The ecological and consumption themes of the films of Hayao Miyazaki

Films are an underutilized media to explore and amplify the many messages of ecological economics. While a few popular films and videos have effectively addressed environmental themes, this commentary argues that they have an even greater role to play in the educational process in order to reach a broader audience and help it to rethink its role in the world\u27s ecosystems. Hayao Miyazaki, the masterful animator from Japan, is singled out to offer ample material in many of his popular and children\u27s films to stimulate such critical thinking on the systemic problems addressed by ecological economics. © 2005 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved