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HAYAO MIYAZAKI by Helen McCarthy 240 pp, 7 x 9", paper, 60+ b/w illustrations, |
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| Artist-writer-director-producer Hayao Miyazaki is often called "the Walt Disney of Japan." His animated theatrical features have been smash hits in Japan, and many, including My Neighbor Totoro, Kiki's Delivery Service, and Princess Mononoke are already familiar to American audiences. A new film, Spirited Away, in 2002 won more raves and international awards for this animation master.
Mixing first-hand interview and personal insights with critical evaluations of art, plot, production qualities, and literary themes, McCarthy provides a film-by-film appraisal that examines technique as well as message. She reveals Miyazaki to be not just a master of the art of animation, but a meticulous craftsman who sees his work as a medium for shaping the humanistic and environmental concerns of our times. An overview of the artist and his early career is followed by in-depth examinations of seven major Miyazaki films: Nausicaä of the Valley of Wind, Laputa: Castle in the Sky, Castle of Cagliostro, My Neighbor Totoro, Kiki's Delivery Service, Porco Rosso, and Princess Mononoke. Included are design and technical data, story synopses and character sketches, personnel and filmography data, and critical evaluation. Illustrations throughout, in color and black and white, show the detail and vigor of Miyazaki's art. Written for anime fans as well as students of film, literature, and popular culture, McCarthy's book raises animation criticism to a whole new level and is an essential guide to the work of a world-class filmmaker.
Note: This book was published prior to the release of My Neighbors the Yamadas and Spirited Away. Spirited Away, released in 2002, received the Academy Award as Best Animated Feature Film in 2003. |
| Other titles of interest
The Anime Companion: What's What in Japanese Animation? by Gilles Poitras The Anime Encyclopedia, Revised & Expanded Edition: A Guide to Japanese Animation since 1917 by Jonathan Clements and Helen McCarthy Dreamland Japan: Writings on Modern Manga by Frederik L. Schodt |
London-based Helen McCarthy is author of Anime! A Beginner's Guide to Japanese Animation, The Anime Movie Guide, and (with Jonathan Clements) The Erotic Anime Movie Guide. She appears frequently on radio and TV and at conferences around the world.