Historic second Oscars win for Miyazaki sparks celebration in Japan as Asian talent increasingly recognized

CNN —

Fans and artists across Japan have been toasting a night of international success for the country’s movie industry, after anime maestro Hayao Miyazaki picked up a historic second Oscar and the famed Godzilla franchise took home its first award.

Asian productions or nominees with a predominantly Asian cast have been making headway at the Academy Awards in recent years. South Korean thriller “Parasite” made history in 2020 as the first non-English language movie to win best picture, alongside three further awards.

Then came “Everything Everywhere All at Once,” an absurdist action comedy built around a Chinese immigrant family in America and the cultural differences they experience, which dominated last year. It claimed seven awards, including best supporting role for Vietnam-born Ke Huy Quan and best actress for Malaysia’s Michelle Yeoh, who both presented awards on Sunday.

This year, the spotlight was firmly on Japan’s talent.

Miyazaki’s latest anime masterclass, “The Boy and Heron”won best animated feature film on Sunday, soaring over popular contenders including Disney’s “Elemental” and Sony Pictures’ “Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse.”

It was the 83-year-old and his famed Studio Ghibli’s second Oscar after “Spirited Away” made cinematic history as the first non-English animation to win the same category in 2002.

“Ghibli’s reputation has grown dramatically over the past 20 years and it’s a credit to the quality of its output over nearly four decades,” Tokyo-based Roland Kelts, author of “Japanamerica: How Japanese Pop Culture Invaded the US,” told CNN.

“It may be also more significant for the Oscar Academy in showing that they recognize the artistic genius of Miyazaki and that they can parse the