Howl's Moving Castle Image: Ghibli / Disney / Photofest
A Cavalcade of Anime Stars
From Astroboy to Howl’s Moving Castle, here’s a look at some well-loved Japanese cartoons over the last 50 years
Anime -- that realm of iconic Japanese cartoons in which doe-eyed characters experience fantastic adventures -- has millions of devoted fans worldwide. The images that roll out of Japan’s studios have inspired everything from Hollywood blockbusters to high fashion.
At the high end of the craft is Hayao Miyazaki. His Spirited Away won the Academy Award for Best Animated Feature in 2003. Miyazaki’s latest adventure, Howl’s Moving Castle, about a wizard named Howl and a young girl trapped in the body of an old woman, earned critical praise in advance of its nationwide opening in the U.S. on June 17.
But the genre goes back decades. Its roots are in manga, the thriving Japanese comic-book industry, and like manga, it caters to just about all ages and tastes. What follows is a selection of anime films and TV shows over the last 50 years.