The Films of Hayao Miyazaki: Unlikely Heroes in Magical Worlds
By Gitika “Aki” Sanjay
In Hayao Miyazaki’s Oscar-winning Spirited Away, arguably one of the most popular films of the animation world, the hero is not the river-god/ dragon-spirit Haku, brave and powerful as he is. Nor is it the cunning spinster Kamaji, who keeps the spirit world running smoothly from behind the scenes. It’s Chihiro - a young girl, only ten years old and not conventionally strong or especially intelligent - who is the film’s hero.
And it’s not just Chihiro. Hayao Miyazaki, filmmaker and co-founder of renowned animation company Studio Ghibli, has long redefined the traditional concept of the hero. In most animated films - or even fantasy films in general - heroes are thrust into quests, often physically capable and courageous without question. Studio Ghibli films still have plenty of adventure - often with magic thrown in as well - but Miyazaki adds to the narrative of the hero, creating characters who are unlikely protagonists, but protagonists nonetheless.
Consider Sophie, from Howl’s Moving Castle: she is a hatmaker’s apprentice, second to her sociable sisters and destined to live a quiet, unremarkable life. One day, when heading to see her sister, she is bothered by two soldiers, but a mysterious man intervenes, and flies them to safety - leaving Sophie to her regular day. Things take a turn, though, when she is cursed by the envious Witch of the Waste: she turns into an old woman and decides she must leave her home to find a cure. After journeying briefly into the wildlands around the city, she is guided by a turnip-headed creature to a great, walking castle - which is soon revealed to be the home of the mysterious magician who saved her only days prior - Howl Pendragon.
Audiences might expect Howl to step into the role of the hero: he certainly exhibits all the typical characteristics of one. He’s powerful, charming, intelligent - and beautiful. By contrast, Sophie is simple - she does not possess the unique talents that typical heroes have, and she is not particularly skilled in any specific area; she’s even lost her youth. It’s soon revealed, though, that despite Howl’s charisma and magic, he’s deeply flawed, vain, and reckless. He’s torn apart by the ongoing war, and has no sense of his own limits, often placing himself in unnecessary danger. He’s volatile on the worst days, moody on the best.
It’s Sophie that becomes the beating heart of Howl’s castle and its inhabitants. She cares for Markl, Howl’s young protégé, and soothes Calcifer, the sentient flame curiously connected to Howl himself. She even cares for Madame Suliman, the witch who cursed her, after Suliman is stripped of her powers and reduced to a helpless state. And throughout this time, Sophie is still coming to terms with her own reality as an 18-year-old girl in an 80-year-old body. While Howl is away fighting battles or crying in a bathroom over his hair, Sophie keeps the castle running.
Her attentions soon shift to Howl himself, as it becomes overwhelmingly clear that the wars he is entangled with are going to claim his life. Without hesitation, she throws herself into the struggle between Howl and Calcifer, saving them both. Even when Howl seems to have succumbed to his power, leaving him in the form of a menacing raven, Sophie still cares for him, and finds a way to revert the transformation while keeping Calcifer, Markl, Madame Suliman, and Turnip-Head safe. She is the ultimate saviour, not because she demonstrates any literal feats of strength or magic or intelligence as Howl does, but because of her unwavering compassion, even for things she is scared of or doesn’t fully understand. Sophie’s greatest power is her heart and her ability to care for people or things - even sentient vegetables.
It is perhaps through her juxtaposition with Howl, strong and erratic as he is, that Miyazaki emphasises her heroism even further. Though Howl may seem to be the ideal hero, Sophie is the true one. She is not conventionally beautiful, not young, not physically capable, not extraordinary, not cunning; she is, however, kind without exception, and in the world of Ghibli films, kindness is powerful enough to save lives and end wars.
Moreover, Ghibli films often focus on young girls: Sophie and Chihiro, but also San from Princess Mononoke, Kiki from Kiki’s Delivery Service, and Satsuki from My Neighbour Totoro, to name a few. “I wanted to make a movie,” Miyazaki said in 2002, “especially for the daughters of my friends.” He was speaking of Spirited Away, but could have been referring to nearly any of his movies; Spirited Away is just one of his extensive repertoire of works that demonstrate a tactful understanding of the complexities of girlhood.
In many Western animated films as well as other Japanese anime films and shows, the roles and characteristics of male and female characters are clearly defined, as are the boundaries of hero and villain, weak and strong, good and evil. Miyazaki bends these divisions, and allows his characters, male and female, to step outside of social stereotypes and exist as well-developed, nuanced personalities, outside of gender. Take Kiki from Kiki’s Delivery Service as a demonstration: she is, in some ways, stereotypically feminine, dreaming of beautiful clothes and wearing a bright red bow in her hair. But she’s also stubborn and smart, disciplined and impulsive: she’s nuanced, and that is Miyazaki’s strongest trait as a writer and a filmmaker. He creates nuance in characters, making them stunningly human - even when they’re magical.
Hayao Miyazaki’s films are enchanting and entrancing, simple and ornate, quiet and chaotic in the most wonderful ways. Hand-drawn and stunningly crafted, they have defined animation for the past decades, and yet it’s not only the art that keeps audiences returning to the worlds of Sophie and Chihiro and San time and time again. Miyazaki is a master of blurring the lines and for creating heroes from the most unlikely characters, whether a young girl thrust into a world of spirits, or a hatmaker thrown into a cycle of war and magic and love. Kindness and compassion are different in each Ghibli world: it can mean forgiving enemies, caring for strangers, or giving up everything to help someone who can’t help themselves. Sometimes it can mean stepping into responsibilities beyond your capabilities, with little relief or thanks. It can be made up of small, everyday gestures, or grand acts, but you don’t need be the strongest, the bravest, the most powerful - you need to be kind. It’s caring, compassionate hearts. that can charm soot-sprites, or rescue a nameless spirit - or even save the world.
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