Hayao Miyazaki

Most people may not know what studio Ghibli is (mores the pity for them) and even fewer people know who Hayao Miyazaki is, but he's a legend. He's compared to Walt Disney for gods sake! Basically, he's an animation god. His animated films are world renowned and have won many Major awards, competing with live actions films for box office gross in Japan. But the cool thing about Miyazaki is that, "Miyazaki is a feminist, actually. He has this conviction that to be successful, companies have to make it possible for their female employees to succeed too," said Studio Ghibli President Toshio Suzuki. You can see this attitude in Princess Mononoke. All characters working the bellows in the iron works are women. Then there's Porco Rosso. Porco's plane is rebuilt entirely by women. These views are apparent in Miyazaki's films as well, with many memorable, strong female protagonists that go against gender roles common in Japanese animation and fiction. None of these heroins are scantly clad or vapid in any sense, but are all unique and stand out as positive images of/ for women. The imagry is always stunning and the stories moving. So please check out one or two of these links.

Miyazaki's Biography and Works Summery
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OsUZvc-nwtM

A Short Compelation of Scenes from Various Works (HIGHLY suggested)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QTuZlSAF5rE