animal forms

His surrealist narratives frequently feature animals as manifestations of the unconscious mind and psychological states, most notably in Eraserhead and The Elephant Man.

His animated works obsessively explore animal forms as vehicles for exploring human nature, emotion, and our relationship with the natural world, as seen in Spirited Away and Princess Mononoke.

His documentaries and narratives persistently interrogate animal consciousness and behavior as philosophical metaphors for human existence and survival, particularly in Grizzly Man and Little Dieter Needs to Fly.