How great is Hayao Miyazaki? Domestically, three of his movies are among the top five money-earners: His "Spirited Away" from 2001 outstrips even "Titanic" and "Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone." Globally, his movies are the darlings of international film festivals. "Spirited Away" took the Golden Bear Prize, the highest award at the Berlin International Film Festival, in 2002, making it the first and only animated film to take the top honors.
Arguably the world's most famous animated film director, he is a role model for young people. Many wannabe "anime" creators apply for jobs at Studio Ghibli, the studio and production company he cofounded in Tokyo in 1985 with Isao Takahata, a colleague from Toei Animation Co. and elsewhere. Studio Ghibli now has 140 employees.
Miyazaki's latest movie is "Ponyo on the Cliff by the Sea," which tells the story of the friendship between a genetically modified girl-fish and a human boy. It was shown at the Venice Film Festival that ended Sept. 6 but did not win a prize.