Studio Ghibli’s iconic director and founder, Hayao Miyazaki, just added another feather to his cap: he’s officially a Ramon Magsaysay Awardee for 2024.
This award, often dubbed Asia’s Nobel Prize, announced its prestigious awardees on August 31, putting a spotlight on public health champions, and environmental and cultural preservation advocates.
In naming Miyazaki an awardee, the Ramon Magsaysay Award Foundation celebrated him for his dedication to the most challenging audience: children.
It also praised Miyazaki for treating kids with the respect they deserve, never dumbing down his storytelling, and instead using his art to tackle heavy topics like environmental protection, peace, and the role and rights of women in society.
“Miyazaki has never lost his original and main focus: for him, children comprise a clear and critical audience capable of imbibing complex issues if their imaginations can be suitably provoked and directed,” the citation read.
Hayao Miyazaki wins the Ramon Magsaysay Award, known as the “Nobel Prize of Asia.”
The foundation praised him, stating, “He has used art to help children understand complex issues, such as environmental protection and the promotion of peace. He has created many of the most… pic.twitter.com/F3lPoSIX5z
— Studio Ghibli Pictures (@ghiblipicture) September 1, 2024
It also praised Miyazaki for his devotion to children as “torchbearers of the imagination, to whom he has passed the light and spark of his own.”
Founded in 1985, Studio Ghibli is known for its beloved animated films like “My Neighbor Totoro,” “Princess Mononoke,” “Spirited Away,” “Ponyo,” and “Howl’s Moving Castle.”
“These works display a deep understanding of the human condition, engaging their viewers to reflect on their own situation and exercise their humanity,” the Foundation noted.
