Hayao Miyazaki has a singular outlook on filmmaking: 'I never think about the audience'

Academy Award-winning filmmaker Hayao Miyazaki is a major pillar of the anime genre, having written and directed some of the best animated movies of all time under the Studio Ghibli banner, from Spirited Away to Howl's Moving Castle and more. His most recent movie, The Boy and the Heron, was recently added to HBO's streaming service Max and has unsurprisingly made its way to the platform's Top 10. It goes without saying that Miyazaki is one of the all-time greats in the genre, and whenever we get a new interview or even a short quote from him, fans are excited to listen.

This happened in August during Disney's D23 event in Anaheim, California, where Pixar's Chief Creative Officer Pete Docter shared a piece of insight Miyazaki gave him regarding his filmmaking style. No, Miyazaki was not present at the event, but it's no shocker that his name was brought up during an event about animation. Boardwalk Times' Editor-in-Chief Zach Perilstein attended the panel in question, titled "So How Do You Direct Animation, Anyway?" where Docter recalled the intriguing quote from the legendary creator.

Hayao Miyazaki is not worried about audience response

Reportedly, Docter had once asked Miyazaki, "When do you make changes for you and when do you make changes for the audience?" The filmmaker had a surprising response, stating simply: "I never think about the audience." The topic of edits and notes on a project seemed to be a popular discussion on the panel, which is a very interesting one. It's even more interesting to hear that Miyazaki does not think about his audience when creating a film. Perhaps that's what makes them so special.

Though Miyazaki's view on who he makes movies for might be unexpected, what's not surprising is to hear him bluntly speak his mind. Though fans love to hear his thoughts because he's such a revolutionary filmmaker, it's also because he doesn't shy away from speaking his truth. He's shared his thoughts on the anime industry as a whole, and more recently his son Goro Miyazaki has spoken publicly on his father's views. Though other filmmakers might not agree with all of his beliefs regarding the process, you've got to respect him at the end of the day. He's just so talented!

Miyazaki, 83, continues to work on new projects, even though he has claimed to be retiring multiple times. Earlier this year, his son described what his father has been working on, revealing this project would be "an action-adventure-type movie, nostalgic and reminiscent of the old days." He was sure to note that he wasn't sure if this project would be his next film or not, but he did confirm his father was not done working after all.

As long as Miyazaki keeps creating, we'll keep watching. And any crumb of insight into his process he wants to give, we'll read it!