The Late Works of Hayao Miyazaki

Once a favorite of mainly art house audiences, Hayao Miyazaki’s films have enjoyed increasing exposure in the West since his Spirited Away won the Oscar for Best Animated Feature in 2003. The award signaled a turning point for Miyazaki’s Studio Ghibli, bringing his films prominence in the media and driving their distribution in multiple formats.
This book explores the closing decade of Miyazaki’s career (2004–2013), providing a close study of six feature films to which he contributed, including three he directed (Howl’s Moving Castle, Ponyo and The Wind Rises). Seven short films created for exclusive screening at Tokyo’s Ghibli Museum are also covered, four of which were directed by Miyazaki.

Dani Cavallaro has written widely about literature, cultural theory, and anime. She lives in London.

Dani Cavallaro
Format: softcover (6 x 9)
Pages: 208
Bibliographic Info: filmography, bibliography, index
Copyright Date: 2015
pISBN: 978-0-7864-9518-4
eISBN: 978-1-4766-1909-5
Imprint: McFarland

Table of Contents


Preface 1

1 • Hayao Miyazaki: Past and Present 3

2 • A “war love story”: Howl’s Moving Castle (2004) 11

3 • “Life is a wave on the sea”: Tales from Earthsea (2006) 54

4 • “The ocean as a living presence”: Ponyo (2008) 72

5 • “The courage to live”: The Secret World of Arrietty (2010) 112

6 • “Destroy the old and you destroy our memory of the past”: From Up on Poppy Hill (2011) 125

7 • “We must try to live: The Wind Rises (2013) 140

Filmography 183

Bibliography 185

Index 195