On Sunday, I took a trip with my parents to the Academy Museum of Motion Pictures in Los Angeles. If you are familiar with LACMA, this museum is right next door.

From the website, the museum is described as “the world’s premier institution dedicated to the art and science of movies,” and it first opened this past September. Full description here.

Museum Impression

First things first, I give rave reviews! The museum was a wonderful experience. I personally am a museum enthusiast and can spend ages reading through each plaque and soaking up all the information – in this case, I spent 2.5 hours walking through decades of pop culture references and learning how film and movies are produced.

Here are some of my favorite pictures from the museum.

Favorite Exhibit

My favorite exhibit was on the 4th floor, dedicated to Hayao Miyazaki and his films. Miyazaki is a director and animator who co-founded Studio Ghibli, which produced animated films like My Neighbor Totoro, Howl’s Moving Castle, Ponyo, and more. Unfortunately, I have no photos to share from the exhibit because they did not allow photography of any kind (probably to do with rights).

When you stepped through the exhibit’s doors, you were transported. I walked through what was supposed to be the tunnel Mei from Totoro crawls through to discover Totoro himself! After being funneled out of that entryway, you get transported to the land of Princess Mononoke, Kiki’s Delivery Service, Porco Rosso, and more.

This exhibit touched my heart because I grew up watching Miyazaki films, and to this day I say my favorite movie is Spirited Away. To be able to see the thought process on movies I’ve watched countless times, early sketches of the characters I grew up watching, and real-life models of movie scenes delighted every fiber of my being.

I highly recommend the Academy Museum of Motion Pictures. If you are a movie buff or Studio Ghibli fangirl like me, you’ll have the best time!

P.S. When is the Studio Ghibli theme park opening? You know I’ll be there 🙂