critical success worldwide set the stage 00:23:10.839 --> 00:23:13.839 for his globally recognized second act. The final 00:23:13.839 --> 00:23:16.579 film didn't last long, as we now know. Miyazaki 00:23:16.579 --> 00:23:19.099 even held a retirement party in January 1998, 00:23:19.519 --> 00:23:23.400 a celebration of his massive career. But tragically, 00:23:23.420 --> 00:23:25.319 he quickly returned to the studio's leadership 00:23:25.319 --> 00:23:28.119 after his intended successor, Yoshifumi Kondo. 00:23:28.299 --> 00:23:31.380 Who many critics and fans saw as the heir apparent. 00:23:31.789 --> 00:23:34.789 And the future of Ghibli. Right. Condu died suddenly 00:23:34.789 --> 00:23:37.049 from a heart attack just days after that party. 00:23:37.210 --> 00:23:39.769 That heartbreaking loss forced Miyazaki back 00:23:39.769 --> 00:23:41.829 to the drawing board, and it prompted him to 00:23:41.829 --> 00:23:44.069 focus on building an institution alongside his 00:23:44.069 --> 00:23:47.349 art. From 1998, he was actively involved in designing 00:23:47.349 --> 00:23:49.210 and overseeing the construction of the Ghibli 00:23:49.210 --> 00:23:52.289 Museum, which opened in 2001 and screened several 00:23:52.289 --> 00:23:54.970 of his exclusive short films. He ensured the 00:23:54.970 --> 00:23:57.309 Ghibli philosophy had a physical, permanent home. 00:23:57.490 --> 00:23:59.509 His return feature was a global game changer, 00:23:59.730 --> 00:24:02.920 spirited away in 2001. This is where his matriarchal 00:24:02.920 --> 00:24:05.440 influences and his social commentary truly converged. 00:24:05.619 --> 00:24:07.940 Miyazaki conceived the film specifically for 00:24:07.940 --> 00:24:10.240 10 -year -old girls aiming to create a heroine 00:24:10.240 --> 00:24:12.779 they could look up to. He avoided subjects focused 00:24:12.779 --> 00:24:15.960 solely on crushes and romance, noting that contemporary 00:24:15.960 --> 00:24:19.119 Japanese girls held something deeper and more 00:24:19.119 --> 00:24:21.970 important dear in their hearts. Thematically, 00:24:22.109 --> 00:24:24.210 the film is incredibly rich with social meaning. 00:24:24.470 --> 00:24:27.710 It deals explicitly with symbols of human greed 00:24:27.710 --> 00:24:30.410 and the dangers of unchecked consumption. The 00:24:30.410 --> 00:24:32.750 parents turning into pigs, for instance, which 00:24:32.750 --> 00:24:35.549 perfectly reflected the aftermath of the 1980s 00:24:35.549 --> 00:24:38.089 Japanese asset price bubble. And the title itself 00:24:38.089 --> 00:24:41.450 is a cultural deep dive. The Japanese title references 00:24:41.450 --> 00:24:44.259 Kamikakushi. the traditional Japanese concept 00:24:44.259 --> 00:24:47.460 of being spirited away or hidden by gods. In 00:24:47.460 --> 00:24:49.619 the film, Chihiro's transportation to the spirit 00:24:49.619 --> 00:24:52.700 world symbolizes a profound social death and 00:24:52.700 --> 00:24:54.980 subsequent resurrection as she navigates the 00:24:54.980 --> 00:24:56.819 spiritual bureaucracy and the dangers of the 00:24:56.819 --> 00:24:59.460 realm. And she survives and grows entirely through 00:24:59.460 --> 00:25:02.160 her own efforts, embodying that ideal of the 00:25:02.160 --> 00:25:04.819 self -sufficient, non -rescued heroine. The commercial 00:25:04.819 --> 00:25:07.519 success was unprecedented globally. Spirited 00:25:07.519 --> 00:25:10.299 Away broke box office records, earning $30 .4 00:25:10.299 --> 00:25:13.619 billion, which is about $289 million, maintaining 00:25:13.619 --> 00:25:16.519 its position as Japan's highest -grossing film 00:25:16.519 --> 00:25:19.180 for almost 20 years. Internationally, it won 00:25:19.180 --> 00:25:21.220 the Golden Bear at Berlin and became the first 00:25:21.220 --> 00:25:24.140 Japanese film to win the Academy Award for Best 00:25:24.140 --> 00:25:27.220 Animated Feature. Yet, even at the peak of his 00:25:27.220 --> 00:25:30.500 professional glory, his moral convictions overruled 00:25:30.500 --> 00:25:33.690 commercial ambition. He refused to attend the 00:25:33.690 --> 00:25:36.529 2003 Academy Awards ceremony. He later revealed 00:25:36.529 --> 00:25:38.769 this was a direct protest against the United 00:25:38.769 --> 00:25:41.450 States' involvement in the Iraq War. He stated 00:25:41.450 --> 00:25:43.490 he didn't want to visit a country that was bombing 00:25:43.490 --> 00:25:46.630 Iraq. That geopolitical fury and his consistent 00:25:46.630 --> 00:25:49.769 pacifist ethic directly fueled his next major 00:25:49.769 --> 00:25:53.049 feature, Howl's Moving Castle, in 2004. The sources 00:25:53.049 --> 00:25:56.049 confirm Miyazaki was inspired to direct, in part, 00:25:56.150 --> 00:25:59.210 by his sheer rage over the 2003 invasion of Iraq, 00:25:59.430 --> 00:26:01.980 which heavily influenced the central senseless, 00:26:01.980 --> 00:26:04.400 and pervasive war depicted in the film. For the 00:26:04.400 --> 00:26:06.859 visual inspiration, he returned to Europe, traveling 00:26:06.859 --> 00:26:10.400 to Colmar and Ricouer in Alsace, France, to meticulously 00:26:10.400 --> 00:26:12.640 study the architecture, giving the fantasy settings 00:26:12.640 --> 00:26:14.920 a grounding in history. The film went on to be 00:26:14.920 --> 00:26:17.140 nominated for a second Oscar, reinforcing his 00:26:17.140 --> 00:26:19.619 consistent status as a global artist, and Miyazaki 00:26:19.619 --> 00:26:21.759 received the honorary Golden Lion for Lifetime 00:26:21.759 --> 00:26:24.319 Achievement in Venice in 2005. We then moved 00:26:24.319 --> 00:26:27.500 to Ponyo in 2008. Inspired by Hans Christian 00:26:27.500 --> 00:26:29.940 Andersen's The Little Mermaid, this film was 00:26:29.940 --> 00:26:33.200 a deliberate artistic shift. Miyazaki intended 00:26:33.200 --> 00:26:35.599 the film to be a pure celebration of the innocence 00:26:35.599 --> 00:26:38.079 and cheerfulness of a child's universe, focusing 00:26:38.079 --> 00:26:40.680 on the simple, unconditional bond between a boy 00:26:40.680 --> 00:26:43.799 and the sea creature he meets. What's astounding 00:26:43.799 --> 00:26:46.559 here is his methodology. In an era when he could 00:26:46.559 --> 00:26:48.819 easily automate the creation of water and waves 00:26:48.819 --> 00:26:52.140 using CGI, he insisted on drawing the sea. and 00:26:52.140 --> 00:26:54.940 waves himself frame by frame to experiment with 00:26:54.940 --> 00:26:56.740 the animation techniques and ensure the feeling 00:26:56.740 --> 00:26:59.539 was organic. That obsessive manual approach is 00:26:59.539 --> 00:27:02.319 incredible. Ponyo was a monumental undertaking 00:27:02.319 --> 00:27:05.259 for hand -drawn animation, featuring a record 00:27:05.259 --> 00:27:08.920 170 ,000 frames. It was also hugely commercially 00:27:08.920 --> 00:27:12.980 successful, earning $15 .5 billion. It showcased 00:27:12.980 --> 00:27:15.200 his relentless commitment to maximizing traditional 00:27:15.200 --> 00:27:18.039 animation's visual and emotional potential. Proving 00:27:18.039 --> 00:27:20.099 that old methods could still capture wonder better 00:27:20.099 --> 00:27:22.660 than new ones. Following that, he entered a period 00:27:22.660 --> 00:27:25.859 of thematic retrospection. He contributed screenplays 00:27:25.859 --> 00:27:28.480 and planning to other Ghibli projects like Ariety 00:27:28.480 --> 00:27:31.759 and co -wrote the screenplay for From Up on Poppy 00:27:31.759 --> 00:27:34.220 Hill, which was directed by his son, Goru. But 00:27:34.220 --> 00:27:36.779 his next directed feature, The Wind Rises in 00:27:36.779 --> 00:27:40.359 2013, was profoundly personal, serving almost 00:27:40.359 --> 00:27:42.720 as a public act of reconciliation with his past. 00:27:43.339 --> 00:27:46.279 Based on his manga, it told the semi -fictionalized 00:27:46.279 --> 00:27:49.720 story of Jiro Horikoshi, the designer of the 00:27:49.720 --> 00:27:52.599 Mitsubishi A6M Zero Fighter. The very planes 00:27:52.599 --> 00:27:55.359 his father's company helped to build. A remarkable 00:27:55.359 --> 00:27:57.960 convergence of his lifelong contradictions. His 00:27:57.960 --> 00:28:00.099 love for flight and beautiful machinery is pitted 00:28:00.099 --> 00:28:02.819 against the historical function of that machinery 00:28:02.819 --> 00:28:06.180 in warfare. Miyazaki was motivated by Horikoshi's 00:28:06.180 --> 00:28:08.359 poignant quote, all I wanted to do was to make 00:28:08.359 --> 00:28:10.799 something beautiful. He's attempting to separate 00:28:10.799 --> 00:28:12.819 the aesthetic ambition from the violent outcome. 00:28:13.259 --> 00:28:15.420 And this film had deep echoes of his personal 00:28:15.420 --> 00:28:18.220 life, particularly his mother. The female lead 00:28:18.220 --> 00:28:20.279 character, who is a representation of the woman 00:28:20.279 --> 00:28:22.799 Horikoshi marries, suffers from tuberculosis, 00:28:23.160 --> 00:28:25.799 mirroring his mother Yoshiko's illness that defined 00:28:25.799 --> 00:28:28.700 his early life. It was a deeply emotional process 00:28:28.700 --> 00:28:31.839 for him. Miyazaki himself was so moved by the 00:28:31.839 --> 00:28:34.299 completed film that he noted it was the first 00:28:34.299 --> 00:28:37.099 of his own works to make him cry. He finally 00:28:37.099 --> 00:28:39.079 brought his mother's suffering and his father's 00:28:39.079 --> 00:28:42.079 industrial legacy together in this complex, heartbreaking 00:28:42.079 --> 00:28:44.579 narrative. Despite the film's success, it was 00:28:44.579 --> 00:28:47.460 the highest grossing film in Japan in 2013. He 00:28:47.460 --> 00:28:49.099 announced his retirement from features later 00:28:49.099 --> 00:28:51.859 that year. This set off the now famous predictable 00:28:51.859 --> 00:28:54.839 retirement cycle. A cycle he immediately broke. 00:28:55.180 --> 00:28:58.359 By 2016, he began animation work on a new feature 00:28:58.359 --> 00:29:00.559 without even official approval from the studio 00:29:00.559 --> 00:29:02.880 leadership, simply because the compulsion to 00:29:02.880 --> 00:29:05.279 create was too strong. That film, The Boy and 00:29:05.279 --> 00:29:07.720 the Heron, was released in Japan in 2023 with 00:29:07.720 --> 00:29:10.180 a minimal marketing campaign. No trailers, no 00:29:10.180 --> 00:29:13.220 ads, no fanfare. A deliberate, eccentric choice 00:29:13.220 --> 00:29:16.119 by producer Suzuki to counter market oversaturation. 00:29:16.420 --> 00:29:18.559 And that minimal approach didn't hurt its success 00:29:18.559 --> 00:29:21.140 globally. It won his second competitive Best 00:29:21.140 --> 00:29:24.559 Animated Feature Oscar in 2024. The sources confirm 00:29:24.559 --> 00:29:26.579 that despite claims that The Boy and the Heron 00:29:26.579 --> 00:29:29.380 was his final film, Studio Ghibli staff confirmed 00:29:29.380 --> 00:29:32.500 in late 2023 that Miyazaki continues to attend 00:29:32.500 --> 00:29:35.440 the office daily to plan his next work. His producer, 00:29:35.599 --> 00:29:38.319 Toshio Suzuki, admitted he can no longer convince 00:29:38.319 --> 00:29:41.380 him to retire. The act of creation itself seems 00:29:41.380 --> 00:29:44.559 essential to his survival. When you look at Miyazaki's 00:29:44.559 --> 00:29:47.019 60 -year career, what stands out is that his 00:29:47.019 --> 00:29:49.759 films, no matter how fantastical, are fundamentally 00:29:49.759 --> 00:29:52.480 driven by consistent, interconnected philosophical 00:29:52.480 --> 00:29:56.240 pillars that never waver. The first is his highly 00:29:56.240 --> 00:29:59.000 complex approach to conflict and morality. He 00:29:59.000 --> 00:30:02.000 maintains a clear pacifist ethic across his films. 00:30:02.200 --> 00:30:04.599 What's crucial is that his characters are rarely 00:30:04.599 --> 00:30:06.880 depicted as traditional heroes fighting purely 00:30:06.880 --> 00:30:10.440 evil villains. The moral ambiguity forces the 00:30:10.440 --> 00:30:12.579 audience and the protagonist to engage with the 00:30:12.579 --> 00:30:14.660 complexities of the world. Take Spirited Away, 00:30:14.779 --> 00:30:17.279 for example. He noted that the protagonist, Chihiro, 00:30:17.440 --> 00:30:20.099 succeeds not because she has destroyed the evil, 00:30:20.240 --> 00:30:22.680 but because she has acquired the ability to survive. 00:30:22.980 --> 00:30:25.019 This framework encourages considering different 00:30:25.019 --> 00:30:27.380 viewpoints and prioritizing understanding over 00:30:27.380 --> 00:30:30.119 destruction. We see this pacifism explicitly 00:30:30.119 --> 00:30:33.039 in Porco Rosso's melancholic rejection of war 00:30:33.039 --> 00:30:36.819 and in Ashitaka in Princess Mononoke, who strives 00:30:36.819 --> 00:30:39.259 for peace and reconciliation rather than revenge. 00:30:39.619 --> 00:30:42.339 The goal is always to find a way to live with 00:30:42.339 --> 00:30:44.720 the tension, not to eliminate the tension through 00:30:44.720 --> 00:30:47.799 violence. Linked closely to this is his consistent 00:30:47.799 --> 00:30:51.240 theme of ecology versus industrialism, a critique 00:30:51.240 --> 00:30:54.240 born directly from his wartime guilt. He critiques 00:30:54.240 --> 00:30:56.619 exploitation under both capitalism and communism, 00:30:56.880 --> 00:30:59.200 viewing them as equally destructive to the natural 00:30:59.200 --> 00:31:02.119 world. He believes that modern culture, driven 00:31:02.119 --> 00:31:04.960 by relentless economic growth and techno -industrialism, 00:31:05.039 --> 00:31:08.299 is thin and shallow and fake. He spent his youth 00:31:08.299 --> 00:31:10.980 feeling frustrated because nature was being destroyed 00:31:10.980 --> 00:31:13.740 in the name of economic progress. The pursuit 00:31:13.740 --> 00:31:15.880 of political and industrial domination always 00:31:15.880 --> 00:31:18.019 means the domination of nature, and this, in 00:31:18.019 --> 00:31:20.079 his view, is ultimately destructive to human 00:31:20.079 --> 00:31:22.720 civilization. Which is a theme central to the 00:31:22.720 --> 00:31:25.460 poisonous jungles of Nausicaa and the logging 00:31:25.460 --> 00:31:29.019 operations in Princess Mononoke. His films implicitly 00:31:29.019 --> 00:31:31.480 fear that children are dimmed by a culture of 00:31:31.480 --> 00:31:34.059 overconsumption and secularism that is swallowing 00:31:34.059 --> 00:31:36.839 Japan's native animism and respect for the natural 00:31:36.839 --> 00:31:39.779 world. The third defining pillar and perhaps 00:31:39.779 --> 00:31:42.880 the most celebrated globally is his unwavering 00:31:42.880 --> 00:31:45.660 focus on feminist identity, inspired directly 00:31:45.660 --> 00:31:49.079 by his mother, Yoshiko. His protagonists are 00:31:49.079 --> 00:31:51.339 almost always strong, self -sufficient girls 00:31:51.339 --> 00:31:54.819 or young women. Miyazaki himself stated unequivocally 00:31:54.819 --> 00:31:57.319 that his heroines never need a savior. They are 00:31:57.319 --> 00:31:59.980 just as capable of being a hero as any man, but 00:31:59.980 --> 00:32:01.740 they achieve this not through muscular strength, 00:32:01.799 --> 00:32:04.000 but through intelligence and empathy. Critics 00:32:04.000 --> 00:32:06.480 highlight these female characters are never objectified 00:32:06.480 --> 00:32:08.859 or sexualized, and they reflect a keen understanding 00:32:08.859 --> 00:32:11.500 of the complexities of being a woman in a changing 00:32:11.500 --> 00:32:14.660 society. Princess Mononoke's son, for example, 00:32:14.819 --> 00:32:17.200 is caught between two worlds, representing the 00:32:17.200 --> 00:32:19.359 intense conflict between selfhood and expression, 00:32:19.680 --> 00:32:22.400 a complex identity struggle often ignored in 00:32:22.400 --> 00:32:24.759 mainstream action cinema. They are defined by 00:32:24.759 --> 00:32:27.880 their internal moral compass and agency, not 00:32:27.880 --> 00:32:30.119 their relationships with men. Turning now to 00:32:30.119 --> 00:32:32.680 his unique process, his craftsmanship is legendary 00:32:32.680 --> 00:32:35.480 precisely because he rejects traditional screenwriting 00:32:35.480 --> 00:32:38.710 methods. Miyazaki forgoes traditional lockdown 00:32:38.710 --> 00:32:41.450 screenplays entirely. That's right. He develops 00:32:41.450 --> 00:32:44.130 the narrative directly through storyboards. He 00:32:44.130 --> 00:32:46.309 has famously admitted, we never know where this 00:32:46.309 --> 00:32:48.150 story will go, but we just keep working on the 00:32:48.150 --> 00:32:50.690 film as it develops. This approach embraces uncertainty 00:32:50.690 --> 00:32:53.670 and organic evolution, lending his stories that 00:32:53.670 --> 00:32:56.369 distinctive, flowing, dreamlike quality where 00:32:56.369 --> 00:32:58.990 the world feels lived in and surprising, even 00:32:58.990 --> 00:33:01.549 to the creators. But despite that fluid narrative 00:33:01.549 --> 00:33:04.990 process, his actual animation craft is rigidly 00:33:04.990 --> 00:33:07.579 traditional and controlled. He insists on hand 00:33:07.579 --> 00:33:10.160 -drawing every frame. While he did start using 00:33:10.160 --> 00:33:12.819 computer -generated imagery with Princess Mononoke, 00:33:12.920 --> 00:33:15.980 it is strictly limited. He adheres to a rigid, 00:33:16.160 --> 00:33:19.079 no more than 10 % rule regarding computer techniques, 00:33:19.400 --> 00:33:22.779 using it only to enrich the visual look, like 00:33:22.779 --> 00:33:25.900 animating the physically complex rotating castle 00:33:25.900 --> 00:33:29.059 movements in Howl's Moving Castle or the visual 00:33:29.059 --> 00:33:32.269 complexity of the demon flesh in Mononoke. The 00:33:32.269 --> 00:33:34.930 absolute priority is ensuring the films retain 00:33:34.930 --> 00:33:37.490 the right ratio between working by hand and computer 00:33:37.490 --> 00:33:41.210 and still be able to call my films 2D. He maintains 00:33:41.210 --> 00:33:43.690 personal oversight over every single frame and 00:33:43.690 --> 00:33:46.809 key decision. It's incredible. Finally, we must 00:33:46.809 --> 00:33:49.130 touch on his powerful and often controversial 00:33:49.130 --> 00:33:51.750 views on modern culture and politics, which are 00:33:51.750 --> 00:33:53.730 always imparted through his public platform and 00:33:53.730 --> 00:33:55.750 consistently flow from his core philosophical 00:33:55.750 --> 00:33:58.809 beliefs. And we report these views impartially. 00:33:59.150 --> 00:34:01.369 as documented in the source material. He has 00:34:01.369 --> 00:34:03.329 been famously critical of the Japanese animation 00:34:03.329 --> 00:34:05.549 industry itself, feeling that much of it has 00:34:05.549 --> 00:34:07.910 lost touch with reality and humanity. He stated 00:34:07.910 --> 00:34:09.949 bluntly that most anime is produced by humans 00:34:09.949 --> 00:34:12.469 who can't stand looking at other humans. That's 00:34:12.469 --> 00:34:14.670 why the industry is full of otaku. For listeners 00:34:14.670 --> 00:34:16.849 who may not be familiar with the term, otaku 00:34:16.849 --> 00:34:19.250 is often used in Japan to refer to people with 00:34:19.250 --> 00:34:22.349 obsessive, sometimes socially withdrawn, interests, 00:34:22.570 --> 00:34:25.710 particularly in anime, manga, and gaming. Right. 00:34:25.849 --> 00:34:29.139 And Miyazaki rejects the label for himself. criticizing 00:34:29.139 --> 00:34:32.679 what he perceives as a fixation on a fetish for 00:34:32.679 --> 00:34:35.239 guns and fighter aircraft that is detached from 00:34:35.239 --> 00:34:37.880 reality. He also holds a strong stance against 00:34:37.880 --> 00:34:40.400 modern technology outside of his carefully controlled 00:34:40.400 --> 00:34:43.000 animation environment. The sources mentioned 00:34:43.000 --> 00:34:45.820 a moment in 2016 when he was shown an AI -generated 00:34:45.820 --> 00:34:48.769 animated zombie. He expressed utter disgust, 00:34:48.849 --> 00:34:51.409 calling the animation an insult to life itself 00:34:51.409 --> 00:34:54.389 and confirming Studio Ghibli would refuse to 00:34:54.389 --> 00:34:57.269 use AI in its creative process. Which is consistent 00:34:57.269 --> 00:34:59.389 with his belief that the human touch and the 00:34:59.389 --> 00:35:02.010 struggle of creation are what give art its worth. 00:35:02.329 --> 00:35:04.730 Politically, he identifies himself as traditionally 00:35:04.730 --> 00:35:08.389 a leftist in terms of emotional affinity. His 00:35:08.389 --> 00:35:10.630 willingness to use his platform comes directly 00:35:10.630 --> 00:35:13.429 from his pacifist ethic. He used his platform 00:35:13.429 --> 00:35:16.010 in 2013 to criticize Japanese Prime Minister 00:35:16.010 --> 00:35:18.550 Shinzo Abe's attempt to revise the Constitution's 00:35:18.550 --> 00:35:21.289 war outlawing clause, calling the move despicable. 00:35:21.510 --> 00:35:23.610 And his statements regarding Japan's historical 00:35:23.610 --> 00:35:26.730 responsibility are equally firm and rooted in 00:35:26.730 --> 00:35:30.309 his sense of national guilt. In 2015, he criticized 00:35:30.309 --> 00:35:32.829 Abe's denial of Japanese military aggression, 00:35:33.130 --> 00:35:35.969 stating Japan should clearly say that they inflicted 00:35:35.969 --> 00:35:38.889 enormous damage on China and expressed deep remorse 00:35:38.889 --> 00:35:41.659 over it. He also publicly called for a proper 00:35:41.659 --> 00:35:44.480 apology to Korean comfort women forced to service 00:35:44.480 --> 00:35:46.980 the Japanese army during World War II. He leverages 00:35:46.980 --> 00:35:49.800 his global fame to push a political agenda rooted 00:35:49.800 --> 00:35:52.840 in historical acknowledgement and pacifism. Hayao 00:35:52.840 --> 00:35:56.179 Miyazaki's impact transcends cinema. He's frequently 00:35:56.179 --> 00:35:59.219 called the godfather of animation in Japan. And 00:35:59.219 --> 00:36:01.320 due to his combination of narrative grandeur 00:36:01.320 --> 00:36:03.679 and personal sensitivity, he's often referred 00:36:03.679 --> 00:36:07.059 to as the Kurosawa of animation. This isn't just 00:36:07.059 --> 00:36:09.500 hyperbole. The sheer volume of scholarly analysis 00:36:09.500 --> 00:36:12.500 dedicated to him is enormous. More scholarly 00:36:12.500 --> 00:36:14.500 papers have been written about him than any other 00:36:14.500 --> 00:36:17.179 Japanese artist. His work, according to one source, 00:36:17.380 --> 00:36:19.400 has profoundly shaped not only the future of 00:36:19.400 --> 00:36:21.539 animation, but global filmmaking in general, 00:36:21.699 --> 00:36:24.019 setting a new benchmark for narrative complexity 00:36:24.019 --> 00:36:26.559 in the medium. And his influence stretches across 00:36:26.559 --> 00:36:29.320 continents and genres, impacting the giants of 00:36:29.320 --> 00:36:31.829 the film industry. He is frequently cited as 00:36:31.829 --> 00:36:34.409 a profound inspiration by a massive roster of 00:36:34.409 --> 00:36:36.409 global filmmakers and animators. I mean, you're 00:36:36.409 --> 00:36:38.849 talking John Lasseter, Steven Spielberg, James 00:36:38.849 --> 00:36:41.530 Cameron, Guillermo del Toro, Pete Docter at Pixar, 00:36:41.750 --> 00:36:44.460 and Wes Anderson. The sources confirmed that 00:36:44.460 --> 00:36:47.019 the Disney Renaissance era of the 1990s was partly 00:36:47.019 --> 00:36:49.239 prompted by direct competition with the aesthetic 00:36:49.239 --> 00:36:51.900 complexity and thematic depth of Miyazaki's films. 00:36:52.480 --> 00:36:55.340 Ghibli raised the creative bar so high that major 00:36:55.340 --> 00:36:57.639 global studios had to re -examine what animation 00:36:57.639 --> 00:36:59.920 could achieve. The regard for him is palpable. 00:37:00.079 --> 00:37:02.599 Artists from Pixar and Aardman Studios once signed 00:37:02.599 --> 00:37:05.119 a tribute stating simply, You're our inspiration, 00:37:05.300 --> 00:37:08.940 Miyazaki -san. This legacy is now wrapped up 00:37:08.940 --> 00:37:11.239 in the complex, ongoing issue of Succession. 00:37:11.639 --> 00:37:13.760 Studio Ghibli has openly struggled to find a 00:37:13.760 --> 00:37:16.199 viable successor who can match the artistic output 00:37:16.199 --> 00:37:18.699 and institutional vision of both Miyazaki and 00:37:18.699 --> 00:37:21.780 producer Toshio Suzuki. They initially eyed Yoshifumi 00:37:21.780 --> 00:37:23.739 Kondo, the director of Whisper of the Heart, 00:37:23.840 --> 00:37:26.380 whom they were grooming to take over. But his 00:37:26.380 --> 00:37:29.480 sudden tragic death in 1998 ended that possibility 00:37:29.480 --> 00:37:32.659 entirely, forcing Miyazaki out of his first retirement. 00:37:33.239 --> 00:37:36.119 Later, Miyazaki's own son, Goru, who directed 00:37:36.119 --> 00:37:38.519 Tales from Earthsea and From Up on Poppy Hill, 00:37:38.719 --> 00:37:41.000 declined the leadership role, citing the enormous 00:37:41.000 --> 00:37:43.679 pressure. This inability to find an internal 00:37:43.679 --> 00:37:46.000 heir led to the most recent significant structural 00:37:46.000 --> 00:37:49.840 change. In October 2023, Studio Ghibli became 00:37:49.840 --> 00:37:52.980 a subsidiary of Nippon Television Holdings, ensuring 00:37:52.980 --> 00:37:56.019 its financial stability and future. Miyazaki 00:37:56.019 --> 00:37:58.780 remains as the honorary chairman. The studio 00:37:58.780 --> 00:38:01.170 is institutionally safe. But the succession of 00:38:01.170 --> 00:38:03.050 creative leadership remains an open question. 00:38:03.190 --> 00:38:05.809 Which is perhaps one major reason why Miyazaki, 00:38:06.010 --> 00:38:08.590 now in his 80s, simply refuses to put down his 00:38:08.590 --> 00:38:10.909 pencil. He feels the need to protect the creative 00:38:10.909 --> 00:38:13.110 soul of the company he built. Looking at the 00:38:13.110 --> 00:38:16.050 entire canvas of Hayao Miyazaki's life, you see 00:38:16.050 --> 00:38:18.590 a master storyteller who synthesized his deepest, 00:38:18.670 --> 00:38:21.250 most fraught personal history, the lifetime of 00:38:21.250 --> 00:38:23.630 wartime guilt, the towering intellectual strict 00:38:23.630 --> 00:38:26.670 mother, the distant anarchistic father into universal 00:38:26.670 --> 00:38:29.769 powerful cinema. His work is a relentless six 00:38:29.769 --> 00:38:32.210 decade long pursuit of environmental responsibility, 00:38:32.570 --> 00:38:36.510 complex pacifist ideals and strong feminist identities. 00:38:36.769 --> 00:38:39.250 And it is all delivered with an almost obsessive 00:38:39.250 --> 00:38:41.650 commitment to hand drawn visual artistry and 00:38:41.650 --> 00:38:44.250 creative control. He literally designs his own 00:38:44.250 --> 00:38:47.750 studios and oversees every single frame, even 00:38:47.750 --> 00:38:50.090 while continually attempting and failing to retire. 00:38:50.289 --> 00:38:52.230 So what does this all mean for us, the audience? 00:38:52.800 --> 00:38:54.920 We know that Miyazaki's dedication to his work 00:38:54.920 --> 00:38:57.480 was so intense that it created profound damage 00:38:57.480 --> 00:38:59.559 in his relationship with his family, particularly 00:38:59.559 --> 00:39:02.840 with his son, Goro. His son confessed that he 00:39:02.840 --> 00:39:05.000 watched his father's films just to understand 00:39:05.000 --> 00:39:07.940 him because they rarely spoke. And Miyazaki himself 00:39:07.940 --> 00:39:10.599 later said that he felt he owed that little boy 00:39:10.599 --> 00:39:13.260 an apology for his emotional and physical absence, 00:39:13.380 --> 00:39:15.579 a feeling that must weigh on a man who constantly 00:39:15.579 --> 00:39:18.059 explores complex family dynamics in his art. 00:39:18.199 --> 00:39:20.340 So if the core of Miyazaki's work is precisely 00:39:20.340 --> 00:39:22.699 the exploration of difficult relationships, relationships, 00:39:22.800 --> 00:39:25.840 man versus nature, man versus industry, and the 00:39:25.840 --> 00:39:28.639 difficulty of maintaining a pacifist ethic in 00:39:28.639 --> 00:39:31.119 a violent world, we are left to wonder if this 00:39:31.119 --> 00:39:33.380 monumental body of work, his constant production 00:39:33.380 --> 00:39:36.480 well into his 80s, is, in part, a lifelong public 00:39:36.480 --> 00:39:39.219 attempt to repair or resolve his deepest, most 00:39:39.219 --> 00:39:42.599 personal regrets. Turning apology into art. It's 00:39:42.599 --> 00:39:44.280 a profound thought to leave you with as you watch 00:39:44.280 --> 00:39:46.880 his films next. Is every pencil stroke, every 00:39:46.880 --> 00:39:49.420 meticulously drawn wave, a form of reconciliation 00:39:49.420 --> 00:39:52.119 with the past? We'll let you deep dive into that 00:39:52.119 --> 00:39:53.300 yourself. Thanks for joining us.