Hayao Miyazaki, the legendary Japanese filmmaker whose anime classics have enchanted fans around the world for decades, has won his second career Oscar.
At 83, Miyazaki won for helming the best animated film, 鈥淭he Boy and the Heron,鈥� the long-awaited fantasy from the director of 鈥淪pirited Away,鈥� 鈥淢y Neighbor Totoro鈥� and 鈥淜iki鈥檚 Delivery Service.鈥�
He is the oldest director ever nominated for the category and 鈥� adding to a big year in Hollywood for older filmmakers. He was not present at the awards.
Hailed as one of the best films of 2023, 鈥淭he Boy and The Heron鈥� beat its top rival in 鈥淪pider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse,鈥� as well as 鈥淓lemental,鈥濃�淣imona,鈥� and 鈥淩obot Dreams.鈥�
Sunday鈥檚 win for Miyazaki and producer Toshio Suzuki caps off a solid awards season run for the film, which won the top honor for an animated feature at the Golden Globes and the BAFTA Film Awards.
It was Miyazaki鈥檚 fourth Oscar nomination for best animated feature 鈥� tying with Pixar鈥檚 Pete Docter for the most nods in that category. Miyazaki won his first Oscar in 2003 for 鈥淪pirited Away.鈥�
Miyazaki began work on 鈥淭he Boy and the Heron鈥� not long after announcing in 2013 that he intended to retire from film 鈥� again.
In journal excerpts from around that time released in the film鈥檚 press notes, Miyazaki writes: 鈥淭here鈥檚 nothing more pathetic than telling the world you鈥檒l retire because of your age, then making yet another comeback.
鈥淒oesn鈥檛 an elderly person deluding themself that they鈥檙e still capable, despite their geriatric forgetfulness, prove that they鈥檙e past their best?鈥� he adds. 鈥淵ou bet it does.鈥�
Miyazaki worked through those concerns, and the resulting film earned him not only his second Oscar win on Sunday night, but his first No. 1 feature at the North American box office.
鈥淭he Boy and the Heron鈥� follows a boy named Mahito Maki who moves to the countryside after his mother鈥檚 death. There, he is lured by a mysterious heron into a secluded tower, a portal that transports him to a fantastical realm amid his grief.
The film was a decade in the making. In the age of CGI and artificial intelligence, Miyazaki has stuck to the lengthy process of hand-drawing his animations.
When he received an honorary Oscar in 2014 celebrating his artistry and storytelling, he expressed gratitude for the art of drawing.
鈥淢y wife tells me that I鈥檓 a very lucky man,鈥� Miyazaki said in his acceptance speech through a translator. 鈥淎nd I think I鈥檝e been lucky because I鈥檝e been able to participate in the last era when we can make films with paper, pencil and film.鈥�
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Rio Yamat, The Associated Press
