Happy Birthday! Hayao Miyazaki Turns 76 Years Old Today

Miyazaki was born on January 5, 1941, in Bunkyō, Tokyo, Japan.The artist and creator is celebrating his 76th birthday today.

Miyazaki is the legendary founder of Japanese animation company Studio Ghibli, and the director of many of its most popular and iconic films.

The breakout film for Miyazaki in the west was Princess Mononoke, a fantasy film that displayed some of Miyazaki’s most persistent themes, most notably his pacifist and environmentalist leanings. Princess Mononoke is returning to theaters to celebrate both Miyazaki’s birthday and the 20th anniversary of the film.

He followed Princess Mononoke up with perhaps his most popular film, Spirited Away, about a young girl who becomes lost and finds herself working at a bathhouse for spirits.

His earlier works include the Lupin III film The Castle of Cogliostro, and Nausicaa of the Valley of the Wind, which was an adaption of his own manga of the same name. Other highlights of his directing career include Castle in the Sky, My Neighbor Totoro, Kiki’s Delivery Service, Howl’s Moving Castle, and Ponyo.

Miyazaki announced his retirement in 2013, but his retirement didn’t stick. In 2016, Miyazaki announced he was coming out of retirement to make one last film.

Happy birthday, Hayao Miyazaki!