Which movie has had the greatest impact on you in your life journey?

"Spirited Away" (Spirited Away) left a deep impression on me, and it is still unforgettable to this day

Director: Hayao Miyazaki In 2002, "Spirited Away" directed by the Japanese animation master Hayao Miyazaki and Chihiro" tells the story of a fascinating and frightening adventure of a little girl named Chihiro. The artistry and magic of the film are difficult to describe in words, but we asked Guillermo del Toro, a fan of Hayao Miyazaki and an admirable film magician in his own right, to share his thoughts:

I was still a kid when I discovered Hayao Miyazaki. I remember seeing a sequence that Miyazaki (and fellow animator Isao Takahata) did in a movie called Puss in Boots. In that sequence, an ogre runs across a series of rocks in a classic Miyazaki-esque chase inside a crumbling tower. I remember loving that movie. Watched it several times

Years later, as a young adult, I watched My Neighbor Totoro and was moved to tears. Basically the beauty in the film, and the sheer success in capturing the innocence of a child, made me cry nonstop. I immediately sought out all his works. Some people call him Disney of the East, but I think this term is extremely inappropriate: Hayao Miyazaki is completely in his own way.

In Spirited Away, you see a girl on the verge of becoming a teenager, leaving her childhood behind, both figuratively and literally. At the beginning of the story, Chihiro was still a child. The way she sits, the way she sits in the car with her legs up when we first see her, is exactly that of a child. She transforms from a child to a young girl and becomes independent in manner, dress, attitude, emotions and spirit. In this case, she had to go through the process of losing everything. She was a poor and strong child who lost her parents and her name. She has no name, is called Sen, and is nothing. The film has a beautiful yet deeply melancholy brooding that permeates all of Miyazaki's films.

Miyazaki has a knack for creating monsters that are unique to him. They are completely new in design, but feel like they originate from ancient legends. They seem to represent primal power and, in many cases, a spirit rooted in earth and feng shui. They are very original.

He is always looking for tolerance or strength, and is able to empower good guys and bad guys equally, and treat destructive monsters and beneficial monsters tolerantly. That's the beauty of him. He understood that one of the basic principles is not to pursue anything good because it is obviously going to be bad. Don’t pursue something beautiful just because it’s obviously going to be ugly. One thing to keep in mind is to never forget your original intention

Of course I have great feelings for Hayao Miyazaki. In "Devil's Backbone" and "Pan's Labyrinth," I tried to express his sense of loss and sadness and tragedy. At a certain moment, the feeling that beauty brings to you cannot be described in words. Not because it's created, but because it's an artistic act and you know you're not going to encounter something that pure in nature. Hayao Miyazaki has this ability.