‘Kung Fu Panda’ Director Mark Osborne On Miyazaki Influence, Filmmaking As Therapy & Netflix Impact On Animation Audiences – IFFI Goa
deadline.comKung Fu Panda and The Little Prince director Mark Osborne talked about his respect for Japanese animation master Hayao Miyazaki, his creative processes and the impact Netflix has had on global audiences for animation in a masterclass at the International Film Festival of India (IFFI) in Goa on Tuesday.
Osborne is currently working on an animated feature, Escape From Hat, for Netflix Animation, which reteams him with BAFTA-winning and Oscar-nominated animation producer Jinko Gotoh (Klaus), his executive producer on The Little Prince.
A French-US production, which uses a combination of stop motion and computer animation, The Little Prince is an adaptation of Antoine de Saint-Exupéry’s iconic children’s book, which has sold 140 million copies worldwide.
Osborne said he took some persuading to adapt the book due to a deep personal connection – his future wife gave him a copy when they were still both students – but he started thinking about Miyazaki’s films when he finally agreed. “My Neighbor Totoro was a huge inspiration to me – I thought tonally this is what we’re going for – and I love Miyazaki films because he’s always using female characters and this was very inspiring.
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