Fans and artists across Japan have been toasting a night of international success for the country’s movie industry, after anime maestro Hayao Miyazaki picked up a historic second Oscar and the famed Godzilla franchise took home its first award. Asian productions or nominees with a predominantly Asian cast have been making headway at the Academy Awards in recent years.
Many of the dozens of Godzilla adventures released since then include themes of environmental disaster and Japan’s experience as the only nation to have nuclear weapons deployed against it. The crew from the latest Godzilla blockbuster were thrilled by their win. Special effects artist Tatsuji Nojima posted a photo on social platform X of a Godzilla figurine next to the Oscar statuette. “Oscar, get! Wow,” he wrote in a post accompanied by dozens of exclamation marks.