Hayao Miyazaki’s final title in his filmography, The Boy and the Heron, released in 2024 and won the prestigious Academy Award for Best Animated Feature. Upon its initial release in Japan and subsequent global rollout, the film received overwhelmingly positive reviews upon both debuts and earned over $160 million at the worldwide box office. It’s not surprising that the anime movie fared well, given Hayao Miyazaki’s illustrious career.
Read on to learn more about Hayao Miyazaki’s revered filmography and find out where to watch all of his movies streaming on such popular services like Max, Netflix, Prime Video, Disney+ and more!
Hayao Miyazaki is considered one of the most remarkable storytellers and animators of our time. He is often compared to Walt Disney due to his comparable contributions to animation. Miyazaki has been a force in the industry since the advent of color-animated feature filmmaking in Japan. He rose from humble beginnings as an animator to co-founding his own studio, Studio Ghibli, and gaining international recognition.
Miyazaki’s storytelling and animation techniques are largely unparalleled. Despite technological advancements, he has sworn off CGI and relies on hand-drawn animation. It’s a painstaking process that gives Miyazaki’s works an animation style and aesthetic that is wholly unique. His 2001 film, Spirited Away, was and is still the only hand-drawn animated film to win the Oscar for Best Animated Feature.
Miyazaki’s animated films are also appealing because they reiterate that animation is not just for children. Many of his works, especially My Neighbor Totoro, Kiki’s Delivery Service, and Ponyo are perfectly suitable and enjoyable for children. However, they are so creative, imaginative, and filled with underlying themes and motifs that adults can also enjoy them. His recurring themes of environmentalism, love, loss, and self-discovery ensure audiences always have mature themes to analyze.
In addition to recurring themes and motifs, there are some recurring characters in Hayao Miyazaki’s work, too. This is why it is best to watch Miyazaki’s films in release order to capture the significance of recurring elements, as well as watch the evolution in his filmmaking.
Where to watch all Hayao Miyazaki movies online
Check out our guide below on all of Hayao Miyazaki’s movies in order of release date and where to stream them in the United States!