The renowned filmmaker and enthusiast has been absent at the awards for a second time. Miyazaki, known for his work with his production company Studio Ghibli, has not attended the Academy Awards twice this time, even after winning the Academy Award for Best Animated Feature Film.
With numerous nominations and two Oscars, Miyazaki is undoubtedly one of the best animated filmmakers of his era. He is known for directing movies with subtlety and a plot that fills viewers with joy and anticipation. He is known for The Wind Rises, Howl’s Moving Castle, Laputa: Castle in the Sky, and his latest work, The Boy and the Heron.
Miyazaki and The Oscars
In the 2003 Academy Awards, for his film Spirited Away, Miyazaki and Studio Ghibli won the Academy Award for Best Animated Feature. But he didn’t show up to the award function.
A few years later, in 2009, he said, “I didn’t want to visit a country that was bombing Iraq.” (via Los Angeles Times)
Breaking his six-year boycott of the US to honor his friend, Pixar Animation Studios Creative Chief John Lasseter, he visited the Comic Con in 2009.
In the 75th Oscars in 2024, Miyazaki again received the award. But as usual, his absence was expected from fans all over the world. Netizens took to X, formerly known as Twitter, to share their speculations on why he didn’t attend the award function.
Hayao Miyazaki didn't go to the #Oscars in 2003 because of his opposition to the catastrophic inhumanity of the Iraq War. if only we could know why he wasn't at the 2024 Oscars either.
— david ehrlich (@davidehrlich) March 10, 2024
Some users connected his absence to the ongoing genocide of the Palestinian people, reinstating his boycott of the states. But sources confirmed it instead was connected to his age.
Miyazaki, who turned 83 in January of this year, has been considering retirement for a long time. Stating The Boy and the Heron as his last work in the filmmaking industry, he cited his deteriorating health and decrepit age as a reason.
The Boy and the Heron- fan reactions
In 2017, Hayao Miyazaki and Studio Ghibli announced an unnamed film to the general public as his very last work before retirement from the industry.
Little to no promotional work was done during the film’s production and release. Very little was known about the film as there was no trailer, no updates, and the only clue about the film was a poster.
Production started in 2017 and went on for almost seven years, becoming the most expensive film ever produced in Japan. Due to the pandemic, the complications in production set them back two years, with a deadline set for the Summer Olympics in 2020. (via Slate)
The Boy and the Heron was released theatrically in Japan on July 14, 2023. Despite the minimal marketing strategy, the film had its biggest opening weekend ever, beating Howl’s Moving Castle by $12.8 million, according to The Hollywood Reporter.
Although initial reactions were mixed, critics praised the film for its in-depth exploration and attention to detail. International reviews were overwhelmingly positive at its overseas release.
