Myazaki's Mouth Watering Animation
This week is much less an analysis as it is a celebration of Myazaki's endless ability to animate with vivid detail.
In the frames above, I assume the girls are enjoying something similar to tangyuan from the way it behaves, but since that's a traditional Chinese food and "My Neighbor Totorro" is a Japanese film, it's probably more likely to be Moshi. But I'm completely open to correction on this one.
All of Myazaki's films seem very food-centric, indicating if not Myazaki's own pleasure with food, an emphasis of food within Japanese culture moreover. For an American viewer, then, food in "My Neighbor Totorro" may be seen as a means of accessing the film's cultural context.
I chose "My Neighbor Totorro" above all other food scenes in Myazaki's movie because I'm particularly impressed with the movement of the food in the frames shown above. Even with two dimensions, Myazaki is completely successful in his attempt to convey the apparently-mushy texture of the food depicted. I can only imagine how many frames it took to animate this treat, suggesting that Myazaki's care and time to animate the food mirrors the care and time with which Myazaki enjoys food in his personal life.
And, in case you weren't convinced that we live in a post-modern world, this blogger is engaged in an ongoing attempt to recreate the food from Myzaki's films... which is an attempt to recreate food from reality. Oy!
All of Myazaki's films seem very food-centric, indicating if not Myazaki's own pleasure with food, an emphasis of food within Japanese culture moreover. For an American viewer, then, food in "My Neighbor Totorro" may be seen as a means of accessing the film's cultural context.
I chose "My Neighbor Totorro" above all other food scenes in Myazaki's movie because I'm particularly impressed with the movement of the food in the frames shown above. Even with two dimensions, Myazaki is completely successful in his attempt to convey the apparently-mushy texture of the food depicted. I can only imagine how many frames it took to animate this treat, suggesting that Myazaki's care and time to animate the food mirrors the care and time with which Myazaki enjoys food in his personal life.
And, in case you weren't convinced that we live in a post-modern world, this blogger is engaged in an ongoing attempt to recreate the food from Myzaki's films... which is an attempt to recreate food from reality. Oy!
I'm a huge Miyazaki fan--in fact I just went to see THE WIND RISES in Amherst last weekend. I was also just thinking of the following video taken by one of Miyazaki's worker bees, in which Miyazaki himself makes Ramen for the crew: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0BPTNdmdJSc
ReplyDeleteThis reminds me of the first time I saw Miyazaki's Spirited Away - when they were eating that onigiri, I had such a strong craving for it that I made my dad pause the movie and start a pot of rice so he could make us some.
ReplyDeleteMiyazaki is a great film maker. My personal favorite is Kiki's Delivery Service. The pancakes she eats make me whip up a batch every time I see them.
ReplyDeleteGlad you added the link to that food-recreation-project. I love seeing the results of when artists are inspired by literature or films, and this artist actually shows and describes the process in a step-like manner. The project reminds me of the parents' who send their kids to school with bento-box lunches that are basically works of art. I can almost imagine there's a competitive spirit that goes into creating it so your kid has the best bento-box.
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