Hayao Miyazaki (Japanese: 宮崎 駿, Hepburn: Miyazaki Hayao, born January 5, 1941) is a Japanese film director, producer, screenwriter, animator, author, and manga artist. A co-founder of Studio Ghibli, a film and animation studio, he has attained international acclaim as a masterful storyteller and as a maker of anime feature films. His works are characterized by the recurrence of progressive themes, such as environmentalism, pacifism, feminism, love and family. His films' protagonists are often strong girls or young women, and several of his films present morally ambiguous antagonists with redeeming qualities.