Hayao Miyazaki Interview at UC Berkeley Center for Japanese Studies

 I had the pleasure of attending this lecture a few years ago. My favorite part of the interview was when Miyazaki talked about his house and how it's located next to a river that frequently floods. He said that he has enough money to move the house higher up the mountain but instead would rather keep it where it is so that when the river floods he'll experience the disaster with his fellow neighbors. I also liked his thoughts on chaos and how he uses it as a theme in many of his films.

Miyazaki is also featured on CNN's 'Talk Asia' this week. He talks about Studio Ghibli and the recent earthquake that rocked Japan last March. If I can find the full length version of the interview aired last night I'll post it up. Below is a link to the story and a couple of clips from the interview.

Hayao Miyazaki: The world's greatest animator via CNN

Storytelling and Techniques of Hayao Miyazaki

// Interview with Hayao Miyazaki

Hayao Miyazaki: The Essence of Humanity

The Tale of Princess Kaguya: Interview with Isao Takahata co-founder of Studio Ghibli

"Isao Takahata is a Japanese film director, animator, screenwriter and producer who has earned critical international acclaim for his work as a director of anime films. Takahata is the co-founder of Studio Ghibli along with long-time collaborative partner Hayao Miyazaki. He has directed films such as the war-themed Grave of the Fireflies, the romantic drama Only Yesterday, the ecological adventure Pom Poko, and the comedy My Neighbors the Yamadas. Unlike most anime directors, Takahata does not draw and never worked as an animator before becoming a full-fledged director." More info on Wikipedia