Critics and fans likening Shinkai's films to Miyazaki's would become even more frequent with the release of Your Name, but at the end of the day, nobody can do Miyazaki better than Miyazaki can. Indeed, the Ghibli comparison has been made frequently by critics discussing Children Who Chase Lost Voices, and usually not to the film's credit. RELATED: 10 Great Anime Movies You Probably Haven't Heard Of That element is missing from Children Who Chase Lost Voices, giving it the air of a fantasy coming-of-age story, the likes of which might be found in a Studio Ghibli movie, especially those from Hayao Miyazaki. Although much of his work deals with supernatural elements, such as those present in Your Name and Weathering With You, the surreal flair is usually moderated with an urban realism that grounds the setting. Being an independently produced work, it lacks the polish of some later films, but it's very interesting as the starting point in Shinkai's filmography.Ĭhildren Who Chase Lost Voices is one of Shinkai's most overtly fantastical films. Writing, direction, animation, and even voice acting were all carried out by him, making this an impressive passion project in the director's early career. Setting narrative aside, this film is interesting in that it was largely self-produced by Shinkai.

Present here are Shinkai's typical pet themes of lovers separated by seemingly insurmountable distances, this time with one of our love interests off fighting aliens in an interstellar war, with her messages taking longer and longer to reach her partner as she gets further from Earth. Although Voices of a Distant Star is itself a short anime, coming in at only 25 minutes, the project is on a totally different level of production compared to Shinkai's prior work.

Voices of a Distant Star is usually referred to as Shinkai's first major anime, given that he had only worked on very short projects before it.

Makoto shinkai 2016