Princess Miyazaki 's Films : A Social, Political, Economic, And Environmental Issue

Pollution has become a serious political issue. Humans that live among nature prevent damaging effects like pollution from occurring because nature is their habitat that they want to protect. This simple difference in lifestyle and in attitude already majorly distinguishes the two groups of humans. Ego is not the only factor in destruction, however. The lack of awareness about the consequences of destruction of nature causes destruction of nature. Well-known consequences like pollution exist, but there are some that are not as obvious. In the Indian fable “Numskull and Rabbit ”, the forest creatures describe how the lion’s murderous nature is not only ending lives, but is also preventing the birth of future lives as a result. An example of this mass destruction is evident in the second image from the movie, where cages full of jailed chickens that are hoarded like they are just objects are about to become poultry for human sustenance . Core principles of evolution state that reproduction of a species is imperative to their survival. If a species has a reduction in population, then the food chain becomes unbalanced, which can impact many species negatively. Humans who live among nature are more aware of their environment and how it impacts their lifestyles, so they are more careful in making sure that they do not injure its natural order. The destruction of nature is caused by simple

Miyazaki’s childhood was short as he was born January 5, 1941 during World War II, thus without exception, his films main characters are children, deal with growing up and often consist of one young female lead and one young male lead. This is evident in My Neighbor Totoro (1988) as the two main characters are young girls who, unlike adults, can see and befriend the spirits of the spirit world. In Spirited Away (2001), the leading character Chihiro is a young girl who must deal with growing up, similarly to Kiki in Kiki’s Delivery Service (1989). Princess Mononoke (1997) also features these stock characters in the form of young San, adopted daughter of the wolf goddess Moro and Prince Ashitaka, a young girl and boy. Hayao Miyazaki has expressed strong feelings about childhood, saying that it's a paradisiacal time when, "you're protected by your parents and unaware of the problems around you". Miyazaki’s upbringing during World War II would explain another unique mark of his films, that being his interest in flight.

Japan is home to millions of individuals. All of them with different beliefs, religions, and traditions. Japan has a long and influential visual arts history. More specifically, the Japanese film industry has had a large influence on the cinematic world stage. Due to Japans tragic and destructive history, several different categories of society were affected. Their economic industry and visual arts industry are just some examples. Japans history has had consequences on both its social and political sectors. These reactions/repercussions can be seen in Japans film industry. In my paper, I will be looking at the political and social issues involved in the movies Spirited Away and Roshamon. The repercussions of World War 2 are important in understanding both of these Japanese films. The women portrayed in these films are both respected and docile. Moreover, the genres of these films have had a lasting effect on society.

Director, screenwriter, and producer, Stephen Spielberg, has been often described by critics as being one of the trailblazers who paved the way for the new Hollywood era. In fact, one of Spielberg’s earliest films, JAWS, captured the audience’s attentions so vividly that the movie remains to be a cult classic even decades later. The audience sunk its teeth deep into the enticing combination of drama, thrill, science-fiction, and adventure the film obtained. At face value, JAWS appears to be focused on a giant monstrous fish, but with further analyzation of the plot structure, narration, and original music demonstrates the brilliance and complexity of why JAWS is a well deserving Oscar-winning movie.

In the animated film Princess Mononoke, Miyazaki conveys several themes and main ideas. The themes and main ideas he conveys in the movie are that hatred corrupts and causes people to make bad decisions, shown through the boars, that greed corrupts and ruins,shown through Lady Eboshi, and that nature can only exist with help from humans, shown through Ashitaka.

the struggles of the individual, which truly means nature is doing what it always does, but the

In the past, there have been countless princess movies or so-called “Cinderella” films. However, the general message that each one of these movies have given has changed as time has progressed. With this change, expectations placed on the princesses have been modified as well. This change in expectations has been thoroughly discussed by two authors, James Poniewozik and Peggy Orenstein. Poniewozik, a media and television critic for Time magazine, wrote an article entitled “The Princess Paradox” where he discusses this evolution of expectations. As well as him, Orenstein, a contributing writer for the New York Times Magazine, wrote an article with the title of “Cinderella and Princess Culture” where she also discusses the development of the expectations on girls. Even though Poniewozik and Orenstein discuss the evolution of expectations portrayed on girls, Orenstein is able to illuminate the more complex ideas that Poniewozik is attempting to express based on the expectations of girls.

The director Miyazaki utilizes both physical and visual elements as represented by the characters, in order to communicate and individualize unique character traits and contrasting personalities. Miyazaki’s placing emphasis on character development is a significant aspect of not only the narrative, but also asserts how each gender is represented in a different way.

In “Feminism and Disney Princess” Corey Gross uses popular Disney movies to illustrate the gender issues that occur. In addition to that he mentions that he is not here to start a debate. Gross is a proponent of women’s rights, social justice, and freedom. He explains each female’s obstacles and what they stand for. For example, in the popular movie Aladdin, Princess Jazmine is being told who she can and cannot marry.

“Once upon a time in a faraway land, there was a tiny kingdom; peaceful, prosperous, and rich in romance and tradition.” (Cinderella, 1950) This is the ideology that has

Many differences can be seen between Steve Ryfle’s article “Godzilla’s Footprint” and Susan Sontag’s well known 1965 article “Imagination of Disaster” as Ryfle talks about the Japanese’s imagination perspective while Sontag talks about the American imagination perspective of there view points on science fiction films. Furthermore, Ryfle takes an intensive approach toward Godzilla has he provides evidence that advances his argument with the help of Susan Napier’s article “Panic Sites” where she demonstrated key points toward Japanese science fiction films and relate to Ryfle’s point of view. Whereas the famous Feminist write of the 1950’s and 60’s, Sontag disagrees with Ryfle on his idea and

Abrstract: This essay will explore why Americans feel the need to censor Japanese Animation, how the Japanese culture differs from American culture, and how to solve the growing debate of the censorship of Japanese media.

The way Hayao Miyazaki entices his viewers to accept his idea about a new relationship between nature and humanity was never really talked about or discussed in the past couple of years. The film ‘My Neighbor Totoro,’ with all the religious elements and the social impact it had established the director Miyazaki as one of the best animators not just in Japan, but around the world. What really gives this film power and fame is not just the mysterious and magical world it has or the cute character that Miyazaki created, but also the film’s way of influencing the audience by conveying an unfamiliar message about this three-layered relationship between nature and humans. Comparing both Miyazaki’s childhood memories and the story depicted helps him connect the audience’s feelings with the characters and making this realistic representation of human emotion in the film believable and realistic not only to children, but even to adults. What also makes the world more familiar to the spectators is the director’s use of a common fear from many people’s early years in this unknown and magical world. This common fear is clearly illustrated when the girls meet Susuwatari, a black spirit in the old empty house that stays in dark spaces and prefers to be left alone, and only children can see it. The introduction of this spirit is a good transition between the world of magic and reality. It confirms and insists about the existence of the unknown, and introduces a world of illusion and

The good thing about films is that we not only have the opportunity to choose from a wide selection of different genres, but also compare them and understand their purpose in the world. The Horror genre has used the basic principles throughout time, and as a result, films of this type have not proven to be as timeless as another genre: Science Fiction/Fantasy. At first, these two genres might at times seem similar as they have at several occasions been blended together, but their basic, common theme serves different meanings about humans. I shall compare and contrast these two genres and focus on both classic films and modern films. From the Horror genre perspective I shall discuss Psycho (1960) and The Mist (2007), while in the Science Fiction/Fantasy genre I will examine 2001: A Space Odyssey (1968), Pan’s Labyrinth (2006), and Serenity (2005). Although the Science Fiction/Fantasy genre and the Horror Genre share some similarities, the differences lie in their focus on human progress.

Traditionally, animated films have been made for and consumed by children, with the plotlines and themes being relatively basic and forthright. However, recent years have seen the release of animated films that explore significantly more adult themes and thought provoking ideas. Perhaps the most confronting example of adult themes in an animated film is in 2016’s ‘Zootopia’. The film forces viewers to think about concepts such as racial segregation, nature vs. nurture and the debilitating effect of stereotyping. Although Zootopia features anthropomorphic animals, it is easy to draw a connection between the film’s prey vs. predator narrative and racial divide in our own society.