Hayao Miyazaki To Receive Lifetime Achievement Award

When it comes to animation, there are legends, and then there are guys like Hayao Miyazaki. The iconic artist is regarded as one of the best animation visionaries to share their talent, and it looks like the Studio Ghibli co-founder will be get a major award to honor all his accomplishments.

Recently, The Hollywood Reporter informed fans that Miyazaki will be honored by the Los Angeles Film Critics Association (LAFCA) soon. The organization has confirmed it will grant its coveted Career Achievement Award to Miyazaki early next year.

According to reports, LAFCA will award the honor next January. The event will take place in California, and there is no word on whether Miyzaki will attend the ceremony to accept the award in person.

Detailing the honor, LAFCA president Claudia Puig said the decision to honor the anime visionary was a very simple one to make.

"The way in which Miyazaki inspires an audience's sense of wonder is unmatched. I particularly admire his depiction of self-sufficient, determined and courageous female characters who don't need saving. He has explained his cinematic approach simply: 'Any woman is just as capable of being a hero as any man.' These words resonate more powerfully than ever in our current times."

Of course, this isn't the first award Miyazaki has earned, and it isn't even the first lifetime achievement honor. In 1998, the Annie Awards bestowed the artist with its Winsor McCay Award, an honor which recognizes an individual's contributions to animation. Miyazaki has also earned prestigious awards from the Venice International Film Festival and Governors Awards.

This upcoming award is a special one which Miyazaki can add to his collection, but it will surely not be the last one the animator is given. The artist famously retired back in 2013, leaving Studio Ghibli behind for a peaceful retirement; However, Miyazaki recently doubled back on his retirement to undertake a final film with the studio he helped co-found. The movie, which is titled How Do You Live?, is currently in production and hopes to be a final masterpiece for the director. At this point, the movie has no release date, but audiences are certain the film will touch them as deeply as all the others Miyazaki has made.

Are you impressed by the legacy Miyazaki has created for anime? Let me know in the comments or hit me up on Twitter @MeganPetersCB to talk all things comics and anime!