is a Japanese film director, producer, screenwriter, animator, author, and manga artist. A co-founder of Studio Ghibli, he has attained international acclaim as a masterful storyteller and as a maker of anime feature films. His works are characterized by the recurrence of progressive themes, such as feminism, environmentalism, pacifism, love, and family. His films' protagonists are often strong girls or young women, and several of his films present morally ambiguous antagonists with redeeming qualities.
In the course of his career, Miyazaki has received multiple awards and nominations. His first feature films, The Castle of Cagliostro and Nausicaä of the Valley of the Wind, earned him the Ōfuji Noburō Award at the Mainichi Film Awards in 1979 and 1984, respectively. His film Laputa: Castle in the Sky won Best Anime at the Anime Grand Prix in 1986, and My Neighbor Totoro won the Special Award at the Blue Ribbon Awards in 1989. He received several awards for his work on Kiki's Delivery Service in 1990, including Best Japanese Film at the Golden Gross Awards and the Special Award at the Japan Academy Film Prize. Porco Rosso also won the Mainichi Film Award for Best Animation Film in 1993.
Miyazaki's film Princess Mononoke was the first animated film to win the Japan Academy Prize for Picture of the Year; its distribution to the Western world greatly increased Ghibli's popularity and influence outside Japan, and his 2001 film Spirited Away won the Academy Award for Best Animated Feature at the 75th Academy Awards. His 2004 film Howl's Moving Castle and 2009 film Ponyo received several awards, including Animation of the Year at the Tokyo Anime Awards, and both were nominated for the Annie Award for Directing in a Feature Production. His 2013 film The Wind Rises was also highly awarded; it received Animation of the Year from the Japan Academy Film Prize, and a nomination for Best Foreign Language Film at the 71st Golden Globe Awards. Howl's Moving Castle and The Wind Rises were nominated for Best Animated Feature at the 78th and 86th Academy Awards. Miyazaki was awarded the Academy Honorary Award in November 2014, for his impact on animation and cinema. His 2023 film The Boy and the Heron won numerous awards, including the Academy Award for Best Animated Feature at the 96th Academy Awards in 2024.
Films The Castle of Cagliostro The Castle of Cagliostro was released in Japan on December 15, 1979.
Award Year Category Result Academy of Science Fiction, Fantasy and Horror Films Awards 1981 Best International Film Mainichi Film Awards 1979 Ōfuji Noburō Award
Nausicaä of the Valley of the Wind Nausicaä of the Valley of the Wind was released on March 11, 1984. It grossed ¥1.48 billion at the box office, and made an additional ¥742 million in distribution income.
Award Year Category Result Anime Grand Prix 1984 Best Anime Kinema Junpo Awards 1984 Reader's Choice Japanese Film Director of the Year Best Film of the Year Mainichi Film Awards 1984 Ōfuji Noburō Award
Laputa: Castle in the Sky Laputa: Castle in the Sky was released on August 2, 1986.
Award Year Category Result Anime Grand Prix 1986 Best Anime Kinema Junpo Awards 1986 Best Film of the Year Mainichi Film Awards 1986 Ōfuji Noburō Award
My Neighbor Totoro My Neighbor Totoro was released on April 16, 1988. While it was commercially unsuccessful at the box office, merchandising was successful, and it received critical acclaim.
Award Year Category Result Blue Ribbon Awards 1989 Special Award Kinema Junpo Awards 1989 Best Japanese Film Reader's Choice Japanese Film Director of the Year Mainichi Film Awards 1989 Best Film Ōfuji Noburō Award
Kiki's Delivery Service Kiki's Delivery Service premiered on July 29, 1989. It earned ¥2.15 billion at the box office, and was the highest-grossing film in Japan in 1989.
Award Year Category Result Anime Grand Prix 1990 Best Anime Japan Academy Film Prize 1990 Special Award Kinema Junpo Awards 1990 Reader's Choice Japanese Film Director of the Year Best Film of the Year Mainichi Film Awards 1990 Best Animation Film
Porco Rosso Porco Rosso was released on July 18, 1992. The film was commercially successful and remained one of the highest-grossing films in Japan for several years.
Award Year Category Result Annecy International Animated Film Festival 1993 Best Film Kinema Junpo Awards 1993 Best Film of the Year Mainichi Film Awards 1993 Best Animation Film
Princess Mononoke Princess Mononoke was released on July 12, 1997. It was commercially successful, becoming the highest-grossing film in Japan for several months. Upon its release in Western markets, it was largely unsuccessful at the box office, grossing about .
Award Year Category Result Annie Awards 2000 Outstanding Individual Achievement for Directing in an Animated Feature Production Blue Ribbon Awards 1998 Special Award Hochi Film Awards 1997 Special Award Japan Academy Film Prize 1998 Picture of the Year Japan Media Arts Festival 1997 Grand Prize in Animation Kinema Junpo Awards 1998 Reader's Choice Japanese Film Director of the Year Best Film of the Year Mainichi Film Awards 1998 Best Animation Film Best Film Readers' Choice Award – Best Film Nebula Awards 2001 Best Script Nikkan Sports Film Awards 1997 Best Director Yujiro Ishihara Award Tokyo Sports Film Awards 1997 Best Director
Spirited Away
Spirited Away was released on July 20, 2001; it received critical acclaim, and is considered among the greatest films of the 2000s. The film was also commercially successful, earning ¥30.4 billion () at the box office. It became the highest-grossing film in Japan, a record it maintained for almost 20 years.
Award Year Category Result Academy Awards 2003 Best Animated Feature Amsterdam Fantastic Film Festival 2003 Silver Scream Award Annie Awards 2003 Best Animated Feature Directing in an Animated Feature Production Outstanding Writing in an Animated Feature Production Argentine Film Critics Association 2004 Silver Condor Award for Best Foreign Film Berlin International Film Festival 2002 Golden Bear Blue Ribbon Awards 2002 Best Film Boston Society of Film Critics Awards 2002 Special Commendation British Academy Film Awards 2004 Best Film Not in the English Language British Independent Film Awards 2003 Best Foreign Independent Film Broadcast Film Critics Association 2003 Best Animated Feature Cambridge Film Festival 2003 Audience Award – Best Film César Awards 2003 Best Foreign Film Chicago Film Critics Association Awards 2003 Best Foreign Language Film Cinekid Festival 2002 Cinekid Film Award CEC Awards 2003 Best Foreign Film Critics' Choice Awards 2003 Best Animated Feature Dallas–Fort Worth Film Critics Association Awards 2003 Best Animated Film Durban International Film Festival 2002 Best Film European Film Awards 2002 Screen International Award Film Critics Circle of Australia 2003 Best Foreign-Language Film Florida Film Critics Circle Awards 2003 Best Animated Film Hong Kong Film Awards 2002 Best Asian Film Hugo Awards 2003 Best Dramatic Presentation – Long Form International Horror Guild Awards 2003 Best Movie Japan Academy Film Prize 2002 Picture of the Year Japan Media Arts Festival 2002 Grand Prize in Animation Kinema Junpo Awards 2002 Reader's Choice – Best Film Reader's Choice Japanese Director of the Year Best Film of the Year London Film Critics' Circle Awards 2004 Foreign Language Film of the Year Los Angeles Film Critics Association Awards 2002 Best Animated Film Mainichi Film Awards 2002 Best Animation Film Best Director Best Film Readers' Choice Award – Best Film National Board of Review 2002 Best Animated Feature Nebula Awards 2004 Best Script New York Film Critics Circle Awards 2002 Best Animated Film New York Film Critics Online Awards 2002 Best Animated Feature Nikkan Sports Film Awards 2002 Best Film Online Film Critics Society Awards 2003 Best Animated Film Best Foreign Language Film San Francisco International Film Festival 2002 Audience Award – Best Narrative Feature Satellite Awards 2003 Best Animated or Mixed Media Feature Saturn Awards 2003 Best Animated Film Best Writing Sitges Film Festival 2002 Best Film Tokyo Anime Awards 2002 Animation of the Year Best Art Direction Best Director Best Screenplay
Howl's Moving Castle
Howl's Moving Castle was released on November 20, 2004, and received widespread critical acclaim. In Japan, the film grossed a record $14.5 million in its first week of release. It remains among the highest-grossing films in Japan, with a worldwide gross of over ¥19.3 billion.
Award Year Category Result Academy Awards 2006 Best Animated Feature Annie Awards 2006 Directing in a Feature Production Outstanding Writing in a Feature Production Broadcast Film Critics Association Awards 2006 Best Animated Feature Hollywood Film Awards 2005 Animation of the Year Hong Kong Film Awards 2006 Best Asian Film Japan Media Arts Festival 2004 Excellence Award in Animation Mainichi Film Awards 2005 Readers' Choice Award – Best Film Nebula Awards 2007 Best Script New York Film Critics Circle Awards 2005 Best Animated Film Online Film Critics Society Awards 2006 Best Animated Feature San Diego Film Critics Society Awards 2005 Best Animated Film Satellite Awards 2005 Best Animated or Mixed Media Feature Saturn Awards 2006 Best Animated Film Seattle International Film Festival 2005 Golden Space Needle Award Catalonian International Film Festival 2004 Audience Award – Best Feature Film Best Film Tokyo Anime Awards 2005 Animation of the Year Best Director Venice Film Festival 2004 Golden Osella for Outstanding Technical Contribution Golden Lion
Ponyo Ponyo was released on July 19, 2008. The film was also a commercial success, earning ¥10 billion (US$93.2 million) in its first month and ¥15.5 billion by the end of 2008, placing it among the highest-grossing films in Japan.
Award Year Category Result Annie Awards 2010 Directing in a Feature Production Asian Film Awards 2009 Best Director Chicago Film Critics Association Awards 2009 Best Animated Feature Hong Kong Film Awards 2010 Best Asian Film Japan Academy Film Prize 2009 Animation of the Year Online Film Critics Society Awards 2010 Best Animated Feature Tokyo Anime Awards 2009 Best Domestic Feature Best Director Best Original Story Animation of the Year Venice Film Festival 2008 Future Film Festival Digital Award Mimmo Rotella Foundation Award Golden Lion Washington D.C. Area Film Critics Association Awards 2009 Best Animated Feature
The Wind Rises
The Wind Rises premiered on July 20, 2013, and received critical acclaim. It was also commercially successful, grossing ¥11.6 billion (US$110 million) at the Japanese box office, becoming the highest-grossing film in Japan in 2013.