Part I — The story
The story
Hayao Miyazaki, co-founder of Studio Ghibli, is one of the greatest filmmakers in the history of animation — creator of Spirited Away, My Neighbor Totoro, Princess Mononoke and other works of extraordinary imagination, beauty, and emotional depth that have moved audiences worldwide and won the highest honours. He elevated animation into profound art, with richly drawn worlds, moral complexity, and a humane sensibility rare in the medium.
Miyazaki is famous for an almost fanatical devotion to craft and integrity. He insisted on hand-drawn animation long after the industry turned to computers, personally reviewing countless frames, and refused to compromise his artistic vision for commercial pressure or speed. A perfectionist who cares about getting every detail emotionally true, he built Ghibli as a place where that uncompromising standard could endure. He is a study in craft and integrity as a competitive moat, in building beloved and enduring work, and in refusing shortcuts the market rewards.
Part II — The playbook
The playbook
Make craft and integrity the moat
Miyazaki's uncompromising quality is what makes Ghibli's work endure.
Refuse the market's shortcuts
He kept hand-drawing when the industry chose cheaper computers.
Build work that endures
He cares about emotional truth that lasts, not trends.
In their words
I would like to make a film to tell children 'it's good to be alive.'
You must see with eyes unclouded by hate.
The creation of a single world comes from a huge number of fragments and chaos.
What to read next
- Starting Point — Hayao Miyazaki
Why this matters
The thinking behind these decisions connects to models you can study directly:
Frequently asked questions
Why is Hayao Miyazaki so revered?
As co-founder of Studio Ghibli and creator of Spirited Away and other masterpieces, he elevated animation into profound art — with extraordinary imagination, beauty, and emotional depth — through fanatical devotion to craft.
What's Miyazaki's lesson for builders?
Craft and integrity as a competitive moat — refusing the shortcuts the market rewards (keeping hand-drawn animation over cheaper computers) to build work true and beloved enough to endure for generations.