Miyazaki Magic

Illustration credit: Chhavi Mathur | Author & Illustrator

Before I ever learnt about environmental problems such as habitat destruction, pollution, or climate change, the natural world was a space of wonder and enchantment. Growing up in a valley away from cities, it was easy for me to lose myself to hours of sitting outside, playing in the sand, and watching the movements of insects, birds, and other animals. Walks to a nearby forested hill had endless potential for adventure, discovery, and magic. Some of this magic came from an overactive imagination—the little opening through vines and creepers onto a barely visible forest trail was obviously the secret entrance to a hidden kingdom! Some of it also simply came from the feeling of being part of a world that was full of familiar, yet strange, beautiful, and vibrant life.

The experience of watching a Studio Ghibli animated film, directed by Hayao Miyazaki, recreates this sense of magic for me, while also making me think deeper about our relationship with the environment and other living creatures.

Totoro snoozes peacefully in his forest home from the movie 'My Neighbour Totoro'

My Neighbour Totoro (1988), one of Studio Ghibli’s most iconic movies, tells the story of two young girls, Mei and Satsuki, who have just moved to a country house by the forest with their father, to be closer to the hospital where their ill mother is admitted. The sisters soon encounter their neighbourhood forest spirits, the whimsical trio of a gentle and giant creature they name “Totoro”, and his two little friends. The film sensitively touches on some difficult subjects and emotions, such as dealing with grief, pain, and the uncertainty of a crisis. Nature here forms a space for comfort, healing, and playful wonder. While it is only the kids who can see all the fantastical spirit creatures of the forest, the adults in the village also accept the existence of, and even revere, the spirits and lifeforce that keep the forests around them healthy. This is a charming and wholesome movie that evokes, from a child’s eye view, the joy and abundance that nature has to offer.

Nausicaa soars above a mighty Ohm in 'Nausicaa of the Valley of the Wind'

Nausicaa of the Valley of the Wind (1984), one of Miyazaki’s earliest films, is set in a post-apocalyptic world left by an industrial human civilization in the past. Human communities are threatened by and at war with the spreading “sea of decay”, a toxic, fungal forest in which hordes of massive, deadly insects live. Unlike animals in many animated films that are made to look cuter or even talk and behave like humans—think of movies like The Lion King, Madagascar, or even A Bug’s Life, which is about insects—Miyazaki doesn’t give viewers any such easy way to relate with or love these creatures. There are weird, winged centipedes, whirring locust-like creatures, and a huge beast called “Ohm” with a spiky armoured shell, several crawling feet, and multiple beady eyes—pretty creepy, right?

Despite knowing their dangers, the heroine of the film, Princess Nausicaa, is still curious to learn more about the role these insects and plants of the forest play in their world’s ecosystem. In her eyes, there is immense wonder and beauty even in the toxic plants. She sees the insects not as monsters, but as fellow living beings who also feel pain, fear, and kinship. In a world that pits humans against insects and forest, can Nausicaa show a different possibility of coexistence and friendship across species? Watch the movie to find out!


Tree spirits watch silently from the woods in 'Princess Mononoke'

Princess Mononoke (1997) is not only one of Miyazaki’s most epic films, but also the most explicitly environmentally themed. Drawing inspiration from elements of Japanese myth and folklore, the natural world in the film is animated by many strange and curious spirits, while powerful animal gods give voice to the creatures of the wild. The film stages ecological conflict in the form of an actual battle between the human and natural world. At the edge of a great forest, a human industrial settlement, known as Iron Town, wishes to exploit it for its material resources, causing the nature gods and spirits to fight back.

The sharp line between the human and natural world is, however, ruptured by two central characters, San and Ashitaka. San, or Princess Mononoke, is a girl with a wolf family, whose loyalties lie firmly with the creatures of the forest. Ashitaka is a young man from a distant village who seeks a cure from the forest for a cursed wound inflicted on him. His task is to see with “eyes unclouded by hate”. Through him we witness both the beauty and magic of the forest world, as well as the spunk, heart, and tenacity of the workers of Iron Town, a community made up almost entirely of outcasts and marginalized populations of human society. While Princess Mononoke does not give us any cookie cutter villain characters, it tells a fascinating, nuanced and thought-provoking tale with a strong environmental message.

So, if you have a concern for the environment or want to simply experience the enchantment of nature onscreen, do not miss these Studio Ghibli movies!

(This was first published in the 1-30 April 2025 edition of the Gobar Times.)