Hayao Miyazaki

Look, I'm a little biased, because Miyazaki basically rewired how I feel about animation. The man hand-draws like every single frame owes him money, and he's spent decades chasing the same three obsessions: things that fly, wild nature, and kids who see the world straight-on. What gets me is that his stories never hand you a tidy good-versus-evil bow, so you walk out muttering "wait, what actually happened?" and then rewatch and find something new every time. And the guy keeps "retiring" only to sheepishly come back with another film, because clearly he physically can't stop making them. In an era obsessed with fast and digital, his stubborn, slow, pencil-on-paper craft honestly makes me a bit emotional. From Totoro to Spirited Away, total legend.

Hayao Miyazaki was born on January 5, 1941, in Bunkyo, Tokyo, Japan. He began his career as an animator at Toei Animation in 1963 and co-founded Studio Ghibli in 1985 alongside Isao Takahata. Over six decades he wrote and directed landmark animated films including My Neighbor Totoro, Princess Mononoke, and Spirited Away, the last of which became the highest-grossing film in Japanese box-office history. He has received the Academy Award for Best Animated Feature twice and was honored with the Academy Honorary Award for lifetime achievement in 2014.

Name (English)

Hayao Miyazaki

Name (Japanese)

宮崎 駿

Reading

みやざき はやお

Born

January 5, 1941 (age 85)

Zodiac / Chinese zodiac

Capricorn / Snake

Origin

Bunkyo, Tokyo, Japan

Blood type

Private

Height

Private

Agency

Studio Ghibli Co., Ltd. (Honorary Chairman and Director)

Agency history

Toei Animation (joined 1963)
A Pro / Nippon Animation and others
Co-founded Studio Ghibli (1985)

Active years

1963–present

Occupation

Film director / Animation artist / Manga artist

Elementary school

Private

Junior high

Private

High school

Tokyo Metropolitan Toyotama High School

University

Gakushuin University, Faculty of Political Science and Economics

Debut

Joined Toei Animation in 1963 and launched his career as an animator

Awards & achievements

• 2002 Berlin International Film Festival Golden Bear — Spirited Away
• 2003 Academy Award for Best Animated Feature — Spirited Away
• 2005 Venice International Film Festival Golden Lion Lifetime Achievement Award
• 2012 Person of Cultural Merit (Japan)
• 2014 Academy Honorary Award (Lifetime Achievement)
• 2024 Golden Globe Award for Best Animated Feature Film — The Boy and the Heron
• 2024 Academy Award for Best Animated Feature — The Boy and the Heron (2nd win)

Timeline

1. 1941Born in Tokyo (then Tokyo Prefecture)
2. 1963Joined Toei Animation; began career as an animator
3. 1979Directorial debut with The Castle of Cagliostro (Lupin III)
4. 1984Released Nausicaä of the Valley of the Wind
5. 1985Co-founded Studio Ghibli with Isao Takahata and others
6. 1988Released My Neighbor Totoro
7. 1997Released Princess Mononoke
8. 2001Released Spirited Away, a landmark in Japanese box-office history
9. 2013Released The Wind Rises; announced retirement from feature filmmaking
10. 2023Rescinded retirement; released The Boy and the Heron
11. 2024Won Academy Award for Best Animated Feature for The Boy and the Heron (2nd time)

Spouse

Akemi Ota (former animator)

Children

Elder son Goro Miyazaki (film director), and others

Parents

Private

Siblings

Private

Hobbies

• Deep interest in aircraft and aviation
• Walking in nature and rural landscapes

Specialties

• Storyboarding and key animation
• Screenwriting
• Art direction and background design

Motto

Private

• Official sitehttps://www.ghibli.jp/
• Wikipedia (Japanese)https://ja.wikipedia.org/wiki/宮崎駿

Tags

• Studio Ghibli
• Animation
• Film director
• Academy Award
• From Tokyo
• Legendary filmmaker

Last updated

2026-06-02

Facts are limited to publicly available information up to 2024; non-public items are marked "Private / Unknown". English text is machine-assisted (facts translated by Sonnet, "My Take" written by Opus 4.8). The Japanese page is the source of record.