Well

Flight Sequences in Ghibli Films

“[Hayao Miyazaki] is a connoisseur of the sensory thrill of flight. His characters swoop over mountainous landscapes and arc through cerulean skies full of billowing white cumulus, leaving vapour trails twisting like ribbons in the air. When they dive into the clouds for cover, they make a splash as though sinking into clots of heavy cream…

Miyazaki whiled away boyhood hours inventing his own aircraft; at night he dreamed of gliding above the city. In these animations, flying is about more than ingenious designs and sumptuous images. It also provides Mr. Miyazaki’s deepest metaphors, standing for confidence, independence, the horror of war, and the power of the imagination itself.”