Chihiro's journey: Re-imaging the heroic quest in the anime of Miyazaki Hayao

This dissertation examines the portrayal of the traditional heroic quest cycle in the films of Japanese director and auteur Miyazaki Hayao through a chronological analysis of his major works. It begins with a study of his origins and major influences as an animator and moves through his career up to the release of his latest film in 2013. The purpose of this study is to demonstrate that the way in which Miyazaki uses girls and women as heroes in his films has created a new paradigm for the perception of the hero and the quest.