Studio Ghibli's Hayao Miyazaki is a director of legendary proportions, a man whose name is known by families around the globe. The man himself often comes off as grumpy in interviews, but one quote from a new book reveals just how personal he makes his films.

Hayao Miyazaki's directing career is one of the most respectable in the world, with massive hits like My Neighbor Totoro, Spirited Away, and now, The Boy and the Heron. Since Miyazaki came out of retirement to make The Boy and the Heron, it was very important to him that this movie was of exceptionally high quality, and that it be very emotionally driven. The movie's Japanese title, How Do You Live?, was taken from a book which meant a lot to Miyazaki as a boy, and much of the film's content is drawn from Miyazaki's memories. So, how does this personal film change Miyazaki?

Miyazaki Has One Firm Belief

The Boy and the Heron Had One Major Message to Teach

Hayao Miyazaki is often in the news for his more contentious views. He thinks rather poorly of anime and Japanese animation in general, saying that it's "made by humans who can't stand looking at other humans." He's also rather vocally anti-war, as well as an environmentalist, and has recently come out strongly against the use of AI in generating art, calling it "an insult to life itself." All these factors come together to paint a picture of a cantankerous old man, albeit one who happens to be incredibly skilled at developing narratives and films.

According to the new book, The Art of The Boy and the Heron, Miyazaki addressed the assembled staff of Studio Ghibli on July 3, 2017, holding something of an "opening ceremony" for the film's production. In his address, Miyazaki talked about how the film's content draws heavily from his personal experiences during World War 2. Of the story's themes, Miyazaki said, "I'm interested in how persuasively we can depict our protagonist slipping out of this trap, and how we can make it seem like there is value in living in this world after that escape. I believe that is our theme—no, our task."

The key element of that sentence is, of course, the idea that "there is value in living in this world," something that can't necessarily be taken as a given. It's certainly a far cry from "anime was a mistake," the quote that Miyazaki is perhaps most known for these days, and helps illuminate an important part of Ghibli and Miyazaki's process. The important themes of the film were established very early on, ensuring that they could be embedded in every aspect of the production, from the art to the dialog.

Miyazaki's Quote Reveals a Softer Side to the Legend

Miyazaki's Words Confirm His True Feelings

For someone as often exasperated with the state of the world as Miyazaki, it's certainly interesting that he would explicitly state that "there is value in living in this world." Trying to prove that statement in the film, which is set during the final stretch of World War 2, seems like an uphill battle, to say the least; it's hard to imagine a world less valuable to live in than post-World War 2 Japan, which was devastated by bombing campaigns. Yet, that was still the idea that he wanted everyone working on the film to keep in mind, and that's what saves it from becoming too bleak.

If Miyazaki were really as miserly and grumpy as people sometimes portray him as, then a wartime film like The Boy and the Heron would be a far darker affair than it is. The film surely doesn't pull its punches, but it also never loses track of the idea that life is worth living and has meaning, even if it's a meaning we make for ourselves. It's a film colored by loss and struggle, but one that's ultimately hopeful, and which demonstrates the importance of maintaining that theme throughout. Pulling from his own memory and experiences, Miyazaki was surely looking ahead at his life as well.

How Miyazaki's Quote Colors His Other Films

Belief in a World Worth Living In Is Common in Ghibli Movies

The Boy and the Heron is far from the only Studio Ghibli film that deals with this theme of there being value in living. Miyazaki's films, for example, are highly critical of war, as seen in Porco Rosso and Howl's Moving Castle. Many Ghibli films focus on the impact of war on the common folk, who have nothing to gain from war, but everything to lose. But even during these difficult times, there remains a value in life, and that's because better days lie ahead. Violence is always portrayed as a struggle for characters, and something that comes about only as a last resort.

Spirited Away touches on this theme as well, with there being value in Chihiro's ordinary life with her parents, which she's desperately trying to regain throughout the film. Miyazaki has said, "[Chihiro] manages not because she has destroyed the 'evil', but because she has acquired the ability to survive." Gaining that ability to survive is key to finding value in one's life, something that appears in other films of his as well. While the family in The Boy and the Heron is far from the ideal family Chihiro has, for example, it's still a family that's worth struggling for.

Overall, Miyazaki may have an outwardly grumpy persona, but the truth of the matter is that he has a sentimental side which often comes out during his movies. His quote about finding value in life proves that Miyazaki, despite all the bad things he sees in the world, still thinks this world isn't beyond saving, and that there are worthwhile things to live for, even at his age. Miyazaki truly isn't the grumpy old man who hates everything, but rather has a heart of gold, and it's only his concerns about the future that make Studio Ghibli's iconic director seem that way.