• Hayao Miyazaki was born in Tokyo, on January 5, 1941. He is a director of Japanese animated films and is a co-founder of Studio Ghibli.

Although largely unknown in the West outside of animation circles until Miramax released his film Princess Mononoke in 1999, his films have enjoyed commercial and critical success in Japan and East Asia. Miyazaki's Spirited Away is the highest-grossing film of all time in Japan; Princess Mononoke held the same title for a short period until the release of Titanic later in the same year.

Miyazaki's films are distinguished by recurring themes such as humanity's relationship to nature and technology, and the difficulty of maintaining a pacifist ethic. The protagonists of his movies are often strong, independent girls or young women.

Miyazaki's films have generally been financial successes. His success has invited comparisons with American animator Walt Disney. However, Miyazaki does not see himself as a person building an animation empire, but as an animator lucky enough to have been allowed to make films with his own personal touch.

• Gorō Miyazaki, the son of Japanese animation director Hayao Miyazaki, has been reluctant his whole life to follow in his father's footsteps. He was asked to draw the storyboards for the new film Tales from Earthsea. After his work on those it was decided by Suzuki that Gorō should direct the film.

On June 28, 2006, Gorō held the first preview of the completed Tales from Earthsea. The film has been selected in the Out of Competition section at the 63rd Venice Film Festival.

Tales From Earthsea is the directorial debut of Goro Miyazaki. University of Agriculture graduate and construction consultant, Goro is described as a naturally talented illustrator and a strong decision-maker, who was originally uninterested in competing with his father in the field of animation. He became involved with Studio Ghibli after overseeing the design of the Ghibli Museum and served as its director from 2001 to 2005.

Tales From Earthsea is based on the Earthsea series, originally created by author Ursula K. Le
Guin. It is the story of a fantasy realm containing a vast archipelago of islands and uncharted
oceans. The film follows the journey of Ged, a wandering wizard investigating a spate of strange
events, who stumbles upon the young Prince Arren, a distraught teenager struggling with a powerful
dark side.