Wes Anderson Praises Neon Genesis Evangelion, Studio Ghibli in New Interview

When it comes to film, there are some directors you can never forget. Greats like Francis Ford Coppola continue to inspire movie lovers while living legends such as Steven Spielberg are still in the game. This list includes Wes Anderson as well since the visionary director just released a new movie in theaters. And in a recent chat, Anderson nodded to animation by sharing his love of anime with the world.

The update comes from Konbini as the program spoke with Anderson during his press tour for Asteroid City. It was there the filmmaker got into the nitty gritty aspects of directing, and he reviewed a number of things that inspire him. It turns out animation is on that list, and when asked to explain, Anderson brought up Neon Genesis Evangelion as well as Studio Ghibli.

“Neon Genesis Evangelion, this is a strange series.It is very peculiar. Sometimes, someone makes a fiction that is so complicated that people will get so absorbed in it that they can turn it into a religion… This is one of those kind of things. I could easily see someone becoming a Neon Genesis Evangelion fanatic and converting their religion,” he said.

Continuing, the director points out Isao Takahata and Hayao Miyazaki. The two co-founded Studio Ghibli decades ago, and Anderson said the pair have created some of cinema’s best films.

“This is from [Isao] Takahata, Miyazaki’s sort of partner in Studio Ghibli. [Only Yesterday] is so good because it is a grown-up story. It is sort of a memory story… This is a very touching one. Miyazaki, and Studio Ghibli in general, that has a great body of work and is a treasure for cinema. I think over the last 10 years, [Ghibli] has become so international,” Anderson said before adding, “[Takahata] had a different voice than Miyazaki, but they always helped each other with their films.”

Obviously, Anderson has great affection for animation. His interest in anime is well-documented as the filmmaker has before praised Evangelion. It seems the genre-bending anime continues to itch Anderson’s brain to this day, and of course, he is not alone there. Evangelion is one of anime’s most iconic IPs for a reason.

As for Studio Ghibli, Anderson will be delighted to know a new movie from the company is on the horizon. Miyazaki is set to premiere How Do You Live in Japan starting July 14th, and the mysterious movie has foregone any marketing in hopes of surprising audiences in this digital age.

What do you think about Anderson’s take here? Do you agree with his anime opinions or…? Let us know what you think in the comments below as well as on Twitter and Instagram. You can also hit me up @MeganPetersCB to share your take!