ARTIST OF THE DAY: HAYAO MIYAZAKI

Hayao Miyazaki (宮崎 駿 Miyazaki Hayao, born January 5, 1941) in Bunkyō, Tokyo, began his animation career in 1961. Through a career that has spanned nearly fifty years, Miyazaki has attained international acclaim as a maker of animated feature films and, along with Isao Takahata, co-founded Studio Ghibli, an animation studio and production company. The success of Miyazaki's films has invited comparisons with American animator Walt Disney, he has been named one of the most influential people by Time magazine. Miyazaki's films often incorporate recurrent themes like humanity's relationship to nature and technology, and the difficulty of maintaining a pacifist ethic. Reflecting Miyazaki's feminism, the protagonists of his films are often strong, independent girls or young women. While two of his films, The Castle of Cagliostro and Castle in the Sky, involve traditional villains, his other films like Nausicaä or Princess Mononoke present morally ambiguous antagonists with redeeming qualities.

His movies are not only artistic masterpieces taking live, but also inspiring stories for eyes and soul. Getting to know better his art is one of the best things things I've done this year, so far.