Pretty much all early anime an be considered “inspired by Disney” since Tezuka (the “father” of anime) was inspired by Disney.
I’d actually say that one big the reason his stuff feels different is that he was heavily inspired by European art and design. His reference is always continental, and he’s made no secret that he leaned heavily on Moebius for Nausicaa.
But in terms of pacing, shots, and framing, it’s pretty much standard for the genre. In fact, he set a lot of the standards.
My son grew up on My Neighbor Totoro and Kiki’s Delievery Service, so I’m a little partial to each. My personal favorite was always Mononoke, although the recent voiceovers don’t quite do it for me as much as the older ones.
In the end, I voted Kiki because it deserves more respect than it’s getting :P
I voted for Nausicaa, as it was my first exposure to Miyazaki, some 20 years ago. I don’t know if it’s simply nostalgia, but Nausicaa has remained one of my favorite films since then. The sheer amount of imagination and creativity that went into creating the world of Nausicaa continues to impress me.
That said, I think Totoro or Mononoke are probably his films that have the most crossover appeal.
Proco Rosso is criminally underrated. That’s one charming motherfuckin’ pig. I mean he’s ten times more charming than that Arnold on Green Acres, you know what I’m sayin’?
Kiki is great, Porco is great… I mean, let’s face it. There aren’t any bad Miyazaki films. I wouldn’t recommend against seeing any of them. It’s more a matter of “which should you watch first?”
Mononoke was my first, so I guess it’s my favorite, but the voice acting in the English-dubbed version was horrendous.
Miyazaki’s films, I guess because they draw on Japanese oral storytelling tradition, remind me of a five-year-old describing a dream he had. “And then? This big pig? With worms all over him? Well, he ran in.”
Totoro because it succeeds brilliantly on so many levels, and because I think it’s so much more accessible to most newcomers to the genre, but I think Nausicaä and Castle in the Sky were generally more exciting and satisfying for me (forgetting Catbus). I often dream of owning a glider like Nausicaä’s. Edit: Following these, Spirited Away.
My son and I loved Porco Rosso. I’m a big airplane buff and loved the feel of flight in that movie and the callouts to the Snyder Trophy winners. Will liked the seaplane pirates and the final air duel. “I bet your gun’s jammed!” <BLAM> “Aargh!”
Totoro by a mile IMO. It is a perfect movie and captures the essence of childhood, its fear and wonder, better than just about anything.
Miyazaki’s bigger movies like Spirited Away & Princess Mononoke contain magnificent moments, but also seem cluttered to me. I prefer the simplicity of Totoro, and the bus-stop/rain scene is as good as anything I’ve seen in Miyazaki’s work.
Miyazaki’s films, I guess because they draw on Japanese oral storytelling tradition, remind me of a five-year-old describing a dream he had. “And then? This big pig? With worms all over him? Well, he ran in.”
Yeah, exactly. Part of the reason I like Totoro is because it has less of this random fecundity. I can see some considering that quality as a virtue, but I have been pretty well indoctrinated with a storytelling ethos that IMO a lot of Miyazaki’s films seem to disregard. (E.g. don’t multiply entities unnecessarily, keep focused and on point, make sure the rules of your world are clearly established, etc.)
Interesting… I loved Howl’s Moving Castle. I suppose if threatened with a sharp stick I might choose Spirited Away over it, but since hardly anyone else has voted for it, I will. Definitely better than the other three I’ve seen.
As I wrote, I’ve seen two of his movies, which is why I asked if you was sure they were anime… I liked them, which surprised me to no end after the other stuff bad people had forced me to sit through.
Considering the reviews he’s getting here and elsewhere I’ll pick up the rest and claim it’s for the kids…
