What did Nausicaä of the Valley of the Wind gross at box office?

"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.

List of accolades received by Hayao Miyazaki

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 Best Photography at the Japan Academy Prize 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 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 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.

"The Castle of Cagliostro" was released in Japan on December 15, 1979.

"Laputa: Castle in the Sky" was released on August 2, 1986. It was the highest-grossing animation film of the year in Japan.

"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.

"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.

"Porco Rosso" was released on July 18, 1992. The film was critically and commercially successful, remaining the highest-grossing animated film in Japan for several years.

"Princess Mononoke" was released on July 12, 1997. It was critically and commercially successful, earning a domestic total of ¥14 billion (US$148 million), and 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 US$3 million,

"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 (US$289.1 million) at the box office. It is the highest-grossing film in Japan.

"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.

"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.

"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.

The film was released by Toei Company on 11 March 1984. In Japan, the film grossed about 1.48billion at the box office, selling 914,767 tickets, and earning 742million in distribution income.

Nausicaä of the Valley of the Wind (film)

"Nausicaä of the Valley of the Wind" was released in Japan on 11 March 1984. A heavily-altered version of the film created by Manson International, "Warriors of the Wind", was released in the United States and other markets throughout the mid-to-late 1980s, and was eventually replaced in circulation by an uncut, redubbed version produced by Walt Disney Pictures. Though it was made before Studio Ghibli was founded, it is often considered a Ghibli work, and was released as part of the "Studio Ghibli Collection" DVD and Blu-ray range. The film received critical acclaim, praising the story, themes, characters and animation. It is frequently ranked as one of the greatest animated films ever made.

One thousand years have passed since the Seven Days of Fire, an apocalyptic war that destroyed civilization and created the vast Toxic Jungle, a poisonous forest swarming with giant mutant insects. In the kingdom of the Valley of the Wind, a prophecy predicts a saviour "clothed in blue robes, descending onto a golden field". Nausicaä, the princess of the Valley of the Wind, explores the jungle and communicates with its creatures, including the gigantic, trilobite-like armored Ohm. She hopes to understand the jungle and find a way for it and humans to co-exist.

Late in the night, a massive cargo aircraft from the kingdom of Tolmekia crashes in the Valley despite Nausicaä's attempt to save it. Its sole survivor, Princess Lastelle of Pejite, pleads with Nausicaä to destroy the cargo and dies. The cargo is an embryo of a Giant Warrior, one of the lethal, gargantuan humanoid bioweapons that caused the Seven Days of Fire. Tolmekia, a military state, seized the embryo and Lastelle from Pejite, but their plane was attacked by insects and crashed. One of the insects emerges wounded from the wreckage and poises to attack, but Nausicaä uses a bullroarer to calm it and guides it away from the village.

Soon after, Tolmekian troops, led by Princess Kushana, invade the Valley, execute Nausicaä's father and capture the embryo. Enraged, Nausicaä kills several Tolmekian soldiers and is about to be overwhelmed when the Valley's swordsmaster, Lord Yupa, soothes the belligerents. Kushana plans to mature the Giant Warrior and use it to burn the Toxic Jungle. Yupa discovers a secret garden of jungle plants reared by Nausicaä; according to her findings, plants that grow in clean soil and water are not toxic, but the jungle's soil has been tainted by pollution.

Kushana leaves for the Tolmekian capital with Nausicaä and five hostages from the Valley, but a Pejite interceptor shoots down the Tolmekian airships carrying them. Nausicaä, Kushana and the hostages crash-land in the jungle, disturbing several Ohms, which Nausicaä soothes. She leaves to rescue the Pejite pilot Asbel, brother of Princess Lastelle, but both crash through a stratum of quicksand into a non-toxic area below the Toxic Jungle. Nausicaä realizes that the jungle plants purify the polluted topsoil, producing clean water and soil underground.

Nausicaä and Asbel return to Pejite but find it ravaged by insects. A band of survivors explains that they lured the insects to eradicate the Tolmekians, and are doing the same to the Valley. They capture Nausicaä to prevent her from warning the Valley, but with the help of Asbel, his mother, and a number of sympathizers, Nausicaä escapes on her glider. Flying home, she finds two Pejite soldiers baiting thousands of Ohms into the Valley using a wounded baby Ohm. The people of the Valley take shelter while the Tolmekians deploy tanks and the Giant Warrior, but tank-fire does not deter the Ohms, and the Giant Warrior, hatched prematurely, disintegrates.

Nausicaä liberates the baby Ohm and gains its trust. She and the Ohm stand before the herd but are run over. The Ohms calm down and use their golden tentacles to resuscitate her. Nausicaä, her dress drenched blue with Ohm blood, walks atop golden Ohm tentacles as through golden fields, fulfilling the savior prophecy. The Ohms and Tolmekians leave the Valley, and the Pejites remain with the Valley people, helping them rebuild. Deep underneath the Toxic Jungle, a non-toxic tree sprouts.

Hayao Miyazaki made his credited directorial debut in 1979 with "The Castle of Cagliostro", a film which was a distinct departure from the antics of the "Lupin III" franchise, but still went on to receive the Ofuji Noburo Award at the 1979 Mainichi Film Concours. Although "Cagliostro" was not a box office success, Toshio Suzuki, editor of the magazine "Animage", was impressed by the film and encouraged Miyazaki to produce works for "Animage's" publisher, Tokuma Shoten. Miyazaki's film ideas were rejected, and Tokuma asked him to do a manga: this led to the creation of "Nausicaä of the Valley of the Wind". Miyazaki began writing and drawing the manga in 1979, and it quickly became "Animage's" most popular feature. Hideo Ogata and Yasuyoshi Tokuma, the founders of "Animage" and Tokuma Shoten respectively, encouraged Miyazaki to work on a film adaptation. Miyazaki initially refused, but agreed on the condition that he could direct.

In the early stages, Isao Takahata, credited as executive producer, reluctantly joined the project even before the animation studio was chosen. An outside studio to produce the film was needed because Tokuma Shoten did not own an animation studio: Miyazaki and Takahata chose the minor studio Topcraft. The production studio's work was known to both Miyazaki and Takahata and was chosen because its artistic talent could transpose the sophisticated atmosphere of the manga to the film. On 31 May 1983, work began on the pre-production of the film. Miyazaki encountered difficulties in creating the screenplay, with only sixteen chapters of the manga to work with. Miyazaki would take elements of the story and refocus the narrative and characters to the Tolmekian invasion of Nausicaä's homeland. Takahata would enlist the experimental and minimalist composer Joe Hisaishi to do the score for the film.

In August, the animation work began on the film and was produced by animators hired for the one film and paid per frame. One notable animator was Hideaki Anno, a founding member of Gainax who among later works wrote and directed "Neon Genesis Evangelion". Anno was assigned to draw the challenging God Warrior's attack sequence, which according to Toshio Suzuki is a "high point in the film". The film was released in March 1984, with a production schedule of only nine months and with a budget equivalent to $1 million.

Miyazaki's work on "Nausicaä of the Valley of the Wind" was inspired by a range of works including Ursula K. Le Guin's "Earthsea", Brian Aldiss's "Hothouse", Isaac Asimov's "Nightfall", and J.R.R Tolkien's "Lord of the Rings". Dani Cavallaro also suggests inspiration from "The Princess Who Loved Insects" folktale, and the works of William Golding. Nausicaä, the character, was inspired in name and personality, by Homer's Phaeacian princess in the "Odyssey". While a connection to Frank Herbert's "Dune" is often made there is no confirmation apart from the name "Ohmu" being a syllabic rendition of the English "worm". Miyazaki's imagination was sparked by the mercury poisoning of Minamata Bay and how nature responded and thrived in a poisoned environment, using it to create the polluted world of "Nausicaä of the Valley of the Wind". Ian DeWeese-Boyd agrees, "Her commitment to love and understanding—even to the point of death—transforms the very nature of the conflict around her and begins to dispel the distorting visions that have brought it about."

The most prominent themes are the anti-war and environmental focus of the film. Nausicaä, the heroine, believes in the value of life regardless of its form and through her actions stops a war. Loy and Goodhew state there is no evil portrayed in the film, but the Buddhist roots of evil: greed, ill will and delusion. Fear is what drives the conflicts, the fear of the poisoned forest results in the greed and resentment. Nausicaä, in addition to being a transformative force, leads people to understand and respect nature which is portrayed as welcoming, spiritual, and restorative for those who enter it peacefully.

The film was released, in 1984, with a recommendation from the World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF). On 30 July 1995, a subtitled version of the film was screened at the Institute of Contemporary Arts, in London, as part of the "Building Bridges" film festival, marking the fiftieth anniversary of the Atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki. In her 25 March 2013 presentation at Colorado College, on "Tapestries of Apocalypse: From Angers to 'Nausicaa' and Beyond", Dr. Susan J. Napier places the film and in particular the tapestry, depicted underneath the opening credits, within the tradition of artistic representation of apocalypses and apocalyptic visions. She explores the role such expressions play in understanding apocalyptic events and post-event recovery.

Home releases include the original April 1984 Laserdisc release and as part of "Juburi ga Ippai Sutajio Jiburi LD Zenshuu" ("Ghibli Complete Collection: Studio Ghibli Complete LD Collection") from August 1996, the original March 1984 VHS version by "Animage" and re-release by Buena Vista on 19 September 1997. Three DVD sets were released in Japan with a regular DVD and figure set released on 19 November 2003 and a collectors set following on 7 December 2003.

Manson International and Showmen, Inc. produced a 95-minute English-dubbed adaptation of the film, titled "Warriors of the Wind", which was released theatrically in the United States by New World Pictures on June 13, 1985, with the VHS video release in December 1985. In the late 1980s, Vestron Video would release the film and First Independent Video would re-release it in 1993 with another minute cut from the film. The voice actors and actresses were not informed of the film's plotline and the film was heavily edited to market it as a children's action-adventure film. Consequently, part of the film's narrative meaning was lost: some of the environmentalist themes were diluted as was the main subplot of the Ohmu, altered to turn them into aggressive enemies. Most of the characters' names were changed, including the titular character who became Princess Zandra. The United States cover for the VHS release featured a cadre of male characters who are not in the film, riding the resurrected God Warrior—including a still-living Warrior shown briefly in a flashback. Approximately 22 minutes of scenes were cut for the film's North American release.

Dissatisfied with "Warriors of the Wind", Miyazaki adopted a strict "no-edits" clause for further foreign releases of Studio Ghibli's films. On hearing Miramax co-chairman Harvey Weinstein would attempt to edit "Princess Mononoke" to make it more marketable, Toshio Suzuki sent an authentic katana with a simple message: "No cuts". "Warriors of the Wind" also prompted Miyazaki to allow translator Toren Smith of Studio Proteus to create an official, faithful translation of the "Nausicaä" manga for Viz Media.

In addition to the opening and ending credits sequences, the following scenes were originally removed for "Warriors of the Wind", but were restored after Disney's North American DVD re-release.

On 18 October 2003, Cindy and Donald Hewitt, the scriptwriters of Walt Disney Pictures' English dubs of "Spirited Away" and "Porco Rosso", announced that an unedited and redubbed version of "Nausicaä" was in pre-production, and that Patrick Stewart and Uma Thurman had been cast. Natalie Portman was originally intended to voice Nausicaä, but Alison Lohman was eventually assigned the role.

"Nausicaä" was released on DVD by Buena Vista Home Entertainment on 22 February 2005 for Region 1. This DVD includes both the English dub and the Japanese audio track with English subtitles. Optimum Home Entertainment released the film in Region 2 and the Region 4 DVD is distributed by Madman Entertainment. A remastered Blu-ray sourced from a 6K filmscan was released on 14 July 2010 in Japan. It includes an uncompressed Japanese LPCM stereo track, an English dub and English subtitles. On 18 October 2010 a Blu-ray version was released in Region B by Optimum Home Entertainment. The film was released on Blu-ray in the United States and Canada on 8 March 2011 by Walt Disney Studios Home Entertainment. GKIDS re-issued the film on Blu-ray and DVD on 31 October 2017, along with "Castle in the Sky".

Spain first released two versions of the cut film, both called "Guerreros del Viento" ("Warriors of the Wind") with the first in 1987 and again 1991, and then a version of the original uncut film under the "Nausicaä del Valle del Viento" title in 2010. France has had both versions of the movie appear with two cut versions named "La Princesse des Etoiles" ("The Princess of the Stars") and "Le vaisseau fantôme" ("The Ghost Ship"): the uncut film had a regular and collector's DVD set released on 18 April 2007. In Germany UFA released the 86 minute long cut version on VHS as "Sternenkrieger" (literally "Star Warriors") in 1986 and Universum Anime released the uncut DVD release on 5 September 2005. The 2007 Hungarian release, titled "Nauszika - A szél harcosai" ("Nausicaä - The Warriors of the Wind") is uncut despite the title's reference. The Korean DVD release of the uncut film was on 3 March 2004. China has had three releases of "Nausicaä": the first on Video CD and two DVD releases.
The italian version was titled "Nausicaä della Valle del Vento", on air on 1986.

"Nausicaä of the Valley of the Wind" received critical acclaim from film critics. The film is frequently ranked among the best animated films in Japan, and is seen by critics as a seminal influence on the development of anime, as the film's success led to the foundation of Studio Ghibli and several other anime studios. Theron Martin of Anime News Network praised the film for its character designs, as well as Hayao Miyazaki's direction and Joe Hisaishi's score. He also said that the film "deserves a place on any short list of all-time classic anime movies." Common Sense Media, which serves to inform parents about media for children, rated the film positively and cited its good role models and positive messages, but also cautioned parents about its dramatic setting and violent scenes. As of August 2015, review aggregator Rotten Tomatoes reports that 87% of critics gave the film positive reviews, based on 15 reviews with an average rating of 8/10. Helen McCarthy in "500 Essential Anime Movies" praised the animation techniques of Miyazaki, stating that "the real strength of this film is the script, packed with incident, excitement and passion, and the soundtrack" of Joe Hisaishi.

"Final Fantasy" creator Hironobu Sakaguchi has cited the manga and film as an influence on his video game series. As such, the horseclaws in the film were used as an inspiration for the Chocobos in the games. Numerous games have used Ohmu-like creatures, assumed to be reference to the film including "Metal Slug 3" "Cyber Core" and "Viewpoint". The game "Crystalis", known in Japan as "God Slayer: Haruka Tenkū no Sonata" (ゴッド・スレイヤー はるか天空のソナタ), shares common elements with the film, including an insect that resembles an Ohmu. The film "" (2015) also shares common elements with the film, including similarities between the protagonists Nausicaa and Rey (such as their personalities and headwear), and a number of strikingly similar scenes.

Disney's English dub was well received by audiences and critics, especially in comparison to "Warriors of the Wind", with the leading voice actors frequently being praised for their performances. However, in conducting a comparative analysis of the Japanese-language anime with their English translations, Eriko Ogihara-Schuck believes that although Disney's dub eschewed the dualistic, good versus evil worldview of "Warriors of the Wind", it also “Christianiz[ed] Miyazaki's animism”. According to her, the translators of the film were working a language suffused with Judeo-Christian idioms not found in Japanese, which they introduce to the text, such as the nature of humanity's relationship with the environment and animals as seen in Judeo-Christian narratives and cultural practices. Examples of these changes include when Nausicaä describes an insect as a "good boy", a term often used in describing domesticated animals (instead of a "good child", as in the Japanese version), and when Nausicaä converses with the wounded baby Ohm - in Japanese, she does not consider forgiveness from the baby a possibility, while the English version has her asking for it, albeit admitting the difficulty for the Ohm to do so. As a result of these changes, Nausicaä's death and subsequent resurrection by the Ohm herd present her as a Christ figure whose self-sacrifices are for humanity, rather than for nature. Ogihara-Schuck believes that Disney erased animistic motifs almost entirely from the film, even more so than "Warriors of the Wind", in order to make it more accessible for American audiences due the film's non-specific setting, since animism was retained in their versions of "My Neighbour Totoro", "Princess Mononoke", "Spirited Away" and "Ponyo", as well as their own production "Pocahontas".

Manga author Katsura Hoshino regarded it as her favorite anime film to the point of having watched it multiple times when she was young. It was the highest-ranking film in a 2006 poll of the greatest animations conducted at the Japan Media Arts Festival, voted by 80,000 attendees.

Various gliders are seen in the film and the protagonist, Nausicaä, uses a jet-assisted one-person glider-shaped machine with folding wings. According to the accompanying film book released in Japan, the glider is called, the German word meaning "gull". An official scale model lists it as having an approximate wingspan of 5.8 meters (1/20 model measured to be 29 cm), while the design notes indicate it has a mass of only 12 kg. In 2004, the Japanese-led OpenSky Aircraft Project began attempts to build a real-life, working personal jet glider based on the glider from the film. Two full-size gliders with no power source carrying the code name M01 and M02, with a half-sized jet-powered remote controlled mock up called "moewe 1/2" was built. The designer and tester of the project refused the official endorsement of the project by Studio Ghibli and Hayao Miyazaki, noting that he did not want to cause trouble for them if an accident occurred. A jet powered version (registration number JX0122) was finally able to take off under its own power for the first time on 3 September 2013.

The film's score was composed by Joe Hisaishi, while the vocal theme song "Kaze no Tani no Naushika" was produced by Haruomi Hosono (Yellow Magic Orchestra and Happy End member) and sung by Narumi Yasuda. Numerous soundtracks and albums relating to the film have been released.

Miyazaki's manga version of "Nausicaä" was written over a period of 12 years, with breaks taken to work on Studio Ghibli films. Serialized in Tokuma Shoten's Animage magazine, the first chapter was published in February 1982 and the last chapter in March 1994. Miyazaki adapted and altered the work for the film because only sixteen chapters of the manga were written at the time of the film's production. The manga would continue to be produced until the seventh and final book was released on 15 January 1995. The English localization was initially done by Toren Smith and Dana Lewis of Studio Proteus. After Miyazaki resumed production of the manga, Viz Media chose a new team and continued to release the rest of manga.

Three video games were released based on the manga and the film. All three of the titles were developed by Technopolis Soft and published by Technopolis Soft and Tokuma Shoten. "Nausicaä in the Nick of Time" also known as "Nausicaä's Close Call" ("Naushika Kiki Ippatsu" or "Nausicaä Kiki Ippatsu") is a Japanese shoot 'em up video game developed and published by Technopolis Soft for the NEC PC-6001 computer system in 1984. The game marketed as "Nausicaä of the Valley of the Wind" and known by its title screen as, is an adventure game developed by Technopolis Soft for the NEC PC-8801: it was released in the 1980s, most likely 1984. The third game, for the MSX is the most well-known of the releases and has been frequently and erroneously referred to as a game where the player kills the Ohmu. These games signaled the end of video game adaptations for Hayao Miyzaki's films. The only other games based on Miyazaki films were the LaserDisc arcade game "Cliff Hanger" and the MSX2 platform-adventure game "Lupin III: The Castle of Cagliostro", both of which were based on "The Castle of Cagliostro". Luke Plunkett describes these "two awful adaptations" as the reason Miyazaki does not allow further video game adaptations of his films.

An art book titled, was released by Tokuma Shoten on 20 June 1984. It contains artwork during the early stages of production of the film and commentary of assistant director Kazuyoshi Katayama. was released by Tokuma Shoten on 5 September 1995. The art book contains artwork of the manga in watercolor, examples of storyboards for the film, autographed pictures by Hayao Miyazaki and interviews on the birth of Nausicaä. The book has been translated in English and French. Two bunkobon volumes containing the story boards were released, on 31 March 1984. In 2001, the Nausicaä storyboards were re-released, bundled into a single, larger, volume as part 1 of the Studio Ghibli Story boards collection. A selection of layout designs for the film was also incorporated in the "Studio Ghibli Layout Designs" exhibition tour, which started in the Museum of Contemporary Art Tokyo (28 July 2008 to 28 September 2008) and subsequently travelled to different museums around Japan and Asia, concluding in the Fukuoka Asian Art Museum (12 October 2013 to 26 January 2014). The exhibition catalogues contain annotated reproductions of the displayed artwork. Tokuma Shoten released a film comic, in four volumes, one each week from 20 November 1990 to 20 December 1990. A two-volume children's version was released on 31 March 1998.

Following the success of "Nausicaä of the Valley of the Wind", Yasuyoshi Tokuma, the founder of Tokuma Shoten, encouraged Miyazaki to work on a film adaptation. Miyazaki initially refused, but agreed on the condition that he could direct. Miyazaki's imagination was sparked by the mercury poisoning of Minamata Bay and how nature responded and thrived in a poisoned environment, using it to create the film's polluted world. Miyazaki and Takahata chose the minor studio Topcraft to animate the film, as they believed its artistic talent could transpose the sophisticated atmosphere of the manga to the film. Pre-production began on May 31, 1983; Miyazaki encountered difficulties in creating the screenplay, with only sixteen chapters of the manga to work with. Takahata enlisted experimental and minimalist musician Joe Hisaishi to compose the film's score. "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. It is often seen as Miyazaki's pivotal work, cementing his reputation as an animator. It was lauded for its positive portrayal of women, particularly that of main character Nausicaä. Several critics have labeled "Nausicaä of the Valley of the Wind" as possessing anti-war and feminist themes; Miyazaki argues otherwise, stating that he only wishes to entertain. The successful cooperation on the creation of the manga and the film laid the foundation for other collaborative projects. In April 1984, Miyazaki opened his own office in Suginami Ward, naming it Nibariki.

Hayao Miyazaki

Born in Bunkyō Ward of Tokyo, Miyazaki expressed interest in manga and animation from an early age, and he joined Toei Animation in 1963. During his early years at Toei Animation he worked as an in-between artist and later collaborated with director Isao Takahata. Notable films to which Miyazaki contributed at Toei include "Doggie March" and "Gulliver's Travels Beyond the Moon". He provided key animation to other films at Toei, such as "Puss in Boots" and "Animal Treasure Island", before moving to A-Pro in 1971, where he co-directed "Lupin the Third Part I" alongside Takahata. After moving to Zuiyō Eizō (later known as Nippon Animation) in 1973, Miyazaki worked as an animator on "World Masterpiece Theater", and directed the television series "Future Boy Conan". He joined Telecom Animation Film/Tokyo Movie Shinsha in 1979 to direct his first feature films, "The Castle of Cagliostro" in 1979 and "Nausicaä of the Valley of the Wind" in 1984, as well as the television series "Sherlock Hound".

Miyazaki co-founded Studio Ghibli in 1985. He directed multiple films with Ghibli, including "Castle in the Sky" in 1986, "My Neighbor Totoro" in 1988, "Kiki's Delivery Service" in 1989, and "Porco Rosso" in 1992. The films were met with commercial and critical success in Japan. Miyazaki's film "Princess Mononoke" was the first animated film to win the Japan Academy Prize for Picture of the Year, and briefly became the highest-grossing film in Japan following its release in 1997; its distribution to the Western world greatly increased Ghibli's popularity and influence outside Japan. His 2001 film "Spirited Away" became the highest-grossing film in Japanese history, winning the Academy Award for Best Animated Feature at the 75th Academy Awards and considered among the greatest films of the decade. Miyazaki's later films—"Howl's Moving Castle", "Ponyo", and "The Wind Rises"—also enjoyed critical and commercial success. Following the release of "The Wind Rises", Miyazaki announced his retirement from feature films, though he returned to work on a new feature film in 2016.

Miyazaki's works are characterized by the recurrence of themes such as humanity's relationship with nature and technology, the wholesomeness of natural and traditional patterns of living, the importance of art and craftsmanship, and the difficulty of maintaining a pacifist ethic in a violent world. The protagonists of his films are often strong girls or young women, and several of his films present morally ambiguous antagonists with redeeming qualities. Miyazaki's works have been highly praised and awarded; he was named a Person of Cultural Merit for outstanding cultural contributions in November 2012, and received the Academy Honorary Award for his impact on animation and cinema in November 2014. In 2002, American film critic Roger Ebert suggested that Miyazaki may be the best animation filmmaker in history, praising the depth and artistry of his films.

Hayao Miyazaki was born on January 5, 1941, in the town of Akebono-cho in Bunkyō, Tokyo, the second of four sons. His father, Katsuji Miyazaki ( 1915 – March 18, 1993), was the director of Miyazaki Airplane, which manufactured rudders for fighter planes during World War II. The business allowed his family to remain affluent during Miyazaki's early life. During the war, when Miyazaki was three years old, his family evacuated to Utsunomiya. After the bombing of Utsunomiya in July 1945, Miyazaki's family evacuated to Kanuma. The bombing left a lasting impression on Miyazaki, who was aged four at the time. From 1947 to 1955, Miyazaki's mother suffered from spinal tuberculosis; she spent the first few years in hospital, before being nursed from home. Miyazaki's mother was a strict, intellectual woman. She died in July 1983 at the age of 71.

Miyazaki began school in 1947, at an elementary school in Utsunomiya, completing the first through third grades. After his family moved back to Suginami-ku, Miyazaki completed the fourth grade at Ōmiya Elementary School, and fifth grade at Eifuku Elementary School. After graduating from Eifuku, he attended Ōmiya Junior High School. He aspired to become a manga artist, but discovered he could not draw people; instead, he only drew planes, tanks, and battleships for several years. Miyazaki was influenced by several manga artists, such as, and Osamu Tezuka. Miyazaki destroyed much of his early work, believing it was "bad form" to copy Tezuka's style as it was hindering his own development as an artist. After graduating from Ōmiya Junior High, Miyazaki attended Toyotama High School. During his third year, Miyazaki's interest in animation was sparked by "Panda and the Magic Serpent" (1958). He "fell in love" with the movie's heroine and it left a strong impression on him. After graduating from Toyotama, Miyazaki attended Gakushuin University and was a member of the "Children's Literature Research Club", the "closest thing to a comics club in those days". In his free time, Miyazaki would visit his art teacher from middle school and sketch in his studio, where the two would drink and "talk about politics, life, all sorts of things". Miyazaki graduated from Gakushuin in 1963 with degrees in political science and economics.

In 1963, Miyazaki was employed at Toei Animation. He worked as an in-between artist on the theatrical feature anime "Doggie March" and the television anime "Wolf Boy Ken" (both 1963). He also worked on "Gulliver's Travels Beyond the Moon" (1964). He was a leader in a labor dispute soon after his arrival, and became chief secretary of Toei's labor union in 1964. Miyazaki later worked as chief animator, concept artist, and scene designer on "The Great Adventure of Horus, Prince of the Sun" (1968). Throughout the film's production, Miyazaki worked closely with his mentor, Yasuo Ōtsuka, whose approach to animation profoundly influenced Miyazaki's work. Directed by Isao Takahata, with whom Miyazaki would continue to collaborate for the remainder of his career, the film was highly praised, and deemed a pivotal work in the evolution of animation.

Under the pseudonym, Miyazaki wrote and illustrated the manga "People of the Desert", published in 26 installments between September 1969 and March 1970 in. He was influenced by illustrated stories such as Fukushima's. Miyazaki also provided key animation for "The Wonderful World of Puss 'n Boots" (1969), directed by Kimio Yabuki. He created a 12-chapter manga series as a promotional tie-in for the film; the series ran in the Sunday edition of "Tokyo Shimbun" from January to March 1969. Miyazaki later proposed scenes in the screenplay for "Flying Phantom Ship" (1961), in which military tanks would cause mass hysteria in downtown Tokyo, and was hired to storyboard and animate the scenes. In 1971, he developed structure, characters and designs for Hiroshi Ikeda's adaptation of "Animal Treasure Island"; he created the 13-part manga adaptation, printed in "Tokyo Shimbun" from January to March 1971. Miyazaki also provided key animation for "Ali Baba and the Forty Thieves".

Miyazaki left Toei Animation in August 1971, and was hired at A-Pro, where he directed, or co-directed with Takahata, 23 episodes of "Lupin the Third Part I". The two also began pre-production on a series based on Astrid Lindgren's "Pippi Longstocking" books, designing extensive storyboards; the series was canceled after Miyazaki and Takahata met Lindgren, and permission was refused to complete the project. In 1972 and 1973, Miyazaki wrote, designed and animated two "Panda! Go, Panda!" shorts, directed by Takahata. After moving from A-Pro to Zuiyō Eizō in June 1973, Miyazaki and Takahata worked on "World Masterpiece Theater", which featured their animation series "Heidi, Girl of the Alps", an adaptation of Johanna Spyri's "Heidi". Zuiyō Eizō continued as Nippon Animation in July 1975. Miyazaki also directed the television series "Future Boy Conan" (1978), an adaptation of Alexander Key's "The Incredible Tide".

Miyazaki left Nippon Animation in 1979, during the production of "Anne of Green Gables"; he provided scene design and organization on the first fifteen episodes. He moved to Telecom Animation Film, a subsidiary of TMS Entertainment, to direct his first feature anime film, "The Castle of Cagliostro" (1979), a "Lupin III" film. In his role at Telecom, Miyazaki helped train the second wave of employees. Miyazaki directed six episodes of "Sherlock Hound" in 1981, until issues with Sir Arthur Conan Doyle's estate led to a suspension in production; Miyazaki was busy with other projects by the time the issues were resolved, and the remaining episodes were directed by Koysuke Mikuriya. They were broadcast from November 1984 to May 1985. Miyazaki also wrote the graphic novel "The Journey of Shuna", inspired by the Tibetan folk tale "Prince who became a dog". The novel was published by Tokuma Shoten in June 1983, and dramatised for radio broadcast in 1987. "Hayao Miyazaki's Daydream Data Notes" was also irregularly published from November 1984 to October 1994 in "Model Graphix"; selections of the stories received radio broadcast in 1995.

After the release of "The Castle of Cagliostro", Miyazaki began working on his ideas for an animated film adaptation of Richard Corben's comic book "Rowlf" and pitched the idea to Yutaka Fujioka at TMS. In November 1980, a proposal was drawn up to acquire the film rights. Around that time, Miyazaki was also approached for a series of magazine articles by the editorial staff of "Animage". During subsequent conversations, he showed his sketchbooks and discussed basic outlines for envisioned animation projects with editors Toshio Suzuki and Osamu Kameyama, who saw the potential for collaboration on their development into animation. Two projects were proposed:, to be set in the Sengoku period; and the adaptation of Corben's "Rowlf". Both were rejected, as the company was unwilling to fund anime projects not based on existing manga, and the rights for the adaptation of "Rowlf" could not be secured. An agreement was reached that Miyazaki could start developing his sketches and ideas into a manga for the magazine with the proviso that it would never be made into a film. The manga—titled "Nausicaä of the Valley of the Wind"—ran from February 1982 to March 1994. The story, as re-printed in the "tankōbon" volumes, spans seven volumes for a combined total of 1060 pages. Miyazaki drew the episodes primarily in pencil, and it was printed monochrome in sepia toned ink. Miyazaki resigned from Telecom Animation Film in November 1982.

In June 1985, Miyazaki, Takahata, Tokuma and Suzuki founded the animation production company Studio Ghibli, with funding from Tokuma Shoten. Studio Ghibli's first film, "Laputa: Castle in the Sky" (1986), employed the same production crew of "Nausicaä". Miyazaki's designs for the film's setting were inspired by Greek architecture and "European urbanistic templates". Some of the architecture in the film was also inspired by a Welsh mining town; Miyazaki witnessed the mining strike upon his first visit to Wales in 1984, and admired the miners' dedication to their work and community. "Laputa" was released on August 2, 1986. It was the highest-grossing animation film of the year in Japan. Miyazaki's following film, "My Neighbor Totoro", was released alongside Takahata's "Grave of the Fireflies" in April 1988 to ensure Studio Ghibli's financial status. The simultaneous production was chaotic for the artists, as they switched between projects. "My Neighbor Totoro" features the theme of the relationship between the environment and humanity—a contrast to "Nausicaä", which emphasises technology's negative effect on nature. The film was commercially unsuccessful at the box office, though merchandising was successful, and it received critical acclaim.

In 1987, Studio Ghibli acquired the rights to create a film adaptation of Eiko Kadono's novel "Kiki's Delivery Service". Miyazaki's work on "My Neighbor Totoro" prevented him from directing the adaptation; Sunao Katabuchi was chosen as director, and Nobuyuki Isshiki was hired as script writer. Miyazaki's dissatisfaction of Isshiki's first draft led him to make changes to the project, ultimately taking the role of director. Kadono was unhappy with the differences between the book and the screenplay. Miyazaki and Suzuki visited Kadono and invited her to the studio; she allowed the project to continue. The film was originally intended to be a 60-minute special, but expanded into a feature film after Miyazaki completed the storyboards and screenplay. "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.

From March to May 1989, Miyazaki's manga "Hikōtei Jidai" was published in the magazine "". Miyazaki began production on a 45 minute in-flight film for Japan Airlines based on the manga; Suzuki ultimately extended the film into the feature-length film, titled "Porco Rosso", as expectations grew. Due to the end of production on Takahata's "Only Yesterday" (1991), Miyazaki initially managed the production of "Porco Rosso" independently. The outbreak of the Yugoslav Wars in 1991 affected Miyazaki, prompting a more sombre tone for the film; Miyazaki would later refer to the film as "foolish", as its mature tones were unsuitable for children. The film featured anti-war themes, which Miyazaki would later revisit. The airline remained a major investor in the film, resulting in its initial premiere as an in-flight film, prior to its theatrical release on July 18, 1992. The film was critically and commercially successful, remaining the highest-grossing animated film in Japan for several years.

Studio Ghibli set up its headquarters in Koganei, Tokyo in August 1992. In November 1992, two television spots directed by Miyazaki were broadcast by Nippon Television Network (NTV): "Sora Iro no Tane", a 90-second spot loosely based on the illustrated story "The Sky Blue Seed" by Reiko Nakagawa and Yuriko Omura, and commissioned to celebrate NTV's fortieth anniversary; and "Nandarou", aired as one 15-second and four 5-second spots, centered on an undefinable creature which ultimately became NTV's mascot. Miyazaki designed the storyboards and wrote the screenplay for "Whisper of the Heart" (1995), directed by Yoshifumi Kondō.

Miyazaki began work on the initial storyboards for "Princess Mononoke" in August 1994, based on preliminary thoughts and sketches from the late 1970s. While experiencing writer's block during production, Miyazaki accepted a request for the creation of "On Your Mark", a music video for the song of the same name by Chage and Aska. In the production of the video, Miyazaki experimented with computer animation to supplement traditional animation, a technique he would soon revisit for "Princess Mononoke". "On Your Mark" premiered as a short before "Whisper of the Heart". Despite the video's popularity, Suzuki said that it was not given "100 percent" focus.

In May 1995, Miyazaki took a group of artists and animators to the ancient forests of Yakushima and the mountains of Shirakami-Sanchi, taking photographs and making sketches. The landscapes in the film were inspired by Yakushima. In "Princess Mononoke", Miyazaki revisited the ecological and political themes of "Nausicaä of the Valley of the Wind". Miyazaki supervised the 144,000 cels in the film, about 80,000 of which were key animation. "Princess Mononoke" was produced with an estimated budget of ¥2.35 billion (approximately US$23.5 million), making it the most expensive film by Studio Ghibli at the time. Approximately fifteen minutes of the film uses computer animation: about five minutes uses techniques such as 3D rendering, digital composition, and texture mapping; the remaining ten minutes uses ink and paint. While the original intention was to digitally paint 5,000 of the film's frames, time constraints doubled this.

Upon its premiere on July 12, 1997, "Princess Mononoke" was critically acclaimed, becoming the first animated film to win the Japan Academy Prize for Picture of the Year. The film was also commercially successful, earning a domestic total of ¥14 billion (US$148 million), and becoming the highest-grossing film in Japan for several months. Miramax Films purchased the film's distributions rights for North America; it was the first Studio Ghibli production to receive a substantial theatrical distribution in the United States. While it was largely unsuccessful at the box office, grossing about US$3 million, it was seen as the introduction of Studio Ghibli to global markets. Miyazaki claimed that "Princess Mononoke" would be his final film.

Tokuma Shoten merged with Studio Ghibli in June 1997. Miyazaki's next film was conceived while on vacation at a mountain cabin with his family and five young girls who were family friends. Miyazaki realised that he had not created a film for ten-year-old girls, and set out to do so. He read shōjo manga magazines like "Nakayoshi" and "Ribon" for inspiration, but felt they only offered subjects on "crushes and romance", which is not what the girls "held dear in their hearts". He decided to produce the film about a female heroine whom they could look up to. Production of the film, titled "Spirited Away", commenced in 2000 on a budget of ¥1.9 billion (US$15 million). As with "Princess Mononoke", the staff experimented with computer animation, but kept the technology at a level to enhance the story, not to "steal the show". "Spirited Away" deals with symbols of human greed, and a liminal journey through the realm of spirits. The film was released on July 20, 2001; it received critical acclaim, and is considered among the greatest films of the 2000s. It won the Japan Academy Prize for Picture of the Year, and the Academy Award for Best Animated Feature. The film was also commercially successful, earning ¥30.4 billion (US$289.1 million) at the box office. It is the highest-grossing film in Japan.

In September 2001, Studio Ghibli announced the production of "Howl's Moving Castle", based on the novel by Diana Wynne Jones. Mamoru Hosoda of Toei Animation was originally selected to direct the film, but disagreements between Hosoda and Studio Ghibli executives led to the project's abandonment. After six months, Studio Ghibli resurrected the project. Miyazaki was inspired to direct the film upon reading Jones' novel, and was struck by the image of a castle moving around the countryside; the novel does not explain how the castle moved, which led to Miyazaki's designs. He travelled to Colmar and Riquewihr in Alsace, France, to study the architecture and the surroundings for the film's setting. Additional inspiration came from the concepts of future technology in Albert Robida's work, as well as the "illusion art" of 19th century Europe. The film was produced digitally, but the characters and backgrounds were drawn by hand prior to being digitized. It was released on November 20, 2004, and received widespread critical acclaim. The film received the Osella Award for Technical Excellence at the 61st Venice International Film Festival, and was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Animated Feature. 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. Miyazaki received the honorary Golden Lion for Lifetime Achievement award at the 62nd Venice International Film Festival in 2005.

In March 2005, Studio Ghibli split from Tokuma Shoten. In the 1980s, Miyazaki contacted Ursula K. Le Guin expressing interest in producing an adaptation of her "Earthsea" novels; unaware of Miyazaki's work, Le Guin declined. Upon watching "My Neighbor Totoro" several years later, Le Guin expressed approval to the concept of the adaptation. She met with Suzuki in August 2005, who wanted Miyazaki's son Gorō to direct the film, as Miyazaki had wished to retire. Disappointed that Miyazaki was not directing, but under the impression that he would supervise his son's work, Le Guin approved of the film's production. Miyazaki later publicly opposed and criticized Gorō's appointment as director. Upon Miyazaki's viewing of the film, he wrote a message for his son: "It was made honestly, so it was good".

Miyazaki designed the covers for several manga novels in 2006, including "A Trip to Tynemouth"; he also worked as editor, and created a short manga for the book. Miyazaki's next film, "Ponyo", began production in May 2006. It was initially inspired by "The Little Mermaid" by Hans Christian Andersen, though began to take its own form as production continued. Miyazaki aimed for the film to celebrate the innocence and cheerfulness of a child's universe. He intended for it to only use traditional animation, and was intimately involved with the artwork. He preferred to draw the sea and waves himself, as he enjoyed experimenting. "Ponyo" features 170,000 frames—a record for Miyazaki. The film's seaside village was inspired by Tomonoura, a town in Setonaikai National Park, where Miyazaki stayed in 2005. The main character is based on Gorō. Following its release on July 19, 2008, "Ponyo" was critically acclaimed, receiving Animation of the Year at the 32nd Japan Academy Prize. 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.

In early 2009, Miyazaki began writing a manga called, telling the story of Mitsubishi A6M Zero fighter designer Jiro Horikoshi. The manga was first published in two issues of the Model Graphix magazine, published on February 25 and March 25, 2009. Miyazaki later co-wrote the screenplay for "Arrietty" (2010) and "From Up on Poppy Hill", directed by Hiromasa Yonebayashi and Gorō Miyazaki, respectively. Miyazaki wanted his next film to be a sequel to "Ponyo", but Suzuki convinced him to instead adapt "Kaze Tachinu" to film. In November 2012, Studio Ghibli announced the production of "The Wind Rises", based on "Kaze Tachinu", to be released alongside Takahata's "The Tale of the Princess Kaguya".

Miyazaki was inspired to create "The Wind Rises" after reading a quote from Horikoshi: "All I wanted to do was to make something beautiful". Several scenes in "The Wind Rises" were inspired by Tatsuo Hori's novel, in which Hori wrote about his life experiences with his fiancée before she died from tuberculosis. The female lead character's name, Naoko Satomi, was borrowed from Hori's novel. "The Wind Rises" continues to reflect Miyazaki's pacifist stance, continuing the themes of his earlier works, despite stating that condemning war was not the intention of the film. The film premiered on July 20, 2013, and received critical acclaim; it was named Animation of the Year at the 37th Japan Academy Prize, and was nominated for Best Animated Feature at the 86th Academy Awards. 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.

In September 2013, Miyazaki announced that he was retiring from the production of feature films due to his age, but wished to continue working on the displays at the Studio Ghibli Museum. Miyazaki was awarded the Academy Honorary Award at the Governors Awards in November 2014. He developed "Boro the Caterpillar", a computer-animated short film which was first discussed during pre-production for "Princess Mononoke". It was screened exclusively at the Studio Ghibli Museum in July 2017. He is also working on an untitled samurai manga. In August 2016, Miyazaki proposed a new feature-length film, "How Do You Live?", on which he began animation work without receiving official approval. He hopes to complete the film by 2019, though Suzuki predicts a 2020–2021 release.

In January 2019, it has been reported that Vincent Maraval, a frequent collaborator of Miyazaki, tweeted a hint that Miyazaki may have plans for another film in the works.

Miyazaki has often criticized the current state of the anime industry, stating that animators are unrealistic when creating people. He has stated that anime is "produced by humans who can't stand looking at other humans... that's why the industry is full of "otaku"!". He has also frequently criticized "otaku", including "gun "otaku"" and "Zero fanatics", declaring it a "fetish", and refusing to identify himself as such.

In 2013, several Studio Ghibli staff members, including Miyazaki, criticized Japanese Prime Minister Shinzō Abe's policies, and the proposed Constitutional amendment that would allow Abe to revise the clause which outlaws war as a means to settle international disputes. Miyazaki felt that Abe wished to "leave his name in history as a great man who revised the Constitution and its interpretation", describing it as "despicable". Miyazaki has expressed his disapproval of Abe's denial of Japan's military aggression, stating that Japan "should clearly say that [they] inflicted enormous damage on China and express deep remorse over it". He also felt that the country's government should give a "proper apology" to Korean comfort women who serviced the Japanese army during World War II, suggesting that the Senkaku Islands should be "split in half" or controlled by both Japan and China. After the release of "The Wind Rises" in 2013, some online critics labeled Miyazaki a "traitor" and "anti-Japanese", describing the film as overly "left-wing".

Miyazaki refused to attend the 75th Academy Awards in Hollywood, Los Angeles in 2003, in protest of the United States' involvement in the Iraq War, later stating that he "didn't want to visit a country that was bombing Iraq". He did not publicly express this opinion at the request of his producer until 2009, when he lifted his boycott and attended San Diego Comic Con International as a favor to his friend John Lasseter. Miyazaki also expressed his opinion about the terrorist attack at the offices of the French satirical magazine "Charlie Hebdo", criticizing the magazine's decision to publish the content cited as the catalyst for the incident. In November 2016, Miyazaki stated that he believed "many of the people who voted for Brexit and Trump" were affected by the increase in unemployment due to companies "building cars in Mexico because of low wages and [selling] them in the US". He did not think that Donald Trump would be elected president, calling it "a terrible thing", and said that Trump's political opponent Hillary Clinton was "terrible as well".

Miyazaki's works are characterized by the recurrence of themes such as environmentalism, pacifism, feminism, love and family. His narratives are also notable for not pitting a hero against an unsympathetic antagonist.

Miyazaki's films often emphasize environmentalism and the Earth's fragility. Margaret Talbot stated that Miyazaki dislikes modern technology, and believes much of modern culture is "thin and shallow and fake"; he anticipates a time with "no more high-rises". Miyazaki felt frustrated growing up in the Shōwa period from 1955–65 because "nature — the mountains and rivers — was being destroyed in the name of economic progress". Peter Schellhase of "The Imaginative Conservative" identified that several antagonists of Miyazaki's films "attempt to dominate nature in pursuit of political domination, and are ultimately destructive to both nature and human civilization". Miyazaki is critical of capitalism, globalization, and their effects on modern life. He believes that "a company is common property of the people that work there".

Several of Miyazaki's films feature anti-war themes. Daisuke Akimoto of "Animation Studies" categorized "Porco Rosso" as "anti-war propaganda"; he felt that the main character, Porco, transforms into a pig partly due to his extreme distaste of militarism. Akimoto also argues that "The Wind Rises" reflects Miyazaki's "antiwar pacifism", despite the latter stating that the film does not attempt to "denounce" war. Schellhase also identifies "Princess Mononoke" as a pacifist film due to the protagonist, Ashitaka; instead of joining the campaign of revenge against humankind, as his ethnic history would lead him to do, Ashitaka strives for peace. David Loy and Linda Goodhew argue that both "Nausicaä of the Valley of the Wind" and "Princess Mononoke" do not depict traditional evil, but the Buddhist roots of evil: greed, ill will, and delusion; according to Buddhism, the roots of evil must transform into "generosity, loving-kindness and wisdom" in order to overcome suffering, and both Nausicaä and Ashitaka accomplish this. When characters in Miyazaki's films are forced to engage in violence, it is shown as being a difficult task; in "Howl's Moving Castle", Howl is forced to fight an inescapable battle in defense of those he loves, and it almost destroys him, though he is ultimately saved by Sophie's love and bravery.

Suzuki described Miyazaki as a feminist in reference to his attitude to female workers. Miyazaki has described his female characters as "brave, self-sufficient girls that don't think twice about fighting for what they believe in with all their heart", stating that they may "need a friend, or a supporter, but never a saviour" and that "any woman is just as capable of being a hero as any man". "Nausicaä of the Valley of the Wind" was lauded for its positive portrayal of women, particularly the protagonist Nausicaä. Schellhase noted that the female characters in Miyazaki's films are not objectified or sexualized, and possess complex and individual characteristics absent from Hollywood productions. Schellhase also identified a "coming of age" element for the heroines in Miyazaki's films, as they each discover "individual personality and strengths". Gabrielle Bellot of "The Atlantic" wrote that, in his films, Miyazaki "shows a keen understanding of the complexities of what it might mean to be a woman". In particular, Bellot cites "Nausicaä of the Valley of the Wind", praising the film's challenging of gender expectations, and the strong and independent nature of Nausicaä. Bellot also noted that "Princess Mononoke"s San represents the "conflict between selfhood and expression".

Miyazaki is concerned with the sense of wonder in young people, seeking to maintain themes of love and family in his films. Michael Toscano of "Curator" found that Miyazaki "fears Japanese children are dimmed by a culture of overconsumption, overprotection, utilitarian education, careerism, techno-industrialism, and a secularism that is swallowing Japan’s native animism". Schellhase wrote that several of Miyazaki's works feature themes of love and romance, but felt that emphasis is placed on "the way lonely and vulnerable individuals are integrated into relationships of mutual reliance and responsibility, which generally benefit everyone around them". He also found that many of the protagonists in Miyazaki's films present an idealized image of families, whereas others are dysfunctional. He felt that the non-biological family in "Howl's Moving Castle" (consisting of Howl, Sophie, Markl, the Witch of the Waste, and Heen) gives a message of hope: that those cast out by society can "find a healthy place to belong".

Miyazaki forgoes traditional screenplays in his productions, instead developing the film's narrative as he designs the storyboards. "We never know where the story will go but we just keep working on the film as it develops," he said. In each of his films, Miyazaki has employed traditional animation methods, drawing each frame by hand; computer-generated imagery has been employed in several of his later films, beginning with "Princess Mononoke", to "enrich the visual look", though he ensures that each film can "retain the right ratio between working by hand and computer... and still be able to call my films 2D". He oversees every frame of his films.

Miyazaki has cited several Japanese artists as his influences, including Sanpei Shirato, Osamu Tezuka, and Soji Yamakawa. A number of Western authors have also influenced his works, including Frédéric Back, Lewis Carroll, Roald Dahl, Jean Giraud, Paul Grimault, Ursula K. Le Guin, and Yuri Norstein, as well as animation studio Aardman Animations. Specific works that have influenced Miyazaki include "Animal Farm" (1945), "The Snow Queen" (1957), and "The King and the Mockingbird" (1980). When animating young children, Miyazaki often takes inspiration from his friends' children, as well as memories of his own childhood. Miyazaki has frequently been cited as an inspiration to several animators, directors and writers, including Guillermo del Toro, Pete Docter, Glen Keane, John Lasseter, Shigeru Miyamoto, Hironobu Sakaguchi, as well as the animated series "" and the video game "Ori and the Blind Forest" (2015).

Miyazaki married fellow animator Akemi Ota in October 1965. The couple have two sons: Gorō, born in January 1967, and Keisuke, born in April 1969. Miyazaki's dedication to his work harmed his relationship with Gorō, as he was often absent. Gorō watched his father's works in an attempt to "understand" him, since the two rarely talked. During the production of "Tales from Earthsea" in 2006, Gorō said that his father "gets zero marks as a father but full marks as a director of animated films".

Miyazaki won the Ōfuji Noburō Award at the Mainichi Film Awards for "The Castle of Cagliostro" (1979), "Nausicaä of the Valley of the Wind" (1984), "Laputa: Castle in the Sky" (1986), and "My Neighbor Totoro" (1988), and the Mainichi Film Award for Best Animation Film for "Kiki's Delivery Service" (1989), "Porco Rosso" (1992), "Princess Mononoke" (1997), "Spirited Away" and "Whale Hunt" (both 2001). "Spirited Away" was also awarded the Academy Award for Best Animated Feature, while "Howl's Moving Castle" (2004) and "The Wind Rises" (2013) received nominations. He was named a Person of Cultural Merit by the Japanese government in November 2012, for outstanding cultural contributions. His other accolades include eight Tokyo Anime Awards, eight Kinema Junpo Awards, six Japan Academy Awards, five Annie Awards, and three awards from the Anime Grand Prix and the Venice Film Festival.