Hayao Miyazaki

Directing

Hayao Miyazaki

Born

1941-01-05 (85)

Place of birth

Tokyo, Japan

Known for

Directing

Credits

94 titles

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 Animati…

Known for

Film credits

2020s · 5 titles

2010s · 13 titles

The Kingdom of Dreams and Madness poster
7.6

Follows the behind-the-scenes work of Studio Ghibli, focusing on the notable figures Hayao Miyazaki, Isao Takahata, and Toshio Suzuki.

The Kingdom of Dreams and Madness

2013

Never-Ending Man: Hayao Miyazaki poster
7.4

A look at legendary Japanese animator Hayao Miyazaki following his retirement in 2013.

Never-Ending Man: Hayao Miyazaki

2017

Kurosawa's Way poster
5.8

Eleven major film makers from Europe, America and Asia talk about Akira Kurosawa and discover surprising influences on their own work.

Kurosawa's Way

2011

Inside Ghibli's Creation: 400 Days of Clash Between Hayao Miyazaki and The New Director poster
9.0

Stepping closer and closer to his retirement, Hayao Miyazaki has no other means, but to choose up a new director. Ghibli's given some creative freedoms in the past, but they hardly lasted. Maro, an animator of 37 years. has done a good deed of works in his prior days. Thus, Miyazaki-san decides to appoint him as a new director for the upcoming feature of 'Arrietty the Borrower'.

Inside Ghibli's Creation: 400 Days of Clash Between Hayao Miyazaki and The New Director

2010

Isao Takahata and His Tale of The Princess Kaguya poster
6.7

For his first film in fourteen years, animation director Isao Takahata embarked on a visually sumptuous adaptation of The Tale of the Bamboo-Cutter. A dream project for the director that would hopefully establish the recently formed Ghibli Studio 7, created to meet the demands of a new type of modern animation process. But, almost immediately, the epic production is faced with difficulties and falls dramatically behind schedule. In this compelling and insightful documentary, we follow Isao Takahata and his dedicated team of artists as they frantically strive against adversity to make their vision a reality and bring Studio Ghibli into a new era.

Isao Takahata and His Tale of The Princess Kaguya

2014

Miwa: A Japanese Icon poster
6.3

A legendary entertainer and a pioneer of gay activism, Miwa was born Akihiro Maruyama. As a young singer, Miwa popularized androgyny as a fashion statement, fusing the masculine and the feminine into a signal of a new generation of aesthetics. This evolved into performing as a woman and living off-stage as a man. With glitter, wit, evening gowns, and enchanting storytelling, Miwa looks back over a 50-year career and a fascinating life in music, film, and television.

Miwa: A Japanese Icon

2013

Japanese Cinema: New Territories poster
NR

This documentary by Hubert Niogret looks at the revival of Japanese cinema during the 1990s.

Japanese Cinema: New Territories

2011

Giant God Warrior Appears in Tokyo poster
6.6

The short focuses on the God Warrior from Nausicaa of The Valley of The Wind (1984). Super-powered bio-weapons in ceramic armor begin attacking Tokyo, annihilating human civilization.

Giant God Warrior Appears in Tokyo

2012

The Work of Hayao Miyazaki "The Wind Rises" Record of 1000 Days/Retirement Announcement Unknown Story poster
8.7

NHK TV Special

The Work of Hayao Miyazaki "The Wind Rises" Record of 1000 Days/Retirement Announcement Unknown Story

2014

Ghibli Landscapes - A Journey to Encounter Directors Isao Takahata and Hayao Miyazaki's Starting Point poster
NR

In this documentary we travel to the Swiss Alps and to the Canadian Prince Edward Island looking at the origins of the two classic TV series - Heidi, the Girl of the Alps and Anne of Green Gables. We will also learn how the Japanese scenery found its way into the latter. As the documentary was released as part of the From up on Poppy Hill promotion, a portion of it is dedicated to Yokohama, where the events of the film by Goro Miyazaki take place.

Ghibli Landscapes - A Journey to Encounter Directors Isao Takahata and Hayao Miyazaki's Starting Point

2011

Poppy Hill - 300 Days of War Between Father and Son poster
7.5

NHK TV special about the making of the Japanese animated film "From Up on Poppy Hill" (コクリコ坂から)

Poppy Hill - 300 Days of War Between Father and Son

2011

Ghibli's Bookshelf poster
NR

This August 2010 NHK documentary explores the influence of selected children's literature on Miyazaki and Takahata's body of work and on Studio Ghibli as a whole. Also included is a conversation between Miyazaki and Japanese author and TV personality Sawako Agawa.

Ghibli's Bookshelf

2010

A Hedgehog Came Out of the Fog poster
NR

Norstein conquered the world 36 years ago with the creation of the legendary Hedgehog in the Fog. It was recognized as the best cartoon of all times and peoples according to a survey of film critics and animators from different countries.

A Hedgehog Came Out of the Fog

2011

2000s · 25 titles

Mei and the Kittenbus poster
7.2

Mei is eating a caramel on one very windy day, when suddenly a whirlwind appears and starts chasing her. The whirlwind turns out to be a baby cat bus. Mei offers the kitten a caramel and the two become friends. That night, the baby cat bus visits Mei. Letting Mei ride inside him, he leaps out into the sky. They head for the midnight forest full of ghosts. Other cat buses large and small have also gathered together.

Mei and the Kittenbus

2002

25th Anniversary Studio Ghibli Concert poster
9.3

Concert held on August 4, 5 and 6, 2008 at the Nippon Budōkan hall in Tokyo to commemorate both the Japanese theatrical release of Ponyo (2008) and the 25 years of musical collaboration between composer Joe Hisaishi and filmmaker Hayao Miyazaki.

25th Anniversary Studio Ghibli Concert

2008

Ghibli and The Miyazaki Mystery poster
6.9

Studio Ghibli is Japan's most successful animation studio, with helmers Hayao Miyazaki ("Spirited Away," "My Neighbor Totoro") and Isao Takahata ("Grave of The Fireflies," "The Tale of Princess Kaguya") creating a bonanza for producer/prexy Toshio Suzuki. Generously adorned with clips from their films and their influences, the docu follows Ghibli's arc from a mid-'60s rebellion against working conditions at Toei Co. to its present powerhouse position, complete with public fun park. All interviews are illuminating, but Miyazaki is teasingly confined to pic's tete-a-tete finale with esteemed French comic artist Jean "Moebius" Giraud. Meeting of the wizened European, whose imprint is on films from "Blade Runner" to "The Fifth Element," and the apparently relaxed Nipponese helmer makes an interesting contrast, and will be of special interest to Francophiles. All credits are impeccable

Ghibli and The Miyazaki Mystery

2005

Princess Mononoke in the U.S.A. poster
9.7

This short documentary follows director Hayao Miyazaki and producer Toshio Suzuki as they attend two film festivals showing the film Princess Mononoke and answer questions. Miyazaki discusses his experience in LA before founding Studio Ghibli.

Princess Mononoke in the U.S.A.

2001

The Nippon Television Special of Spirited Away poster
10.0

View this Japanese television special to get an insider's peek into Studio Ghibli during the creation of Spirted Away.

The Nippon Television Special of Spirited Away

2001

"The Ornithopter Story: Fly, Hiyodori Tengu!" poster
6.5

No synopsis available yet.

"The Ornithopter Story: Fly, Hiyodori Tengu!"

2002

Hayao Miyazaki Produces a CD poster
10.0

No synopsis available yet.

Hayao Miyazaki Produces a CD

2004

The Art of 'Spirited Away' poster
8.2

The people that brought the film Sen to Chihiro no kamikakushi (2001) (a.k.a. "Spirited Away") to the US explain how it was converted into English, with some minor confusion between languages, and how well it did in both Japan and America.

The Art of 'Spirited Away'

2003

The Birth of "Princess Mononoke" Part 1: A Drama on Paper poster
9.0

Part 1 of Mononoke Hime wa koushite umareta, also known as The Making of "Princess Mononoke", an exhaustive three-part making of documentary of Hayao Miyazaki's Princess Mononoke

The Birth of "Princess Mononoke" Part 1: A Drama on Paper

2001

Lasseter-san, Thank You poster
NR

Depicts the 2002 trip by several employees of Studio Ghibli to promote the movie Sen to Chihiro no Kamikakushi (Spirited Away) in North America. It was originally made as a private thank-you gift from Ghibli to John Lasseter, the Lasseter-San of the title. The show appears similar to a home movie, or private documentary. This footage includes snippets from some of Miyazaki's films, as well as some Pixar shorts. The most striking part were clips from Porco Rosso, interchanging with images of Miyazaki flying a red double-decker.

Lasseter-san, Thank You

2003

The Birth of "Princess Mononoke" Part 2: Life Has Been Breathed Into It! poster
10.0

Part 2 of Mononoke Hime wa koushite umareta, also known as The Making of "Princess Mononoke", an exhaustive three-part making of documentary of Hayao Miyazaki's Princess Mononoke

The Birth of "Princess Mononoke" Part 2: Life Has Been Breathed Into It!

2001

The Birth of "Princess Mononoke" Part 3: The Day The Record Was Broken poster
9.5

Part 3 of Mononoke Hime wa koushite umareta, also known as The Making of "Princess Mononoke", an exhaustive three-part making of documentary of Hayao Miyazaki's Princess Mononoke

The Birth of "Princess Mononoke" Part 3: The Day The Record Was Broken

2001

Hayao Miyazaki and the Ghibli Museum poster
8.0

A documentary about the Ghibli Museum. It features Goro Miyazaki speaking with Isao Takahata about the "charm" of the museum and its various influences. Goro tours the viewer around the museum, explaining the intricate details that his father, Hayao Miyazaki made during its construction. The documentary highlights the strong European influences in the museum's architecture, featuring footage of the medieval mountainous city of Calcata in Italy and the historic port city of Genoa, which Miyazaki had visited in the past. These trips would go on to influencing the imagery seen in Castle in the Sky, Kiki's Delivery Service, Porco Rosso, and Spirited Away.

Hayao Miyazaki and the Ghibli Museum

2005

Imaginary Flying Machines poster
6.4

Kuso no Sora Tobu Kikaitachi (Imaginary Flying Machines) is a 2002 Japanese animated short film produced by Studio Ghibli for their near exclusive use in the Ghibli Museum. It features director Hayao Miyazaki as the narrator, in the form of a humanoid pig, reminiscent of Porco from Porco Rosso, telling the story of flight and the many machines imagined to achieve it.

Imaginary Flying Machines

2002

The Cat Returns - Making of poster
7.8

A promotional film by Studio Ghibli about the work on the film "The Cat Returns" (directed by Hiroyuki Morita)

The Cat Returns - Making of

2002

The Birth of Studio Ghibli poster
NR

No synopsis available yet.

The Birth of Studio Ghibli

2003

How Ponyo Was Born: Hayao Miyazaki's Thought Process poster
8.0

A behind-the-scenes documentary directed by Kaku Arakawa, documenting Hayao Miyazaki's creative process in creating the character of Ponyo during the production of Ponyo on the Cliff by the Sea.

How Ponyo Was Born: Hayao Miyazaki's Thought Process

2009

Yasuo Ōtsuka's Joy in Motion poster
NR

Yasuo Ōtsuka was the mentor of Isao Takahata and Hayao Miyazaki, the man who taught them to feel the joy of animation. As the supervising animator of their films and through the creation of superb scenes such as Lupin leaping from turret to turret in Lupin the 3rd: The Castle of Cagliostro, Ōtsuka made the impossible believable, and touched people’s emotions. To look back at the many works he was involved in is to review the history of Japanese animation after WWII. This film is a must for anime fans who want to learn how Japanese animation evolved.

Yasuo Ōtsuka's Joy in Motion

2004

A Ghibli Artisan - Kazuo Oga Exhibition - The One Who Drew Totoro's Forest poster
6.0

From July 21 through September 10th, 2007, the Museum for Contemporary Art Tokyo held an exhibition honouring Kazuo Oga, the art director and background artist for many famed works from Japan's Studio Ghibli. Over 600 works from the artist were on display, and numerous fans flocked to the one-of-a-kind exhibition celebrating the lush, gorgeous background artwork typifying many a work from Hayao Miyazaki and other Ghibli filmmakers. International fans of Oga and Studio Ghibli have not been left out, however. A Ghibli Artisan - Kazuo Oga Exhibition - The One Who Drew Totoro's Forest allows fans the opportunity to attend the exhibition, as well as watch interviews and testimonials with Oga's contemporaries and collaborators, all subtitled in English.

A Ghibli Artisan - Kazuo Oga Exhibition - The One Who Drew Totoro's Forest

2007

Ghibli Scenery: A Journey to Japan Painted in Miyazaki’s Works poster
NR

Would you like to embark on a journey to discover new attractions in Miyazaki's works? By setting a fictional city and depicting the vivid lives of the people who live there, it is as if the city really exists.― Director Hayao Miyazaki's landscapes have this power. Tsuruta Mayu visiting the towns and places that inspired the setting images of Hayao Miyazaki's works and exploring their charms. Japan as Depicted by Miyazaki takes you to old Japan in search of images of My Neighbor Totoro, Spirited Away, and Ponyo on the Cliff

Ghibli Scenery: A Journey to Japan Painted in Miyazaki’s Works

2008

The Work of Toshio Suzuki Don't Believe in Myself, I Believe in People poster
NR

A documentary program that thoroughly delves into the "work" of leading professionals who are active on the front lines of various fields. This episode explores Suzuki's success as producer of Studio Ghibli and asks, 'What is behind the "Suzuki Magic"?

The Work of Toshio Suzuki Don't Believe in Myself, I Believe in People

2006

Super TV: Frontline Information 15 Months of Exclusive Coverage! The Secret Behind "My Neighbors the Yamadas" poster
NR

Nippon Television "Super TV Information Frontline Exclusive Coverage of 15 Months! The Secrets of the Rumored Movie "My Neighbors the Yamadas""

Super TV: Frontline Information 15 Months of Exclusive Coverage! The Secret Behind "My Neighbors the Yamadas"

2000

Princess Mononoke: Making of a Masterpiece poster
7.0

Making of princess mononoke

Princess Mononoke: Making of a Masterpiece

2004

No artwork available
NR

Nippon TV's NEWS ZERO program produced an hour long documentary on the making of Ponyo, known in Japan by it's full title "Ponyo on the Cliff." A rare look behind the scenes of Studio Ghibli.

NEWS ZERO Spinoff: "Ponyo on the Cliff" Close-Up! Five Genius Craftmen

2008

Professional Special: Director Miyazaki Hayao poster
NR

No synopsis available yet.

Professional Special: Director Miyazaki Hayao

2009

1990s · 5 titles

Series credits

Behind the camera

Spirited Away poster
8.5

A young girl, Chihiro, becomes trapped in a strange new world of spirits. When her parents undergo a mysterious transformation, she must call upon the courage she never knew she had to free her family.

Spirited Away

2001

Spirited Away poster
8.5

A young girl, Chihiro, becomes trapped in a strange new world of spirits. When her parents undergo a mysterious transformation, she must call upon the courage she never knew she had to free her family.

Spirited Away

2001

Howl's Moving Castle poster
8.4

Sophie, a young milliner, is turned into an elderly woman by a witch who enters her shop and curses her. She encounters a wizard named Howl and gets caught up in his resistance to fighting for the king.

Howl's Moving Castle

2004

Howl's Moving Castle poster
8.4

Sophie, a young milliner, is turned into an elderly woman by a witch who enters her shop and curses her. She encounters a wizard named Howl and gets caught up in his resistance to fighting for the king.

Howl's Moving Castle

2004

My Neighbor Totoro poster
8.1

Two sisters move to the country with their father in order to be closer to their hospitalized mother, and discover the surrounding trees are inhabited by Totoros, magical spirits of the forest. When the youngest runs away from home, the older sister seeks help from the spirits to find her.

My Neighbor Totoro

1988

My Neighbor Totoro poster
8.1

Two sisters move to the country with their father in order to be closer to their hospitalized mother, and discover the surrounding trees are inhabited by Totoros, magical spirits of the forest. When the youngest runs away from home, the older sister seeks help from the spirits to find her.

My Neighbor Totoro

1988

Kiki's Delivery Service poster
7.8

A young witch, on her mandatory year of independent life, finds fitting into a new community difficult while she supports herself by running an air courier service.

Kiki's Delivery Service

1989

Kiki's Delivery Service poster
7.8

A young witch, on her mandatory year of independent life, finds fitting into a new community difficult while she supports herself by running an air courier service.

Kiki's Delivery Service

1989

Kiki's Delivery Service poster
7.8

A young witch, on her mandatory year of independent life, finds fitting into a new community difficult while she supports herself by running an air courier service.

Kiki's Delivery Service

1989

Princess Mononoke poster
8.3

Ashitaka, a prince of the disappearing Emishi people, is cursed by a demonized boar god and must journey to the west to find a cure. Along the way, he encounters San, a young human woman fighting to protect the forest, and Lady Eboshi, who is trying to destroy it. Ashitaka must find a way to bring balance to this conflict.

Princess Mononoke

1997

Princess Mononoke poster
8.3

Ashitaka, a prince of the disappearing Emishi people, is cursed by a demonized boar god and must journey to the west to find a cure. Along the way, he encounters San, a young human woman fighting to protect the forest, and Lady Eboshi, who is trying to destroy it. Ashitaka must find a way to bring balance to this conflict.

Princess Mononoke

1997

Castle in the Sky poster
8.0

A young boy and a girl with a magic crystal must race against pirates and foreign agents in a search for a legendary floating castle.

Castle in the Sky

1986

Castle in the Sky poster
8.0

A young boy and a girl with a magic crystal must race against pirates and foreign agents in a search for a legendary floating castle.

Castle in the Sky

1986

The Boy and the Heron poster
7.4

While the Second World War rages, the teenage Mahito, haunted by his mother's tragic death, is relocated from Tokyo to the serene rural home of his new stepmother Natsuko, a woman who bears a striking resemblance to the boy's mother. As he tries to adjust, this strange new world grows even stranger following the appearance of a persistent gray heron, who perplexes and bedevils Mahito, dubbing him the "long-awaited one."

The Boy and the Heron

2023

The Boy and the Heron poster
7.4

While the Second World War rages, the teenage Mahito, haunted by his mother's tragic death, is relocated from Tokyo to the serene rural home of his new stepmother Natsuko, a woman who bears a striking resemblance to the boy's mother. As he tries to adjust, this strange new world grows even stranger following the appearance of a persistent gray heron, who perplexes and bedevils Mahito, dubbing him the "long-awaited one."

The Boy and the Heron

2023

From Up on Poppy Hill poster
7.5

Yokohama, 1963. Japan is picking itself up from the devastation of World War II and preparing to host the 1964 Olympics—and the mood is one of both optimism and conflict as the young generation struggles to throw off the shackles of a troubled past. Against this backdrop of hope and change, a friendship begins to blossom between high school students Umi and Shun—but a buried secret from their past emerges to cast a shadow on the future and pull them apart.

From Up on Poppy Hill

2011

The Wind Rises poster
7.8

A lifelong love of flight inspires Japanese aviation engineer Jiro Horikoshi, whose storied career includes the creation of the A-6M World War II fighter plane.

The Wind Rises

2013

The Wind Rises poster
7.8

A lifelong love of flight inspires Japanese aviation engineer Jiro Horikoshi, whose storied career includes the creation of the A-6M World War II fighter plane.

The Wind Rises

2013

Warriors of the Wind poster
7.9

After a global war, the seaside kingdom known as the Valley of the Wind remains one of the last strongholds on Earth untouched by a poisonous jungle and the powerful insects that guard it. Led by the courageous Princess Nausicaä, the people of the Valley engage in an epic struggle to restore the bond between humanity and Earth.

Warriors of the Wind

1984

Warriors of the Wind poster
7.9

After a global war, the seaside kingdom known as the Valley of the Wind remains one of the last strongholds on Earth untouched by a poisonous jungle and the powerful insects that guard it. Led by the courageous Princess Nausicaä, the people of the Valley engage in an epic struggle to restore the bond between humanity and Earth.

Warriors of the Wind

1984

Ponyo poster
7.8

When Sosuke, a young boy who lives on a clifftop overlooking the sea, rescues a stranded goldfish named Ponyo, he discovers more than he bargained for. Ponyo is a curious, energetic young creature who yearns to be human, but even as she causes chaos around the house, her father, a powerful sorcerer, schemes to return Ponyo to the sea.

Ponyo

2008

Ponyo poster
7.8

When Sosuke, a young boy who lives on a clifftop overlooking the sea, rescues a stranded goldfish named Ponyo, he discovers more than he bargained for. Ponyo is a curious, energetic young creature who yearns to be human, but even as she causes chaos around the house, her father, a powerful sorcerer, schemes to return Ponyo to the sea.

Ponyo

2008

Whisper of the Heart poster
7.9

Shizuku lives a simple life, dominated by her love for stories and writing. One day she notices that all the library books she has have been previously checked out by the same person: "Seiji Amasawa."

Whisper of the Heart

1995

Porco Rosso poster
7.8

In Italy in the 1930s, sky pirates in biplanes terrorize wealthy cruise ships as they sail the Adriatic Sea. The only pilot brave enough to stop the scourge is the mysterious Porco Rosso, a former World War I flying ace who was somehow turned into a pig during the war. As he prepares to battle the pirate crew's American ace, Porco Rosso enlists the help of spunky girl mechanic Fio Piccolo and his longtime friend Madame Gina.

Porco Rosso

1992

Porco Rosso poster
7.8

In Italy in the 1930s, sky pirates in biplanes terrorize wealthy cruise ships as they sail the Adriatic Sea. The only pilot brave enough to stop the scourge is the mysterious Porco Rosso, a former World War I flying ace who was somehow turned into a pig during the war. As he prepares to battle the pirate crew's American ace, Porco Rosso enlists the help of spunky girl mechanic Fio Piccolo and his longtime friend Madame Gina.

Porco Rosso

1992

Arrietty poster
7.7

14-year-old Arrietty and the rest of the Clock family live in peaceful anonymity as they make their own home from items "borrowed" from the house's human inhabitants. However, life changes for the Clocks when a human boy discovers Arrietty.

Arrietty

2010

The Castle of Cagliostro poster
7.5

After a successful robbery leaves famed thief Lupin the Third and his partner Jigen with nothing but a large amount of expertly crafted counterfeit bills, he decides to track down the forgers responsible—and steal any other treasures he may find in the Castle of Cagliostro, including the 'damsel in distress' he finds imprisoned there.

The Castle of Cagliostro

1979

The Castle of Cagliostro poster
7.5

After a successful robbery leaves famed thief Lupin the Third and his partner Jigen with nothing but a large amount of expertly crafted counterfeit bills, he decides to track down the forgers responsible—and steal any other treasures he may find in the Castle of Cagliostro, including the 'damsel in distress' he finds imprisoned there.

The Castle of Cagliostro

1979

Panda! Go Panda!: Rainy Day Circus poster
6.4

Mimiko, Papa Panda, and Panny make friends with a baby tiger from the circus — just in time for a flash flood to throw the whole town into chaos.

Panda! Go Panda!: Rainy Day Circus

1973

Panda! Go Panda!: Rainy Day Circus poster
6.4

Mimiko, Papa Panda, and Panny make friends with a baby tiger from the circus — just in time for a flash flood to throw the whole town into chaos.

Panda! Go Panda!: Rainy Day Circus

1973

Mei and the Kittenbus poster
7.2

Mei is eating a caramel on one very windy day, when suddenly a whirlwind appears and starts chasing her. The whirlwind turns out to be a baby cat bus. Mei offers the kitten a caramel and the two become friends. That night, the baby cat bus visits Mei. Letting Mei ride inside him, he leaps out into the sky. They head for the midnight forest full of ghosts. Other cat buses large and small have also gathered together.

Mei and the Kittenbus

2002

Mei and the Kittenbus poster
7.2

Mei is eating a caramel on one very windy day, when suddenly a whirlwind appears and starts chasing her. The whirlwind turns out to be a baby cat bus. Mei offers the kitten a caramel and the two become friends. That night, the baby cat bus visits Mei. Letting Mei ride inside him, he leaps out into the sky. They head for the midnight forest full of ghosts. Other cat buses large and small have also gathered together.

Mei and the Kittenbus

2002

The Whale Hunt poster
7.4

Kujiratori tells the story of school children pretending they are building a boat. As imagination replaces reality, they find themselves on the ocean, hunting for a whale. A big, gentle whale appears, accompanies them back to land and plays with them. Then the fantasy ends and the children are back in their class room.

The Whale Hunt

2001

The Whale Hunt poster
7.4

Kujiratori tells the story of school children pretending they are building a boat. As imagination replaces reality, they find themselves on the ocean, hunting for a whale. A big, gentle whale appears, accompanies them back to land and plays with them. Then the fantasy ends and the children are back in their class room.

The Whale Hunt

2001

Panda! Go Panda! poster
6.3

Cheerful Mimiko’s small family grows when she adopts a talking baby panda and his full-grown papa. Despite Mimiko's best efforts, the appearance of Panny and Papa Bear disrupts the quiet pace of life in town, prompting zookeepers to reclaim the escaped bear pair.

Panda! Go Panda!

1972

The Day I Bought a Star poster
7.8

A young boy is tired of the city and escapes into the country. Two strangers trade him a strange seed. The boy accepts and the seed sprouts into a miniature planet, which continues to grow.

The Day I Bought a Star

2006

The Day I Bought a Star poster
7.8

A young boy is tired of the city and escapes into the country. Two strangers trade him a strange seed. The boy accepts and the seed sprouts into a miniature planet, which continues to grow.

The Day I Bought a Star

2006

Ali Baba and the Forty Thieves poster
6.1

A peasant boy and 38 cats band against the tyrannical Ali Baba the 33rd and his cat-phobic genie.

Ali Baba and the Forty Thieves

1971

Panda! Go Panda! poster
7.8

Cheerful Mimiko has a wonderfully strange family—a Panda for her Papa; and his son Panny, calls her Mom! When Panny follows Mimiko to school, he must pretend to be a teddy bear so Mimiko won't get into trouble. Despite his efforts to behave, Panny causes trouble in school and now the school is after Panny! Then, Panny makes a new friend, Tiny, a baby tiger who's wandered off from the circus.

Panda! Go Panda!

1972

Nadia: The Secret of Blue Water - Nautilus Story I poster
NR

The first specially edited memorial episode featuring Jean’s narration. This is a breath-taking sea adventure action animation. The story centers on a series of critical battles by the indestructible submarine, Nautilus and the conflict between Captain Nemo and the Gargoyle. It’s a shorter, more streamlined version of Nadia called "The Nautilus Story", which all but eliminates the filler arc and concentrates on the struggle between Nemo and Gargoyle. Some scenes in the more pivotal episodes are cut as well. The compilation series was made by Hideaki Anno, who was said to have been dissatisfied with the final result of the TV show. The Nautilus Story was only released in Japan on VHS and laserdisc.

Nadia: The Secret of Blue Water - Nautilus Story I

1991