What makes Hayao Miyazaki so unique and compelling to you as a filmmaker ?

[KL70]

What makes Hayao Miyazaki so unique and compelling to you, as both a filmmaker and person compared to other (similarly aged, younger, or older, or now deceased) anime and animation writer - filmmakers, whom you also greatly admire ?

[Gjallarhorn]

Nothing, really.

I believe Miyazaki simply gets more recognition because he's much more well known than many other directors, especially among foreign audiences, where he is often the only anime director that people are aware of.

What I like most Ghibli films is not necessarily his direction, but the quality and style of the animation which goes into it. As a whole, I believe Miyazaki himself is very much overrated as a director...though this is by no means to say that he is a bad director.

In comparison, I prefer the works of Shinichiro Watanbe, in great part due to his sense of style and the incorporation of music into his works to accentuate their style.

[The Grey Crane]

Nothing, really.

I believe Miyazaki simply gets more recognition because he's much more well known than many other directors, especially among foreign audiences, where he is often the only anime director that people are aware of.

What I like most Ghibli films is not necessarily his direction, but the quality and style of the animation which goes into it. As a whole, I believe Miyazaki himself is very much overrated as a director...though this is by no means to say that he is a bad director.

I agree with this. He's just well-known globally, both critically and commercially acclaimed. I'm not taking anything away from him by saying bashy this and thats, he remains a good director in my book and he does have his contributions in the anime industry, especially in making a name for it overseas - even during the industry's early years, World Masterpiece Theater anyone?

When some people think and talk Miyazaki, a lot of his other stuff are often missed out and overlooked for his more recent works. When, in fact, some of his older stuff proved to be more successful and well-recognized in some countries than the Ghibli ones. Heidi, Girl of the Alps is one big big example. When it comes to international reception, success, and recognition, i don't think even the most acclaimed Ghibli stuff can touch Heidi. Seriously.

Osamu Dezaki remains to be my favorite anime director though, not Miyazaki.