Hayao Miyazaki is a popular Japanese animator who has internationally become a household name from his hit movies like Spirited Away and My Neighbor Totoro. He has had a successful decades-long career which first started in 1963 when he got his first animator role at Toei Animation after he graduated from Gakushuin University, where he majored in economics. During his time at Toei, he worked on projects such as Wolf Boy Ken and Little Norse Prince.
He left the company in 1971 and freelanced for films such as Panda! Go Panda!, and Lupin III: Castle of Cagliostro. He also produced a monthly manga strip called Nausicaä of the Valley of the Wind for Animage Magazine. In 1985, he decided to take a risk by co-founding Studio Ghibli with Isao Takahata, who is also an animator. Their first project was Castle in the Sky and Warriors of the Wind.
© Getty ImagesThe leap of faith was worth it, as the studio went on to deliver some of the most monumental works of animation including My Neighbor Totoro in 1988, Kiki's Delivery Service in 1989, Princess Mononoke in 1997 and the most iconic animation of Spirited Away in 2001. His unique vision for storytelling quite literally paid off, being that the legendary animator has a whopping net worth of $50 million, according to Celebrity Net Worth.
© Getty ImagesMy Neighbor Totoro was a hit and went on to have its own merchandise after the success it garnered. Princess Mononoke went on to break Japanese box-office records. Spirited Away won the Academy Award for Best Animation, as well as the top prizes at the Berlin International Fest and at the Hong Kong Film Awards in 2002. The movie even earned Hayao a Japanese Academy Award for Best Picture. The film also took the top spot for the highest-grossing movie in Japan's history, as it replaced Titanic.
© Getty ImagesNot only does Hayao have a refreshing take on animation, but he also has a mission to help empower young girls and women through his art. He consciously features strong female protagonists in all of his animations. Hayao's next film after Spirited Away was Howl's Moving Castle in 2004, and it was nominated for an Academy Award in 2006. In 2008 Hayao released Ponyo, which was another box-office hit. Later down the line, Hayao's son Goro directed his film From Up on Poppy Hill in 2011.
© Getty ImagesIn 2013, The Wind Rises was released, which got Hayao nominated for another Academy Award in 2014. Hayao also created the short film Boro The Caterpillar for the Ghibli Museum in 2018. Hayao didn't want to remain in retirement, therefore in 2023 he released The Boy and the Heron, for which he won a Golden Globe, BAFTA and an Oscar in 2024 for Best Animated Feature.
