by Isao Takahata Interviewer: After serving as a producer for “Nausicaä” and “Laputa,” you are now involved in music direction for this film. Could you tell us specifically about your role? “I didn’t do anything particularly special. In essence, I was just delegated to handle the work the director would typically do regarding the music. …
Bringing Out the Local Color of a Fictional Country Read More »
Hayao Miyazaki Interviewer: First, I’d like to ask about the intention behind creating the film “Kiki’s Delivery Service.” Miyazaki: The initial starting point was to create a story about adolescent girls. Moreover, these girls would be from rural areas in Japan, like those around us, who have moved to the city and are living there. …
“I Want to Show Various Facets of a Single Person” Read More »
Joe Hisaishi Interviewer: To begin with, what inspired your compositions for “Laputa”? “The foundational concept was to mirror the film’s essence, encapsulating love, dreams, and adventure. Specifically, I aimed for a tune that radiates warmth for children, marked by a lucid melody. That was the core intention.” Interviewer: Sounds quite challenging, right? “Absolutely. Crafting a …
Tannai Tsukasa Interviewer: How did you come to work on “Castle in the Sky”? How did Mr. Miyazaki approach you about it? Initially, Mr. Miyazaki reached out to me around April of 1985, saying, “I’m going to make an animated movie.” I responded, “That sounds interesting. Please do your best.” I thought I might get …
Portraying Everyday Acting Will Make Action Scenes Come Alive Read More »
Atsushi Okui Capturing the world of the little people with a close-up lens. Interviewer: At what stage did you start getting involved in “Arrietty”? “From the moment it was decided that Maro (nickname for Director Yonebayashi) would direct, and the script was already drafted. At first, I wondered if ‘Maro would be okay,’ but after …
Making Convincing Visuals, Preparations for a Complete Scene Read More »
By Naoki Inagaki Hayao Miyazaki’s thoughts on Antoine de Saint-Exupéry Pilots do not speak much. Hayao Miyazaki also does not speak much, but he has said the following about Antoine de Saint-Exupéry: “I was most influenced by Saint-Exupéry, after all.” On May 9, 1998, the Japanese television series “World, My Heart’s Journey” aired an episode …
Reading “Porco Rosso” through the Lens of Antoine de Saint-Exupéry Read More »
Akiyuki Nosaka (Novelist of “Grave of the Fireflies”) In my novel, “Grave of the Fireflies” published by Shincho Bunko, it seems that more women than men have read it. Now, it is being made into an animated movie. There have been several discussions about turning this novel into a film before, and the most promising …
Hayao Miyazaki Why I Appointed Yonebayashi as Director There was no one else available. Another reason was intuition. We expected ambitious individuals, eager to create new things, to emerge from our studio, but none did. And when looking in other places, not many seemed to rise up. So, faced with the possibility of having to …
I Thought “The Little People Under the Floor” Could Hint at the Times Read More »
Hiromasa Yonebayashi I Thought I Couldn’t Be a Director Interviewer: How did you come to direct “Arrietty”? “When in the fall of 2008, Mr. Suzuki called me saying, ‘Can you come over?’, I found a prominent group of members, including President Hoshino, Mr. Miyazaki, and Mr. Suzuki, seated when I arrived. As a mere …
Makiko Futaki Interviewer: “What led you to join ‘Laputa’? Futaki: “I heard that Miyazaki-san was going to make a feature-length film, so I quit Telecom and was waiting while working on other works. They were ‘Night on the Galactic Railroad’, and then ‘Angel’s Egg’.” Interviewer: There were many pigeon cuts, why was this decided? Futaki: …