The Academy Awards has chosen their recipients for their next annual honorary lifetime achievement Oscar, and now-retired film director, animator, producer and screenwriter, Hayao Miyazaki is on that list.
Miyazaki gained international attention for his storytelling and creation of anime films for Studio Ghibli, which he co-founded with Isao Takahata. He's been compared to acclaimed filmmakers such as Steven Spielberg and Walt Disney. He's given us many animated classics, such as "Laputa: Castle In The Sky," "My Neighbor Totoro," "Kiki's Delivery Service" and "Princess Mononoke."
Studio Ghibli even created animations for video game Ni no Kuni: Wrath of the White Witch, which was a hit with gamers, as well as critics, and received several "Best RPG" awards.
Miyazaki's work is no stranger to the Academy Awards. One of his movies has a trophy of its own: "Spirited Away" won Best Animated Feature in 2002. Miyazaki, however, did not receive the award in person, refusing to attend the ceremony in protest of U.S. military action in Iraq.
Two of his other films, "Howl's Moving Castle" and "The Wind Rises" both have nominations for that same award. "The Wind Rises" was Miyazaki's last film.
Miyazaki is known for his dedication to hand-drawn animation.
"We take cell animation and digitize it in order to enrich the visual look, but everything starts with the human hand drawing," Miyazaki said in a rare 2002 interview. "And the color standard is dictated by the background. We don't make up a color on the computer."
Last year, Miyazaki announced his retirement, much to the chagrin of fans of his work. His leaving of the studio caused an uproar, followed by rumors that the much beloved studio was closing. However, Studio Ghibli insists that the studio is just halting production temporarily while they do some restructuring.
"On what to do with Studio Ghibli's future, it is by no means impossible to keep producing forever," says former Studio Ghibli president Toshio Suzuki. "However, we will take a brief pause to consider where to go from here."
Although, Miyazaki is known most for his films, he is also a manga artist and has worked in the medium since 1969. Even now, after his announcement of retirement, he is working on an as-of-yet untitled samurai manga.
Others being honored for their lifetime achievements at the Academy Awards are screenwriter Jean-Claude Carriere and actress Maureen O'Hara. Actor Harry Belafonte will receive an Oscar for the Jean Hersholt Humanitarian Award.
