https://www.themarysue.com/birthday-hayao-miyazaki/

That loud gasp followed by a long sigh of relief you heard this morning comes courtesy of Twitter, where Hayao Miyazaki was trending. But don’t worry, he’s okay! It’s the Studio Ghibli co-founder’s 78th birthday, and fans were paying tribute to the iconic artist and anime filmmaker.

Miyazaki is the creator behind such iconic Japanese animated films as Howl’s Moving Castle, Princess Mononoke, Spirited Away, My Neighbor Totoro, Ponyo, just to name a few. His works have earned a devoted following all over the world, and are so popular that they have inspired an upcoming Studio Ghibli theme park, set to open in 2022 in Nagakute, Japan.

Miyazaki’s films are known not just for their stunning animation, but for their poignant and challenging subject matter. His films frequently touch on environmentalism, feminism, identity, and family with a haunting effect that lingers long after the movie ends. Fan took to Twitter to celebrate the auteur.

Happy birthday to Hayao Miyazaki. His movies depict kindness and hard-won hope in worlds of indifference, senselessness, chaos or cruelty.

Watched My Neighbor Totoro last night. It made my eyes dusty. My eyes are getting dusty just thinking about it now.

— Kumail Nanjiani (@kumailn) January 5, 2019

“I'm not going to make movies that tell children, 'You should despair and run away.'” ― Hayao Miyazaki
Happy Birthday to the master animator and storyteller, who turned 78 today! pic.twitter.com/gUAhqVmkQN

— Museum of the Moving Image (@MovingImageNYC) January 5, 2019

“Children's souls are the inheritors of historical memory from previous generations” – Hayao Miyazaki #bornonthisday pic.twitter.com/vrkUXt5kfH

— BFI (@BFI) January 5, 2019

Happiest of birthdays to Hayao Miyazaki. You made me so hungry all the TIME. pic.twitter.com/xKorAy3Ii1

— Thomas Sanders (@ThomasSanders) January 5, 2019

“Yet, even amidst the hatred and carnage, life is still worth living. It is possible for wonderful encounters and beautiful things to exist.”

A very happy birthday to the incomparable Hayao Miyazaki − thank you for everything. pic.twitter.com/8CKkfuWH3H

— alex 🦕 (@xhaixe) January 5, 2019

"All my films are all my children."

— Hayao Miyazaki

Happy 78th birthday to the 'Master of Animation', Hayao Miyazaki. pic.twitter.com/WipN18nNDA

— Art Film Art (@ArtFilmCinema) January 4, 2019

"All my films are all my children."

— Hayao Miyazaki

Happy 78th birthday to the 'Master of Animation', Hayao Miyazaki. pic.twitter.com/WipN18nNDA

— Art Film Art (@ArtFilmCinema) January 4, 2019

What is your favorite Miyazaki film? Let us know in the comments (I will never not be wrecked by Spirited Away).

(image:Frazer Harrison/Getty Images)

• Matt Reeves’ The Batman is set to film in November, but still no word on whether Ben Affleck will reprise his role as the Caped Crusader. (via Collider)
• Mark Hamill revealed that, thanks to a heatwave, the pilots in Star Wars didn’t wear pants. Rebel Alliance: they’re just like us! (via CBR)
• Brie Larson enjoys a cookie after a hard workout. See, she’s just like us! (via Twitter)

275lbs —> @WhatsGabyCookin 🍪 pic.twitter.com/uvIHeybVCF

— Brie Larson (@brielarson) January 4, 2019

• The LEGO Lord of the Rings game has gone missing and fans are upset. Have they checked Gollum’s cave? (via Blastr)

Happy first Saturday of 2019, Mary Suevians!

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