Japanese animation director Hayao Miyazaki is often referred to as "the Disney of Japan". While his fans might argue that this is unfair - and indeed, throughout his career he has forged a unique style all of his own - it does go some way towards putting across just how important and lasting his influence on animation over the last few decades has been. No other director has so consistently wowed audiences with such beautifully realised worlds and rich, engaging storylines. Though his brilliant swansong The Wind Rises is now two years old and there's no sign that his retirement was the joke we all hoped, the animation legend deserves to be considered among cinema's greatest creators until his newest works are ancient. He is a maker of masterpieces, an artisan animator with a beautiful eye for his art and for the craft of story-telling, and inevitably choosing which of his films is the best is like weighing up the merits of each classic Disney film. But here goes...
