In 1997, amateur animator David Encinas received a special opportunity to train under the leadership of Studio Ghibli co-founders Hayao Miyazaki and Isao Takahata during the production of Princess Mononoke. He also witnessed a single-minded creative determination in Miyazaki that almost caused the studio's financial ruin.

Per Vulture, David Encinas is a French animator known for his work on major productions such as Disney's A Goofy Movie (1995). He was also one of the first Westerners to join Ghibli's staff in the '90s. While he currently works as an animation instructor at Gobelins, Paris, he vividly remembers the period he spent working as a trainee under the supervision of Hayao Miyazaki. "Bouncing ball exercises and drawing hands," he stated, recalling the various training tasks he was given to refine his basic skills. "In less than three months, I learned more than in all my years combined at Gobelins and Disney." He...