Hayao Miyazaki

“I think Tokyo is going to sink under water soon. All those stupid high-rise buildings will sink and maybe all the traffic will be gone. And everything will be peaceful and quiet.”

“I’ve become skeptical of the unwritten rule that just because a boy and girl appear in the same feature, a romance must ensue. Rather, I want to portray a slightly different relationship, one where the two mutually inspire each other to live - if I’m able to, then perhaps I’ll be closer to portraying a true expression of love.”

“In the past, humans hesitated when they took lives, even non-human lives. But society had changed, and they no longer felt that way. As humans grew stronger, I think that we became quite arrogant, losing the sorrow of 'we have no other choice.' I think that in the essence of human civilization, we have the desire to become rich without limit, by taking the lives of other creatures.”

“I can't do a film after having debated it. I am unable to do a film while discussing it with my team. I issue directives. I do not achieve it otherwise.”

“I do all my work by storyboard, so as I draw the storyboard, the world gets more and more complex, and as a result, my North, South, East, West directions kind of shift and go off base, but it seems like my staff as well as the audience, doesn't quite realize that this has happened. Don't tell them about it.”

“Is someone different at age 18 or 60? I believe one stays the same.”

“We live in an age when it is cheaper to buy the rights to movies than to make them.”

“Humans have both the urge to create and destroy.”

“All my films are all my children.”

“I get inspiration from my everyday life.”

“See that house with the Ivy on it? From that rooftop, what if you leapt onto the next rooftop, dashed over that blue & green wall, climbed and jumped up the pipe, ran across the roof and jumped to the next? You can, in animation.If you could walk along the cable, you could see the other side. When you look from above, so many things reveal themselves to you. Maybe race along the concrete wall. Suddenly, there in your humdrum town there is a magical movie. Isn’t it fun to see things that way? Feels like you could go somewhere far beyond……maybe you can…”

“I can't stand modern movies. The images are too weird and eccentric for me.”

“I create women characters by watching the female staff at my studio. Half the staff are women.”

“Currently computer graphics are used a great deal, but it can be excessive.”

“Many of my movies have strong female leads- brave, self-sufficient girls that don't think twice about fighting for what they believe with all their heart. They'll need a friend, or a supporter, but never a savior. Any woman is just as capable of being a hero as any man.”

“It would be wonderful if I could see the end of civilization during my lifetime.”

“My process is thinking, thinking and thinking - thinking about my stories for a long time.”

“I never read reviews. I'm not interested. But I value a lot the reactions of the spectators.”

“We get strength and encouragement from watching children.”

“I think it's really good for a family or children to have a dog, cat, bird or whatever to grow up with.”