Miyazaki Hayao， the Japanese master of fantasy animation， announced his retirement after the recent release of his new film The Wind Rises. Having come to prominence in the 1970s with his animation work for TV， the 73-year-old is now one of the most respected animation directors in the world.

Miyazakis vision has remained unique throughout his many films over the years. The worlds he creates—the teeming post-apocalyptic jungle world of Nausicaa of the Valley of the Wind， the strange 19th-century science fiction of Laputa： Castle in the Sky—are as peculiar as they are captivating.

Here， by explaining the styles， themes and influences of Miyazakis films， we hope to take you—especially if youre unfamiliar with his work—into his magical world and say goodbye to this living legend.

日本奇幻動畫大師宮崎駿發(fā)布新作《起風(fēng)了》，之后便宣布退休。20世紀(jì)70年代，宮崎駿憑借一系列電視動畫片而聲名大噪，現(xiàn)年73歲的他是當(dāng)今全球最受尊敬的動畫導(dǎo)演之一。

多年來，宮崎駿一直在諸多電影作品中發(fā)揮著他那別具一格的想象力。從《風(fēng)之谷》中廣袤的后末日叢林到《天空之城》中的19世紀(jì)科幻怪談，他所創(chuàng)造出的世界光怪陸離，令人著迷。

我們希望能夠通過剖析宮崎駿電影的風(fēng)格、主題和影響力，將讀者（尤其是不熟悉他作品的讀者）帶進他的魔幻世界，從而向這位健在的傳奇人物道別。

Themes of Virtue

Though his films have quite a wide range in their settings， tones and target audience， a number of recurring themes run through Miyazakis films.

Good and Evil

Miyazaki rarely describes simple good and evil. The worlds he creates tend to be complex and ambiguous. For example， even the ominous witch-like figures in Spirited Away and Howls Moving Castle dont seem so bad once you get to know them.

Miyazaki has explained that the lack of clearly defined good and evil is because he sees the 21st century as a complex time， in which old norms are no longer true and need to be reexamined. Simple stereotypes cannot be used， even in childrens films.

Environmentalism

Miyazakis films often emphasize the Earths fragility， especially in the context of critiquing development and pollution. In My Neighbor Totoro， a great tree tops a hillside on which magical creatures reside， and the family worships the tree. This ecological consciousness is echoed in Princess Mononoke with a giant primordial forest， trees， flowers and wolves.

Pacifism

Though his work can be violent， Miyazakis pacifism and opposition to violence go more than surface deep. Conflict and violence are usually seen as misguided and destructive， and Miyazakis heroes are often peacemakers. For example， in Howls Moving Castle， Howls negative view of the war is clear and he refuses to join the fight in any sides.

Moral Formation

A significant theme of moral formation runs through Miyazakis work. Respect for elders， responsibility， courtesy， generosity， maturity， courage， understanding and hard work are all common virtues exhibited by or acquired in the moral formation of Miyazakis young protagonists.

Recurring Features

Besides their progressive themes， in Miyazakis films， viewers frequently encounter the following elements：

Children

Miyazakis protagonists are usually children or teens， more often young girls. For example， My Neighbor Totoro features two young girls who， unlike adults， can see the spirit world， and in Ponyo on the Cliff a boy and a magic creature from the sea become friends. Both Kikis Delivery Service and Spirited Away deal with growing up.

Sky and Water

Two of Miyazakis great loves are sky and water， and he uses them in related ways. Flight is a ubiquitous theme —Miyazaki has never done a film that doesnt involve flying of some kind， whether with gliders， magic brooms， World War I biplanes or with no visible means at all. His imagination seems to constantly soar and leave the pull of gravity behind.

Water is another way for Miyazaki to defy gravity. In his films he likes to unexpectedly flood spaces with crystal—clear water， and objects floating on the surface or drifting through the depths seem to be suspended by magic.

美德主題

盡管他的影片背景與基調(diào)各異，目標(biāo)群體也是十分廣泛，但這些作品中總是反復(fù)出現(xiàn)一些主題。

善與惡

宮崎駿很少描寫簡單的善與惡。他所創(chuàng)造的世界錯綜復(fù)雜，模棱兩可。例如，即便是《千與千尋》和《哈爾的移動城堡》中那些“來者不善”的巫師角色，一旦你了解他們，就會發(fā)現(xiàn)他們似乎并不壞。

宮崎駿曾解釋道，故事之所以缺少善惡分明，是因為他眼中的21世紀(jì)是個復(fù)雜的時代，過去陳舊的準(zhǔn)則將不再奏效，需要重新被審視。即便是在兒童電影中，簡單老套的模式也不再可取。

環(huán)保主義

宮崎駿的電影經(jīng)常會強調(diào)地球的脆弱，在批判發(fā)展與污染問題時尤其如此。在《龍貓》中，山頂?shù)拇髽渖暇幼≈S多奇幻生物，電影中的家庭成員對這棵大樹崇敬有加。在《幽靈公主》中，廣袤無垠的原始森林、樹木、花朵以及狼群無不呼應(yīng)著這一生態(tài)意識。

和平主義

盡管他的作品有時充滿暴力，但是宮崎駿的和平主義與反暴力情結(jié)卻蘊含于故事表面之下。沖突與暴力通常被人們看作是錯誤和破壞性的象征，宮崎駿作品里的英雄經(jīng)常是和平的締造者。例如，在《哈爾的移動城堡》中，哈爾的厭戰(zhàn)情緒顯而易見，他拒絕加入任何一方的斗爭之中。

德行修養(yǎng)

德行修養(yǎng)這個重要主題貫穿了宮崎駿作品的始終。敬老、責(zé)任、禮貌、慷慨、成熟、勇氣、理解以及勤奮，這些都是宮崎駿作品中年輕的主角們身上的共同美德。

反復(fù)出現(xiàn)的特征

宮崎駿作品當(dāng)中除了一些進步主義題材之外，觀眾經(jīng)常還會看到以下一些元素：

兒童

宮崎駿作品中的主角通常是兒童或青少年，大多數(shù)情況下是小女孩。例如，《龍貓》中，兩個小女孩擁有異于成人的能力——她們可以看到精靈世界。又如，在《懸崖上的金魚公主》當(dāng)中，一個男孩與海中精靈成了朋友?！赌北恪泛汀肚c千尋》講述的都是成長的故事。

天空與水

宮崎駿大愛的兩個元素是天空與水，并將這兩者結(jié)合在一起。飛行這個主題無處不在——宮崎駿的作品從不缺乏飛行這個主題，不論是滑翔機、魔法掃帚、一戰(zhàn)時期的雙翼機，或是一些隱形的飛行元素。他的想象力似乎總是天馬行空，把地心引力拋諸腦后。

水是宮崎駿用來擺脫地心引力的又一方式。他在作品中總是喜歡出人意料地讓畫面充滿晶瑩剔透的水元素，漂浮在水面或水下的物體似乎被施了魔法一般，懸浮不動。