childhood resistance

His films consistently portray children resisting oppressive systems and societal constraints through courage and imagination, as seen in Spirited Away and Howl's Moving Castle.

He explores childhood defiance against authoritarian forces and dark adult worlds in Pan's Labyrinth and The Devil's Backbone, where children assert agency through fantasy and rebellion.

Her films like Tomboy and Portrait of a Lady on Fire center on children and young people resisting gender norms, social expectations, and restrictive identities with quiet determination.