Hayao Miyazaki Trends Globally in Honor of His 80th Birthday

Today marks a day of great celebration within the anime and film fandoms. Hayao Miyazaki, the legendary director under Studio Ghibli, turns 80 years old today. The artist is known the world over for his whimsical and gorgeous art that shines brightly in films such as Spirited Away.

As you can imagine, fans have been quick to honor Miyazaki on his birthday. Tributes have poured in from around the world as film institutions, animators, actors, and more have shown the director their love. After all, Miyazaki is a household name in many places, and his films have become bonafide treasures with movie buffs.

Born in Tokyo in January 1941, Miyazaki was one of four sons. His father helped created machinery for planes during World War II, and his family was forced to move from city to city due to bombings. He aspired to become a manga artist from a young age, and he began a job at Toei Animation in 1963 after attending college.

From there, Miyazaki went on to work on numerous projects as an animator under Toei Animation, and he grew a large group of friends. By 1985, Miyazaki chose to leave Toei Animation to form Studio Ghibli alongside Isao Takahata and Toshio Suzuki. The trio would go on to roll out projects such as Castle in the Sky, My Neighbor Totoro, Kiki's Delivery Service, and more. Of course, Miyazaki's work on Spirited Away went on to push Studio Ghibli into the West as it picked up an Academy Award for Best Animated Feature. Today, Studio Ghibli still stands as one of Japan's premier animation houses, and Miyazaki is currently working on his next film How Do You Live? which is based on a popular Japanese children's tale.

Have you sent Miyazaki your birthday wishes yet...? Which of his films is your favorite? Share your thoughts with us in the comments section below or hit me up on Twitter @MeganPetersCB.