State lawmaker suggests linking Penang Hill’s natural beauty to Japanese anime great Hayao Miyazaki’s films
GEORGE TOWN, May 29 — Penang Hill’s natural beauty has been loosely labelled as similar to amazing nature scenes from Japanese anime great Hayao Miyazaki’s films, a DAP lawmaker told the state legislative assembly today.
Joshua Woo (PH-Pulau Tikus) said his friend from China told him that Penang Hill was known for its natural environment that is similar to Miyazaki’s animations.
Miyazaki, who co-founded Studio Ghibli, is known for creating films that featured nature in all its beauty and has won two Oscars for his films.
“I was told that the social media in China linked Penang Hill to Hayao Miyazaki’s films so many of them chose to visit Penang to visit Penang Hill because of that,” he said when interjecting tourism and creative economy committee chairman Wong Hon Wai’s winding-up speech.
He said many Chinese visitors would promote Penang Hill in their personal social media accounts as a site to visit for Hayao Miyazaki’s fans.
“I called Penang Hill Corporation to ask if they knew about this but they have not heard of it,” he said.
He said Penang Hill’s natural beauty that can be linked to the works of a world-famous anime great is something the state can take advantage of.
“Maybe the state tourism can leverage on this advantage to promote Penang and Penang Hill,” he said.
A check on a travel website, Trip.com, also showed that Penang Hill cable car tickets were being sold with the title “train tickets to Miyazaki Hayao in summer, heading to the mountain and sea sunrise — Penang Hill cable car ticket”.
Miyazaki, 83, won the Oscar Academy Award for animated feature film for his film Spirited Away in 2003 and this year, for The Boy and The Heron.
Miyazaki and Studio Ghibli’s films are known to feature spectacular natural backdrops with environmental messages that emphasises the role of ecosystems and balance between nature and humans.
