We bravely faced the Friday night traffic to attend the one-time showing of 2024 Ramon Magsaysay Awardee Hayao Miyazaki’s Spirited Away at the Shangri-La Red Carpet Cinema for the Studio Ghibli Weekend on Nov. 15.

Kenichi Yoda, Studio Ghibli VP of events and exhibitions, represented Miyazaki and talked about the greatness of the well-loved Japanese animator.

What was the reaction of Miyazaki getting the prestigious award? “He mentioned that he could recall the Japan and Philippines relations of the country,” said the West End theater producer of My Neighbour Totoro. “He remembers our history.” The 83-year-old co-founder of Studio Ghibli “has this a very, very heavy, rich feeling of honor, a very deep gratitude towards this award.”

This was the first time that the Nippon TV producer visited in the Philippines. “I just arrived this morning and yet can I say that every bit of the Philippines I have seen and experienced, I love it,” said Yoda. “I know the typhoon is around the corner, yet it is good weather here and then when we arrived and had lunch, the Filipino food was delicious. Lastly, its every person I have met—they are wonderful. Every person I was introduced to, and everyone here, when I saw coming, I felt that this is a place where you can really fall in love with the people.”

From a cinematic perspective, the point of view of the Studio Ghibli characters is always five meters away. “In creating our animation, our movie, Miyazaki-san would always mention to know what is going on five meters away,” explained Yoda. The interaction, the relation, the problems, everything that we see within and outside five meters is important.

“In making our movies, we never talk about our target market, how to do the marketing, who is supposed to watch, none of that,” said Yoda. “But what Miyazaki-san does, he thinks of the things he felt, his feelings toward that certain situation he is facing or what is going on in society and he tries to express that.”

The look of the animation is bright, alive with colors. “All of you, if you look at your own personal life, daily routines, it’s not shiny, right?” said Yoda. “Everything is normal and sometimes dull. But Miyazaki is able to capture moments as extraordinarily beautiful and full of life. We believe that is what captivates the audience. The daily normal seems beautiful in his creations.”

We were blown away watching Spirited Away on the big screen, even if this was first shown in the theaters two decades ago. Fantasy and childhood are a good mix for animation. Chihiro searches for her parents who walked inside a mysterious tunnel. The lure of food turned them into pigs! Can Chihiro find and save her parents? She does, with the help of childhood friend Haku.

What makes Studio Ghibli a worldwide success? “The many, many animators, the creators, they are the power behind every creation we have provided,” said Yoda. “We believe strongly in the power of teamwork. Our staff, really, each of them contributes to create something very powerful and very beautiful. It is this team play we are proud of.”

For animators, Yoda’s advice is to be interested in people. “You have to want to get to know them, even the dark side, maybe the unpleasant side,” he said. “What is important is you get to know these people.”

Yoda is confident that he can bank on the power of the Studio Ghibli team. “I believe in the power of our team,” he said. “We intend to create the same way as we have been doing.”

The Studio Ghibli Weekend was organized by The Japan Foundation, Manila and the Ramon Magsaysay Award Foundation, with the full support of The Shangri-la Plaza Red Carpet Cinema, Fully Booked, and the Film Development Council of the Philippines.