Mar 11, 2024

The Boy and the Hare” started off a spectacular weekend by winning the Best Animated Film of the Year at the Japan Academy Awards.

Studio Ghibli's “The Boy and the Hare” was the talk of the animation world on Sunday night when it won the Academy Award for Best Animated Feature. But it was not the first big win of the weekend, as Hayao Miyazaki's latest film had won the Japan Academy Award for Best Animated Feature two days earlier.

Nominees for the 47th Japan Academy Awards for Best Animated Feature include:

Miyazaki's previous film, 2013's “The Wind Rises,” also won the Japan Academy Award for Best Animated Feature of the Year. This category was only created in 2006, but prior to that, “Princess Mononoke” was the first animated film to be nominated and win the Best Picture award, and Miyazaki won the Best Picture award again in 2001 for “Spirited Away.

Toho's “Godzilla: Minus One,” which won the Academy Award for Best Effects, was named Best Picture at the Japan Academy Awards. The monster film won eight Japan Academy Awards, including Best Supporting Actress, Best Cinematography, Best Screenplay, Best Editing, Best Sound, Best Art Direction, and Best Lighting.

Surprisingly, Takashi Yamazaki, director of Godzilla: Minus One, was not nominated for Best Director. [...] [...] [...] [...] [...]