Even students who claim they do not want to watch a “foreign movie” or say that anime is too childish are quickly put under Miyazaki’s spell.
However, a board full of notes and a dry, scholarly handout can often induce yawns and eye rolls, especially when you are teaching an Asian studies elective. A teacher can certainly find readings and handouts that outline the religion’s main tenets, along with pictures of shrines and torii gates. It is a religion that is literally and figuratively foreign to the American teenager. ©2000 Miramax Film NY, LLC Studio Ghibli.Įxplaining the concept of Shinto to a high school class can be very daunting. Despite this, they have become very popular with American audiences and can be great introductions to Japan’s unique and complex culture. The Secret World of Arriety (2010) is based on the classic children’s book by English author Mary Norton, The Borrowers and Ponyo (2008) is loosely based on the Hans Christian Anderson story “The Little Mermaid.” However, two of his most popular films, Princess Mononoke (1997) and Spirited Away (2001), are perhaps his most “Japanese” films. Two recent films from his production company, Studio Ghibli, are good examples. Often, these films can be familiar to Western audiences because Miyazaki bases many of his scripts on European sources. Over the past two decades, the Walt Disney Company has reissued English-language versions of Miyazaki’s films with the voice talents of such famous actors as Patrick Stewart, Claire Danes, and Billy Bob Thornton. 1 It also won the Academy Award for Best Animated Feature in 2003. Perhaps his most famous work, Spirited Away, is the highest-grossing domestic film in Japanese history. The films of Hayao Miyazaki are some of the most popular in Japan and the rest of the world. Re-envisioning Asia: Contestations and Struggles in the Visual Arts.Distinguished Service to the Association for Asian Studies Award.Distinguished Contributions to Asian Studies Award.AAS Takes Action to Build Diversity & Equity in Asian Studies.AAS Community Forum Log In and Participate.