Animation is an art that thrives on patience, attention, and dedication. But even in this most precise craft, there are scenes that require almost unimaginable levels of hard work. One such scene exists in The Wind Rises (2013), a film directed by Studio Ghibli’s legendary filmmaker Hayao Miyazaki.
The movie is a semi-biographical tale of Jiro Horikoshi, the aeronautical engineer behind Japan’s WWII fighter planes, and is filled with breathtaking visuals and intricate details. But among its numerous jaw-dropping scenes, one stands out, not for its duration, but for the sheer dedication it took to bring it to life.
Can you believe it? One of the four-second scenes featuring a wild crowd of people took a whopping one year and three months to animate! This achievement proves just how dedicated Miyazaki is to hand-drawn traditional animation and how he will not compromise even when there are technically superior means to cut corners.
Hayao Miyazaki’s pursuit of perfection in animation
You know, getting a crowd right in animation is super tricky. A lot of animators steer clear of those scenes since they take a ton of detail and crazy coordination to make it all work. But Miyazaki? He was all about doing it the hard way. In the crowd scene of The Wind Rises, he made sure every single character was hand-drawn, with their own vibe, goals, and movements.
So, essentially, the animators needed to ensure that every small movement in the scene was noticeable but still blended well into the wild atmosphere of the crowd. Hayao Miyazaki was really into keeping things realistic, so he opted for the hard route of traditional animation rather than taking any shortcuts with CGI.
There’s this cool behind-the-scenes peek at Studio Ghibli from NHK World Japan’s documentary, 10 Years with Hayao Miyazaki, and it really shows how much effort went into this short but impactful scene. Animator Eiji Yamamori had a massive job to do, putting in crazy hours for 15 months to make it happen.
People saying this scene was not meaningful at all or that it could´ve been done with more people working on it is EXACTLY why art is not appreciated at all. Because they think about efficiency rather than the beauty of the process.
A real artist doesnt care about time or…
— Buzz2049 (@Buzz1204) March 28, 2025
You know how amazing it is when everything here does something different with each character and yet it all blends smoothly with one another. It’s incredible.
— B25Roman (@B25Roman) March 27, 2025
Miyazaki is a perfectionist, so he was very much involved in the animation process, reviewing the shots and making suggestions constantly. Studio Ghibli would have these weekly meetings where the entire team would sit and view the rushes, and those completed pieces of animation to ensure that they were in line with what Miyazaki envisioned.
Humans have and will always appreciate man-made art more than slop mass-produced by machines.
— Lucius Manlius (@lucas_non_ev) March 28, 2025
That’s why ‘The Wind Rise’ was a beautiful animated film that worth to watch
— Anna (@ivanna_ucraina) March 28, 2025
Ai has gives us an immediate shallow wow factor but fails to establish the deep connection that this clip does where you can rewatch it a bunch of times and always find new things.
— 404AP.sol 🧑🏾💻 (@est1998ac) March 28, 2025
When Yamamori finally finished the crowd scene, the short but meaningful exchange between him and Miyazaki captured the depth of their labor. Miyazaki praised Yamamori saying, “Good job.” Yamamori replied, “It’s so short, though,” to which Hayao Miyazaki responded back saying, “But it was worth it.”
This scene highlighted Miyazaki’s unshakeable commitment to animation as a form of art. In spite of the mind-boggling amount of time and labor, the effect of the scene was worth every painstaking detail.
The Wind Rises: A masterpiece in every frame
In an era where CGI dominates the animation industry, The Wind Rises truly showcases how great and unique hand-drawn animation can be. Miyazaki holding on to those traditional methods isn’t only about aesthetics, it’s also his way of saying ‘no thanks’ to reducing animation to all about profits.
He really believes that every single frame should be created with love and intention, and that’s what makes Studio Ghibli different from the rest. While everyone else would be questioning the sense of spending 15 months on a four-second scene, however, It’s not merely a cool animation gimmick.
Released in the year 2013 in Japan, The Wind Rises was the top-grossing Japanese film of the year. While the film by the legendary Hayao Miyazaki faced some political controversy and criticism in parts of Asia, it was widely praised by critics and audiences alike, earning several prestigious nominations such as the Academy Award for Best Animated Feature.
It actually does demonstrate Miyazaki’s vision for art and the amazing craftsmanship Studio Ghibli is famous for. You see, as animation becomes more and more advanced, Miyazaki’s work is a great reminder that real art is often found in the smallest details, details that may take months to perfect but leave an indelible mark on those who witness them. For real, as Miyazaki himself put it, “It was worth it.”
The Wind Rises is currently available to watch on Netflix.
This post belongs to FandomWire and first appeared on FandomWire
