Wes Anderson names his favourite anime of all time
Wes Anderson is an unashamed aesthete. It’s no secret that Anderson always imposes a set of highly defined aesthetic principles on all of his projects. While some have pointed out that he is obsessed with symmetry, Anderson’s primary objective is to experiment with the cinematic medium by exposing its artificiality.
Many audiences and critics have claimed that Anderson is one of the most postmodern filmmakers working today. He is known for his deviation from the visual politics popularised by the mainstream and his love for the various genre frameworks within which some of his favourite directors have created magic.
Anderson is also unique because his animated works are just as visually remarkable as his live-action films. In films like Fantastic Mr. Fox and Isle of Dogs, Anderson attempted to translate his artistic sensibilities to a different medium, and it worked out very well. Some might even argue that Anderson’s vision is the perfect match for animation.
On multiple occasions, Anderson has spoken about his influences and has cited directors like Hal Ashby and Satyajit Ray. In addition, he has also been inspired by seminal animated masterpieces, which have impacted his live-action filmmaking too. One of those influences is none other than Studio Ghibli’s resident visionary, Hayao Miyazaki.
While talking about My Neighbour Totoro, Anderson said: “There’s a giant monster and a number of [soot] sprites, but two-thirds of the movie is spent cleaning the house, wandering the property, getting to know the neighbours, taking a bath—and there’s a lot of nature. There’s a different kind of rhythm and emphasis than you’d find in American movies”.
Check out the full list of Wes Anderson’s favourite anime below.
Wes Anderson’s favourite anime:
- Princess Mononoke (Hayao Miyazaki, 1997)
- Akira (Katsuhiro Otomo, 1988)
- My Neighbour Totoro (Hayao Miyazaki, 1988)
- Neon Genesis Evangelion (Hideaki Anno, 1995)
- Spirited Away (Hayao Miyazaki, 2001)
- The End of Evangelion (Hideaki Anno, 1997)
- Porco Rosso (Hayao Miyazaki, 1992)
- Only Yesterday (Isao Takahata, 1991)
These legendary anime masterpieces have influenced Anderson’s work in more ways than one. While some influences are more subtle, films like Akira are directly referenced in Anderson’s films. However, his favourite anime appears to be Neon Genesis Evangelion which he included in his selection of the greatest cinematic gems of all time.
Anderson explained: “This is a Japanese cartoon that is very difficult to describe and might not sound that great if I tried anyway. It is 24 episodes, and we watched them all in less than a week because you start to want to believe it’s real. This could spawn something like Scientology.”
