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Master animator and filmmaker Hayao Miyazaki is saying
goodbye to the film world with apparently his last animated feature, The Wind
Rises. Since the news, the whole film industry has started to honor and praise the
Anime God. Even The Simpsons decided to say goodbye in an episode released in
January 2014, that pays tribute to Miyazaki with a scene bringing together some
of his most famous films.
Read the short profile below
and answer the questions below.
Hayao Miyazaki is one of
Japan's greatest animation directors. The entertaining plots, compelling
characters, and breathtaking animation in his films have earned him
international renown from critics as well as public recognition within Japan.
Hayao was born in Tokyo on
January 5, 1941. He began his career as an animator in 1963 and worked on
many early classics of Japanese animation. After extensive experience in
television, he began directing features in 1979. That year he directed his
first movie, the classic The Castle of Cagliostro. Later, he gained acclaim with Nausicaä of the Valley of the Wind (1984)
based on the comic of the same title he had started two years before.
 The success of the film led
to the establishment of a new animation studio, Studio Ghibli, at which
Miyazaki has since directed, written, and produced many other films with
Takahata and, more recently, Toshio Suzuki. All of these films enjoyed
critical and box office successes: Castle in the Sky (1986), My Neighbor
Totoro (1988), Porco Rosso (1992), Princess Mononoke (1997), Spirited Away (2001), among others.
Hayao Miyazaki's films have
a fairy-tale spirit, with young protagonists and magical settings. His works
are characterized by recurrent themes, such as ecology, pacifism, feminism,
and the absence of villains.
For the release of his 2013
film The Wind Rises, Miyazaki renewed his anti-war message, with the story of
a young man who designs planes during World War II. With this, his last animated movie,
Miyazaki confirmed his retirement during a press conference, in Tokyo, on
September 6, 2013.
Text
Sources: IMDB, Wikipedia, Warner Movies, TNT
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A. Read and choose the best
option.
1. a)Miyazaki is best
known in Japan.
b) Miyazaki is best known internationally.
c)Neither.
2.a)Some of his films have a pacifistic message.
b) Some of his films have a violent message.
c)Neither.
3.a)He always worked as an animator.
b)He always worked as a director.
c)Neither.
4.a)He didn’t work much in television.
b)He worked much in television.
c)Neither.
5.a)At some point in his career he designed comics.
b)He designed comic books when he was a child.
c)Neither.
B.Find the words in the text
for the following synonyms, meanings or definitions.
1.Fame, recognition
2.Story, argument
3.Topics, subjects
4.End of a career, job, profession.
5.Location, places where a movie or book happens.
6.Roles in a film or book, people.
7.Professional life, job.
Hayao Miyazaki retires
5.18 min. BBC News report
As news emerges
of the retirement of Japanese film director Hayao Miyazaki, presenter Lucy
Hockings interviews Chie Kutsuwada about his legacy.
00.00 to 01.17
a)The presenter
says she will never forget the day she saw the film “Spirited Away”.
b)It was the first
animation film she saw.
c)Miyazaki’s
career spun for almost a century.
d)His films are
characterized by his attention to detail and social conscience.
e)His most recent
film, The Wind Rises, has been critized.
01.18 to 5.18
f)Chie Kutsuwada
is a comic book artist.
g)She has worked
with Miyazaki.
h)Animation is
part of the Japanese culture.
i)Miyazaki’s films
are for children.
j)Children born in
the 70’s or later, grew up watching Miyazaki’s works.
k)His films have
deep messages.
l)Adults are
mainly his central characters.
m)Kutsuwada believes
Miyazaki is against fight.
n)She is surprised
that The Film Rises is his last film.
o)For her Miyazaki
shows that the world is black and white, good or bad.
p)Miyazaki’s
influence on her is to do work that is purely entertaining.
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