Hayao Miyazaki

Hayao Miyazaki (宮崎 駿, Miyazaki Hayao, born January 5, 1941 in Tokyo, Japan) is a famous director of many popular anime films. He also co-founded Studio Ghibli, along with Isao Takahata and Toshio Suzuki. He was almost unknown in the West until the release of Princess Mononoke in 1997. His later film, Spirited Away, went on to be the first anime to ever win an Academy Award. Howl's Moving Castle and The Wind Rises were nominated for Academy Awards (on separate years) but did not win.

Miyazaki's films usually have common themes among them, including the typical struggle between good and evil, environmentalism, and politics. The protagonists are usually strong, independent girls or young women and the villains are typically uncertain in nature with redeeming qualities.