Travis Knight Reveals Japanese Culture Influences in Masters of the Universe
The interview confirms that Knight deliberately infused Masters of the Universe with visual and thematic elements from classic Japanese anime and film, tying the Hollywood blockbuster to a lineage of Japanese pop culture influence.
Reporting from 1 sources: Cinema Today.
Director Travis Knight discussed his love for Japanese culture in a new interview for the upcoming film Masters of the Universe, citing influences from Hayao Miyazaki's Nausicaä of the Valley of the Wind and Katsuhiro Otomo's Akira. Knight, CEO of Laika Studios, said his early works were shaped by Akira Kurosawa, Princess Mononoke, Spirited Away, and the manga Lone Wolf and Cub.
Director Travis Knight, known for Kubo and the Two Strings and Bumblebee, spoke in a newly released interview about how Japanese culture shaped his approach to Masters of the Universe, which opens Friday in Japan and the U.S. Knight said he first visited Japan at age 8 and absorbed anime, manga, art, and music without understanding the language, calling the experience visually inspiring. He cited Akira Kurosawa, Hayao Miyazaki's Princess Mononoke and Spirited Away, and the manga Lone Wolf and Cub as influences on his early work. For the new film, Knight said he wanted the Sky Sled chase scene to evoke the flying machines in Nausicaä of the Valley of the Wind, and that he tried to channel the sci-fi energy of Akira, which he said blew him away as a child.
Synthesized by Yomimono from the 1 cited source below, including Japanese-language reporting where cited, then editorially reviewed before publishing.
Sources
- Cinema Today 『風の谷のナウシカ』『AKIRA』の影響も！『マスターズ・オブ・ユニバース』監督が明かす日本文化愛