An amazing storyteller, a remarkable artist, and an extraordinary filmmaker, Hayao Miyazaki has created some of my, and many other anime fans’ favorite movies. Now that he has sadly, officially retired, Walt Disney Studios has released the Amazon exclusive The Collected Works of Hayao Miyazaki blue-ray box set.
The Movies
The Blue-Ray box set includes movies
- Lupin III: The Castle of Cagliostro (1979)
- Nausicaӓ of the Valley of the Wind (1984)
- Castle in the Sky (1986)
- My Neighbor Totoro (1988)
- Kiki’s Delivery Service (1989)
- Porco Rosso (1992)
- Princess Mononoke (1997)
- Spirited Away (2001)
- Howl’s Moving Castle (2004)
- Ponyo (2008)
- The Wind Rises (2013)
I am a Miyazaki film fan, but I must shamefully admit that there are three films listed that I have not seen. It has taken a while to build my personal Studio Ghibli movie library. That is what makes this box set great, you can acquire a majority of the Studio Ghibli movies in one shot.
The Bonus Features
An uncut version of Hayao Miyazaki’s retirement press conference is included in the box set’s special features.
Also included is Miyazaki’s first solo directorial debut, a 1972 television pilot, Yuki no Taiyo ( Yuki’s Sun).
The final video item in the bonus features contains three episodes (26, 27, and 41) of the Hayao Miyazaki directed anime television series Little Samurai.
A bit disappointing is the lack of any making of features for the individual movies. I love watching a good behind-the-scenes feature, especially for animated movies, and while they are still available on the individually released movie blue-rays, you won’t find them a part of this blue-ray box set.
For the non-watchable items, the set includes exclusive movie postcards, and a book exploring the themes and techniques used in Miyazaki’s work. I actually feel that these bonus features are more the incentive to get The Collected Works than the video bonus features.
The Conclusion
Though I still wish there were more special features included with The Collective Works of Hayao Miyazaki blue-ray box set, it is a good gift for anime cinefiles, particularly those who already love Miyazaki’s work.
It’s also a good option if you need a set of gateway movies to get that special someone into anime. Whether you purchase the box set or purchase the movies individually, Hayao Miyazaki’s films are a must to explore for anyone who loves the art of films.
Whether you are already of fan of Hayao Miyazaki’s films, or you want to learn more about this acclaimed film maker, Biff Bam Pop Podcast Network’s Gobbledy Geek Podcast has an amazing series discussing the movies listed in the blue-ray collection.
