Hayao Miyazaki is still the only Japanese author to have taken home the statuette
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| Image Credit: Studio Ghibli |
Since the year the Academy Award for Best Animated Film was created, only eight Japanese anime have managed to obtain the nomination. Of these, only two have taken home the coveted statuette, and they are both directed by Hayao Miyazaki: Spirited Away and The Boy and the Heron. The rest, needless to say, are all the work of Studio Ghibli: Howl's Moving Castle, The Wind Rises, The Tale of the Princess Kaguya, When Marnie Was There, and The Red Turtle (which, to be precise, is a European film only produced, but not animated by Ghibli).
We know, the Academy is not known for paying particular attention to films made outside the United States. But in this case, given the enormous annual production of Japanese animation, it is impossible not to notice a certain “favoritism”, considering that the same names always recur. In fact, there is only one notable exception, that is, only one anime that managed to obtain the nomination despite not being from Studio Ghibli or Miyazaki: Mirai by Mamoru Hosoda.
The acclaimed director, who also directed The Girl Who Leapt Through Time, Wolf Children and more recently Belle, achieved a historic result in 2018, with a film about the relationship between brother and sister. The protagonist is little Kun, a 4-year-old boy “photographed” in a crucial period of life. In fact, after the birth of his new little sister, Mirai feels he has lost the affection of his parents and continues to vent his anger through tantrums and jealous scenes. Through a series of encounters, time travels and metaphors, the child will gradually learn to manage his emotions and understand the importance of family.
Despite having to give up the victory to Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse, in that year Hosoda's anime achieved a practically titanic feat, which has not been repeated to this day. Unlike other awards such as the Golden Globes, in fact, the Academy Awards have systematically ignored other renowned Japanese directors who have swept the board in recent years, starting with Makoto Shinkai, who failed to get nominated with Your Name, Weathering With You or the more recent Suzume. And the same happened to the acclaimed Inu Oh by Masaaki Yuasa, which instead entered the top five at the Golden Globes in 2022.
Source: Screen Rant
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