Hayao Miyazaki Retrospective

Overview

Thinking about Japan's greatest animation studio, and one of the men who helped it earn that status, has been a bittersweet experience of late. Both Studio Ghibli and Hayao Miyazaki may have made their final films; however, we'll always have their bustling back catalogue of beautiful, handcrafted fables.

That's what the Gallery of Modern Art is focusing on: the good times and great works gone by, including movies about flying pigs, a goldfish princess and a warrior raised by wolves. As part of GOMA's Cult Japan film lineup at the Australian Cinematheque, they're mounting a Miyazaki retrospective that steps through his output from his first-ever feature, 1979's Lupin III: The Castle of Cagliostro, to his last, 2013's The Wind Rises.

In between, expect all the cinema delights you love, and all the ones you might not yet have caught up with, too. The wondrous worlds of Spirited Away and Howl's Moving Castle are certain highlights, and you owe it to yourself to meet the cute and charming My Neighbour Totoro, journey through Nausicaä of the Valley of the Wind, and subscribe to Kiki’s Delivery Service, if you haven't done so already. Most are being shown on 35mm, a rare treat in this day and age of digital projection. Yes, when it comes to movie magic, this program really does have it all.