Hayao Miyazaki (Miyazaki Hayao, born January 5, 1941) is a Japanese manga artist and prominent film director and animator of many popular anime feature films. Through a career that has spanned nearly five decades, Miyazaki has attained international acclaim as a maker of animated feature films and, along with Isao Takahata, co-founded Studio Ghibli, an animation studio and production company. The success of Miyazaki's films has invited comparisons with American animator Walt Disney, British animator Nick Park as well as Robert Zemeckis, who pioneered Motion Capture animation, and he has been named one of the most influential people by Time Magazine. Miyazaki began his career at Toei Animation as an in-between artist for Gulliver's Travels Beyond the Moon where he pitched his own ideas that eventually became the movie's ending. He continued to work in various roles in the animation industry over the decade until he was able to direct his first feature film Lupin III: The Castle of Cagliostro which was published in 1979. After the success of his next film, Nausicaä of the Valley of the Wind, he co-founded Studio Ghibli where he continued to produce many feature films until Princess Mononoke whereafter he temporarily retired. While Miyazaki's films have long enjoyed both commercial and critical success in Japan, he remained largely unknown to the West until Miramax released his 1997 film, Princess Mononoke. Princess Mononoke was the highest-grossing film in Japan—until it was eclipsed by another 1997 film, Titanic—and the first animated film to win Picture of the Year at the Japanese Academy Awards. Miyazaki returned to animation with Spirited Away. The film topped Titanic's sales at the Japanese box office, also won Picture of the Year at the Japanese Academy Awards and was the first anime film to win an American Academy Award. Miyazaki's films often incorporate recurrent themes, such as humanity's relationship to nature and technology, and the difficulty of maintaining a pacifist ethic. Reflecting Miyazaki's feminism, the protagonists of his films are often strong, independent girls or young women. Miyazaki is a vocal critic of capitalism and globalization. While two of his films, The Castle of Cagliostro and Castle in the Sky, involve traditional villains, his other films such as Nausicaa or Princess Mononoke present morally ambiguous antagonists with redeeming qualities.
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Biography from TMDB.
- January 5, 1941 (85)
- Tokyo, Japan
- Writer, editor, director, actor and producer
- 37 on MovieCove · 94 credits in all
What are Hayao Miyazaki's films like?
Across their 32 MovieCove titles with a thematic analysis, their films lean Self and Bonds.
Genres
Their MovieCove films by primary genre. The badge is the typical Midcredits score of the genre's films, the median percentile; an up arrow marks a genre at or above their average across these genres.
Themes
What they feel like to watch
Ironic 0 · Wry 0 · Earnest 28
Light 22 · Serious 4 · Dark 3
Grounded 8 · Stylized 12 · Heightened 9
Gentle 13 · Charged 14 · Intense 2
Steady 20 · Shifting 7 · Whiplash 2
Straight-faced 17 · Some laughs 11 · Funny 1
Slow burn 22 · Even-paced 6 · Relentless 1
Casual 14 · Engaged 13 · Full focus 2
Easy watch 16 · Affecting 11 · Heavy 2
Resolved 22 · Open-ended 6 · Ambiguous 1
Moods and endings
- Happy15
- Bittersweet15
- Ambiguous1
- Cyclical1
AI-generated from each title's plot synopsis and cast list, with extra plot summaries, reviews and Parents Guide notes for titles the model may not know, and the model's own knowledge of the ones it recognizes. Only analyzed titles count, so this covers part of the filmography; the feel axes count films only for now.
Where can I watch Hayao Miyazaki's films?
As of October 24, 2026, 30 of their 37 MovieCove titles stream on a subscription or free service, most on HBO Max (19).
- Spirited Away (2001) · director, writer
- Howl's Moving Castle (2004) · director, writer, producer
- Princess Mononoke (1997) · director, writer, editor
- My Neighbor Totoro (1988) · director, writer
- Kiki's Delivery Service (1989) · director, writer, producer
- Castle in the Sky (1986) · director, writer, editor
- Nausicaä of the Valley of the Wind (1984) · director, writer
- Whisper of the Heart (1995) · writer, producer
- The Wind Rises (2013) · director, writer
- Ponyo (2008) · director, writer, producer, editor
- Porco Rosso (1992) · director, writer, editor
- The Secret World of Arrietty (2010) · writer, producer
- +7 more
Subscription and free streaming for Hayao Miyazaki's titles on MovieCove; rent and buy are not counted. Titles are listed by Midcredits score, highest first, at most 12 per service; a dashed chip is a producer credit or a minor one, such as a thanks. A service opens the browse page, which counts movies only, so its number can differ.
Filmography
94 credits, 37 with a MovieCove page; 44 appearances as themselves are hidden until asked for.
Midcredits score: 85th percentile of all films
Sherlock Hound: The Movie (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2024)
Stage 『Spirited Away』 (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2024)
The Boy and the Heron(2023)
Midcredits score: 96th percentile of all films
Spirited Away: Live on Stage (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2023)
Earwig and the Witch(2020)
Midcredits score: 11th percentile of all films
Boro the Caterpillar (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2018)
Midcredits score: 78th percentile of all films
Avengers: Age of Ultron(2015)
Midcredits score: 86th percentile of all films
Japan Animator Expo (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2014)
The Wind Rises(2013)
Midcredits score: 98th percentile of all films
Giant God Warrior Appears in Tokyo (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2012)
La Luna(2011)
Midcredits score: 97th percentile of all films
A Hedgehog Came Out of the Fog (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2011)
From Up on Poppy Hill(2011)
Midcredits score: 94th percentile of all films
Treasure Hunting (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2011)
Mr. Dough and the Egg Princess (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2010)
Midcredits score: 97th percentile of all films
Toy Story 3(2010)
Midcredits score: 99th percentile of all films
A Sumo Wrestler's Tail (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2010)
The Theory of Evolution (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2008)
Ponyo(2008)
Midcredits score: 97th percentile of all films
Ghibli Scenery: A Journey to Japan Painted in Miyazaki’s Works (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2008)
The Pixar Story(2007)
Midcredits score: 97th percentile of all films
Madaran's World (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2007)
Tales from Earthsea(2006)
Midcredits score: 54th percentile of all films
House Hunting (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2006)
Mon Mon the Water Spider (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2006)
The Day I Bought a Star (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2006)
Howl's Moving Castle(2004)
Midcredits score: 99th percentile of all films
The Birth of Studio Ghibli (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2003)
Bobo-kun (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2002)
Piyopiyo Baba (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2002)
Tacolator (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2002)
Imaginary Flying Machines (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2002)
The Invention of Imaginary Machines of Destruction (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2002)
Mei and the Kittenbus (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2002)
The Cat Returns(2002)
Midcredits score: 88th percentile of all films
Koro's Big Day Out (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2002)
The Invention of Imaginary Machines of Destruction - First Storyboards, in Motion Short Director (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2002)
A Splendid Dance (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2001)
Rambutan Adventures (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2001)
The Fish of the Fish (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2001)
The Whale Hunt (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2001)
Spirited Away(2001)
Midcredits score: 99th percentile of all films
Super TV: Frontline Information 15 Months of Exclusive Coverage! The Secret Behind "My Neighbors the Yamadas" (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2000)
Future Boy Conan II: Taiga Adventure (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1999)
Princess Mononoke(1997)
Midcredits score: 99th percentile of all films
Whisper of the Heart(1995)
Midcredits score: 98th percentile of all films
Lupin the Third: Greatest Capers (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1995)
Pom Poko(1994)
Midcredits score: 88th percentile of all films
Everything Ghibli Special Short Shorts (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1992)
Porco Rosso(1992)
Midcredits score: 97th percentile of all films
Only Yesterday(1991)
Midcredits score: 95th percentile of all films
Nadia: The Secret of Blue Water - Nautilus Story I (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1991)
Nadia: The Secret of Blue Water - Nautilus Story II (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1991)
Nadia: The Secret of Blue Water - Nautilus Story III (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1991)
Midcredits score: 80th percentile of all shows
Kiki's Delivery Service(1989)
Midcredits score: 99th percentile of all films
Red Crow and the Ghost Ship (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1989)
My Neighbor Totoro(1988)
Midcredits score: 99th percentile of all films
Castle in the Sky(1986)
Midcredits score: 99th percentile of all films
Sherlock Hound: Mrs. Hudson Is Taken Hostage / The White Cliffs of Dover (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1986)
Sherlock Hound(1984)
Midcredits score: 67th percentile of all shows
Future Boy Conan: The Big Giant Robot's Resurrection (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1984)
Midcredits score: 99th percentile of all films
Sherlock Hound: The Adventure of the Blue Carbuncle / Treasure Under the Sea (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1984)
The New Adventures of Gigantor (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1980)
3000 Leagues in Search of Mother: The Movie (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1980)
Conan, the Boy in Future(1979)
Midcredits score: 95th percentile of all films
Midcredits score: 97th percentile of all films
Anne of Green Gables (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1979)
Future Boy Conan (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1978)
Tenguri, Boy of the Plains (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1977)
3000 Leagues in Search of Mother (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1976)
Heidi, Girl of the Alps(1974)
Midcredits score: 72nd percentile of all shows
Panda! Go Panda!: Rainy Day Circus (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1973)
Jungle Kurobee (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1973)
Yuki's Sun(1972)
Midcredits score: 31st percentile of all films
Panda! Go Panda! (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1972)
Panda! Go Panda! (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1972)
Lupin the Third Part 1(1971)
Midcredits score: 85th percentile of all shows
Midcredits score: 37th percentile of all films
Animal Treasure Island(1971)
Midcredits score: 72nd percentile of all films
Flying Phantom Ship(1969)
Midcredits score: 68th percentile of all films
Puss in Boots(1969)
Midcredits score: 83rd percentile of all films
Horus: Prince of the Sun(1968)
Midcredits score: 65th percentile of all films
Rainbow Sentai Robin (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1966)
Gulliver's Travels Beyond the Moon (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1965)
Doggie March (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1963)
Hayao Miyazaki's Unreleased Film (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)
吉卜力工作室完整特别短片合辑1992-2016 (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)
宮崎駿 引退宣言 知られざる物語 (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)
宮崎駿スペシャル 「風立ちぬ」1000日の記録 (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)
Career shape
A full career of 93 titles, 89 of them dated from 1963 to 2026.
Biggest box office
Spirited Away (2001)
Highest rated
Spirited Away (2001)
Most popular right now
Lupin the Third Part 1 (1971)
Film career
- 2002Screen debut· Mei and the Kittenbus
Counts from TMDB across their full career, self appearances out; a title counts in every role they held on it. The ring is the typical Midcredits score (the median percentile) of the role's titles that are on MovieCove, shown from 5 scored.
Awards
3 Oscars, a BAFTA Award and 4 other major awards from 14 major nominations, 2002–2024.
- Oscar, won · Best Animated Feature Film
- BAFTA Award, won · Best Animated Feature Film
- Oscar, won
- Oscar, nominated · Best Animated Feature Film of the Year
- Venice award, nominated
- Venice award, won ×2
- Venice award, nominated
- Oscar, nominated · Best Animated Feature Film of the Year
- Venice award, won
- BAFTA Award, nominated · Best Film not in the English Language
+1 other major body · 1 nomination
- Venice award, nominated
Show 2 earlier yearsShow fewer
- Oscar, won · Best Animated Feature
- Berlinale award, won
Major bodies only: the Oscars, Primetime Emmys, Golden Globes, BAFTAs and Screen Actors Guild Awards are named; Cannes, Venice, the Berlinale, Sundance, the directors', writers' and producers' guilds, the Grammys, Critics Choice and the Independent Spirit Awards count as other major bodies. Festival and regional prizes are not counted. Source: IMDb.
How do Hayao Miyazaki's films land?
Their typical MovieCove film has a Midcredits score in the 96th percentile, the median of all 33; across their 29 films with reception data, the typical film sits in the 94th percentile for acclaim.
- 75th and up28
- 50th to 74th6
- 25th to 49th2
- Below 25th1
Shape of the crowd
18 of their 37 titles are Universally Loved.
- Universally Loved18
- Cult Classic1
- Crowd Pleaser14
- Broadly Agreed1
- Mixed3
Reviewers score the dialogue 57/100 and the plot and story 44/100 in their films, across 24 reviewed titles. The element that speaks to their work as a writer.
Percentiles are each film's standing among all films on MovieCove; the typical film is the median, so one outlier cannot drag it. Percentiles and reviewer scores count the films IMDb credits them on, for now; the Midcredits score bands, the shape of the crowd and the two cards count their MovieCove titles, shows included (a show ranked among shows), appearances as themselves left out. A descriptor is the shape of a title's IMDb rating distribution against the catalog; "most divisive" needs a spread wider than half of all titles, and a card names only a principal credit: a craft role, and on a show a crew role or a run of episodes, never a courtesy credit or a one-off guest spot.
Is Hayao Miyazaki's work okay for kids?
Across up to 20 MovieCove titles with content scores, violence & gore, sex & nudity and profanity run lighter than most films.
Severity 0–100 from the Content Guide. Categories with under 10 votes on a title are not counted. The band's colour is the severity of their median, named beside it.
Who does Hayao Miyazaki work with?
People who share at least 2 of Hayao Miyazaki's MovieCove titles, grouped by what they did on them; Toshio Suzuki shares the most, 20.
Directors
- Isao TakahataShared titles: Isao Takahata and His Tale of Princess Kaguya (2013), Pom Poko (1994), Only Yesterday (1991), The Story of Yanagawa Waterways (1987), Castle in the Sky (1986), Nausicaä of the Valley of the Wind (1984), Lupin the Third Part 1 (1971)See all 7 shared titles with Isao Takahata
- Gorō MiyazakiShared titles: The Boy and the Heron (2023), Earwig and the Witch (2020), From Up on Poppy Hill (2011), Tales from Earthsea (2006)See all 4 shared titles with Gorō Miyazaki
- Kaku ArakawaShared titles: Hayao Miyazaki and the Heron (2024), Never-Ending Man: Hayao Miyazaki (2016)See all 2 shared titles with Kaku Arakawa
Writers
- Keiko NiwaShared titles: Earwig and the Witch (2020), From Up on Poppy Hill (2011), The Secret World of Arrietty (2010), Tales from Earthsea (2006)See all 4 shared titles with Keiko Niwa
- Diana Wynne JonesShared titles: Earwig and the Witch (2020), Howl's Moving Castle (2004)See all 2 shared titles with Diana Wynne Jones
- Aoi HiiragiShared titles: The Cat Returns (2002), Whisper of the Heart (1995)See all 2 shared titles with Aoi Hiiragi
- Monkey PunchShared titles: Lupin III: The Castle of Cagliostro (1979), Lupin the Third Part 1 (1971)See all 2 shared titles with Monkey Punch
Actors
- Toshio SuzukiShared titles: Hayao Miyazaki and the Heron (2024), The Boy and the Heron (2023), Hideaki Anno: The Final Challenge of Evangelion (2021), Earwig and the Witch (2020), Never-Ending Man: Hayao Miyazaki (2016), Isao Takahata and His Tale of Princess Kaguya (2013), The Wind Rises (2013), From Up on Poppy Hill (2011), The Secret World of Arrietty (2010), Ponyo (2008), Tales from Earthsea (2006), Howl's Moving Castle (2004) and 8 moreSee newest 12 of 20 shared titles with Toshio Suzuki
- Keiko TakeshitaShared titles: The Boy and the Heron (2023), The Wind Rises (2013), From Up on Poppy Hill (2011), The Secret World of Arrietty (2010)See all 4 shared titles with Keiko Takeshita
- Sumi ShimamotoShared titles: Princess Mononoke (1997), My Neighbor Totoro (1988), Nausicaä of the Valley of the Wind (1984), Lupin III: The Castle of Cagliostro (1979)See all 4 shared titles with Sumi Shimamoto
- Ichirô NagaiShared titles: Castle in the Sky (1986), Nausicaä of the Valley of the Wind (1984), Conan, the Boy in Future (1979), Lupin III: The Castle of Cagliostro (1979)See all 4 shared titles with Ichirô Nagai
Composers, cinematographers and editors
- Takeshi SeyamaShared titles: The Boy and the Heron (2023), The Wind Rises (2013), From Up on Poppy Hill (2011), The Secret World of Arrietty (2010), Ponyo (2008), Tales from Earthsea (2006), Howl's Moving Castle (2004), Spirited Away (2001), Princess Mononoke (1997), Whisper of the Heart (1995), Pom Poko (1994), Porco Rosso (1992) and 6 moreSee newest 12 of 18 shared titles with Takeshi Seyama
- Atsushi OkuiShared titles: The Boy and the Heron (2023), Never-Ending Man: Hayao Miyazaki (2016), The Wind Rises (2013), From Up on Poppy Hill (2011), The Secret World of Arrietty (2010), Ponyo (2008), Tales from Earthsea (2006), Howl's Moving Castle (2004), Spirited Away (2001), Princess Mononoke (1997), Whisper of the Heart (1995), Pom Poko (1994) and 1 moreSee newest 12 of 13 shared titles with Atsushi Okui
- Joe HisaishiShared titles: The Boy and the Heron (2023), Isao Takahata and His Tale of Princess Kaguya (2013), The Wind Rises (2013), Ponyo (2008), Howl's Moving Castle (2004), Spirited Away (2001), Princess Mononoke (1997), Porco Rosso (1992), Kiki's Delivery Service (1989), My Neighbor Totoro (1988), Castle in the Sky (1986), Nausicaä of the Valley of the Wind (1984)See all 12 shared titles with Joe Hisaishi
- Hirokata TakahashiShared titles: Castle in the Sky (1986), Sherlock Hound (1984), Lupin III: The Castle of Cagliostro (1979)See all 3 shared titles with Hirokata Takahashi
Producers
- Yasuyoshi TokumaShared titles: Spirited Away (2001), Princess Mononoke (1997), Whisper of the Heart (1995), Pom Poko (1994), Porco Rosso (1992), Only Yesterday (1991), Kiki's Delivery Service (1989), My Neighbor Totoro (1988), Castle in the Sky (1986), Nausicaä of the Valley of the Wind (1984)See all 10 shared titles with Yasuyoshi Tokuma
- Kôji HoshinoShared titles: The Boy and the Heron (2023), Earwig and the Witch (2020), The Wind Rises (2013), From Up on Poppy Hill (2011), Ponyo (2008), The Cat Returns (2002), Spirited Away (2001)See all 7 shared titles with Kôji Hoshino
- Ned LottShared titles: Howl's Moving Castle (2004), The Cat Returns (2002), Whisper of the Heart (1995), Pom Poko (1994), My Neighbor Totoro (1988), Nausicaä of the Valley of the Wind (1984)See all 6 shared titles with Ned Lott
- Tatsumi YamashitaShared titles: Whisper of the Heart (1995), Pom Poko (1994), Porco Rosso (1992), Only Yesterday (1991), Castle in the Sky (1986), Nausicaä of the Valley of the Wind (1984)See all 6 shared titles with Tatsumi Yamashita
Mixed roles
- Yoshiaki NishimuraShared titles: The Boy and the Heron (2023), Isao Takahata and His Tale of Princess Kaguya (2013)See all 2 shared titles with Yoshiaki Nishimura
- Shinji HiguchiShared titles: Hideaki Anno: The Final Challenge of Evangelion (2021), Nadia: The Secret of Blue Water (1990)See all 2 shared titles with Shinji Higuchi
