I don't have the story finished and ready when we start work on a film. I usually don't have the time. So the story develops when I start drawing storyboards. I never know where the story will go but I just keeping working on the film as it develops. It's a dangerous way to make an animation film and I would like it to be different, but unfortunately, that's the way I work and everyone else is kind of forced to subject themselves to it.

The love of weaponry is often a manifestation of infantile traits in an adult.

I think we should stop using nuclear power plants because it's an old system that we can't control.

If [hand-drawn animation] is a dying craft, we can't do anything about it. Civilization moves on. Where are all the fresco painters now? Where are the landscape artists? What are they doing now? The world is changing. I have been very fortunate to be able to do the same job for 40 years. That's rare in any era.

Do everything by hand, even when using the computer.

Life is a winking light in the darkness.

When I start creating a villain, I start liking the villain and so the villain is not really evil.