One of the less public-facing key talents at the most publicly scrutinized animation studio in the world, cinematographer Atsushi Okui joined Studio Ghibli in 1993 and has worked on nearly every film from legendary director Hayao Miyazaki since, among them Princess Mononoke, Spirited Away, and his first feature in a decade, The Boy and the Heron.
With that film now in wide North American release from Gkids, we caught up with Okui to gain insight into the particulars of his job title, the process of working with iconic directors, and whether Miyazaki’s reputation for technophobia might be (a little) overblown.
With thanks to interpreter Nao Amisaki.
The Film Stage: You’ve been a director of photography at Studio Ghibli for over 30 years, during which time your title has evolved into “digital imaging director.” For those less-familiar with the animation process, could you explain what a Dp does in animation, and...
With that film now in wide North American release from Gkids, we caught up with Okui to gain insight into the particulars of his job title, the process of working with iconic directors, and whether Miyazaki’s reputation for technophobia might be (a little) overblown.
With thanks to interpreter Nao Amisaki.
The Film Stage: You’ve been a director of photography at Studio Ghibli for over 30 years, during which time your title has evolved into “digital imaging director.” For those less-familiar with the animation process, could you explain what a Dp does in animation, and...
- 12/12/2023
- by Eli Friedberg
- The Film Stage
Hayao Miyazaki’s “The Boy and Heron” (which won the NYFCC Best Animated Feature award) marks the first Studio Ghibli film to get an IMAX release. It opens December 8 for a one-week run on approximately 200 North American screens through GKids, after premiering on IMAX in Japan on July 14 (under the title “How Do You Live?”) with the highest opening weekend gross for an anime feature. The IMAX screenings will provide both the Japanese-language version and the English dub.
However, Miyazaki needed convincing to release his most personal film in IMAX. But the large-format giant spent years developing a strategy to woo the legendary anime director and Studio Ghibli co-founder.
“IMAX has been consistently looking to support telling big stories from international filmmakers all around the world, and that includes anime,” Christopher Tillman, VP of international development and distribution, told IndieWire. “We’ve done previous releases with Makoto Shinkai, including ‘Suzume,...
However, Miyazaki needed convincing to release his most personal film in IMAX. But the large-format giant spent years developing a strategy to woo the legendary anime director and Studio Ghibli co-founder.
“IMAX has been consistently looking to support telling big stories from international filmmakers all around the world, and that includes anime,” Christopher Tillman, VP of international development and distribution, told IndieWire. “We’ve done previous releases with Makoto Shinkai, including ‘Suzume,...
- 12/6/2023
- by Bill Desowitz
- Indiewire
Director Hayao Miyazaki’s latest animated feature, “The Boy and the Heron,” centers around themes of loss, grief, death and the afterlife through the eyes of Mahito, a boy who finds maturity and acceptance after traveling to a fantastical world.
In Tokyo during World War II, Mahito watches a hospital burn with his mother inside. Throughout the animated film, Mahito is haunted by visions of fire while futilely trying to rescue his mother.
When his industrialist father uproots the family to a new town and introduces Mahito to his new stepmother, the boy gets in trouble at school and acts out at home.
The muted color palette at the beginning of the movie “matches and reflects Mahito’s interior and his repressed feelings,” according to Dp Atsushi Okui.
The crew balanced the darkness of change and war — always implied, never seen — with the fantastical world Mahito travels through after following...
In Tokyo during World War II, Mahito watches a hospital burn with his mother inside. Throughout the animated film, Mahito is haunted by visions of fire while futilely trying to rescue his mother.
When his industrialist father uproots the family to a new town and introduces Mahito to his new stepmother, the boy gets in trouble at school and acts out at home.
The muted color palette at the beginning of the movie “matches and reflects Mahito’s interior and his repressed feelings,” according to Dp Atsushi Okui.
The crew balanced the darkness of change and war — always implied, never seen — with the fantastical world Mahito travels through after following...
- 12/6/2023
- by Jazz Tangcay
- Variety Film + TV
After the production team at Studio Ghibli disbanded, cinematographer Atsushi Okui worked as a freelance artist for a while. But when director Hayao Miyazaki began working on The Boy and the Heron, Okui was excited to be called back to the team.
In his most personal work to date, Miyazaki’s The Boy and the Heron follows the story of a young boy named Mahito, who has recently lost his mother. Along with a cunning and deceptive gray heron, he journeys to a mysterious world outside of time where the dead and the living coexist. To emulate the darker aspects of the story, Okui suggested that they should darken the colors of the animation as well.
‘The Boy and the Heron’
Deadline: When you began, what did Miyazaki have in mind for the cinematography of the movie?
Atsushi Okui: There weren’t any specific directions that Miyazaki-san gave to...
In his most personal work to date, Miyazaki’s The Boy and the Heron follows the story of a young boy named Mahito, who has recently lost his mother. Along with a cunning and deceptive gray heron, he journeys to a mysterious world outside of time where the dead and the living coexist. To emulate the darker aspects of the story, Okui suggested that they should darken the colors of the animation as well.
‘The Boy and the Heron’
Deadline: When you began, what did Miyazaki have in mind for the cinematography of the movie?
Atsushi Okui: There weren’t any specific directions that Miyazaki-san gave to...
- 12/5/2023
- by Ryan Fleming
- Deadline Film + TV
DVD Release Date: March 2 Director/Writer: Hayao Miyazaki Cinematographer: Atsushi Okui Starring: Noah Cyrus, Cate Blanchett, Tina Fey, Matt Damon, Frankie Jonas Studio/Run Time: Walt Disney, 100 mins. Go fish It’s impossible to watch Hayao Miyazaki’s Ponyo without drawing a comparison to The Little Mermaid—here too, the titular character is a fish-person who becomes a human and must find true love. But Miyazaki’s take is more personal and whimsical. There’s an irresistible passion in every frame, regardless of whether the events on screen make any sense. Beyond its inciting incident (titular fish Ponyo decides that she wants to...
- 3/23/2010
- Pastemagazine.com
Release Date: Aug. 14Director: Hayao Miyazaki
Writer: Hayao Miyazaki
Cinematographer: Atsushi Okui
Starring: Noah Cyrus, Cate Blanchett, Tina Fey, Matt Damon, Frankie Jonas
Studio/Run Time: Walt Disney, 100 mins.
It’s impossible to watch Hayao Miyazaki’s Ponyo without drawing a comparison to Disney’s The Little Mermaid. Although Ponyo isn’t beholden to the trappings of Hans Christian Anderson’s story like its predecessor, it’s still ultimately the story of a fish-person who becomes a human and must find true love. But where Disney’s effort rarely felt like more than a product, with its impressive visuals hindered by a coldly calculated plot, Miyazaki’s take is personal and whimsical. There’s an irresistible passion to every frame, regardless of whether or not what’s happening onscreen makes any sort of sense. It’s a comparison where modern day Disney just can’t emerge victorious.
Writer: Hayao Miyazaki
Cinematographer: Atsushi Okui
Starring: Noah Cyrus, Cate Blanchett, Tina Fey, Matt Damon, Frankie Jonas
Studio/Run Time: Walt Disney, 100 mins.
It’s impossible to watch Hayao Miyazaki’s Ponyo without drawing a comparison to Disney’s The Little Mermaid. Although Ponyo isn’t beholden to the trappings of Hans Christian Anderson’s story like its predecessor, it’s still ultimately the story of a fish-person who becomes a human and must find true love. But where Disney’s effort rarely felt like more than a product, with its impressive visuals hindered by a coldly calculated plot, Miyazaki’s take is personal and whimsical. There’s an irresistible passion to every frame, regardless of whether or not what’s happening onscreen makes any sort of sense. It’s a comparison where modern day Disney just can’t emerge victorious.
- 8/14/2009
- Pastemagazine.com
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