The Nutcracker And The Mouse King is an on-going exhibition at the Ghibli Museum in Mitaka, Tokyo. Fame anime director Miyazaki Hayao interprets the fairy tale world of Ernst Theodor Amadeus Hoffmann through a combination of interactive (hands on) exhibits and his delightful watercolor illustrations.

Photography is prohibited in the exhibition halls, so here are some pictures of the pressbook/pamplet I picked up in the museum shop. Enjoy !

The main target audience for the exhibition is most certainly children, but the showpieces are captivating enough to hold the interest of adults as well.

(below left) Miyazaki-san employs his animal alter-ego, the bespectacled swine to narrate his illustrated stories. The character also featured in his book “Mushime To Anime”.

(below) Also available exclusively from the museum shop are these 9 postcards illustrated by Miyazaki Hayao – don’t miss these if you’re visiting.

The exhibition will run till May of 2015, so you still have time to catch this if you’re visiting Tokyo within the next few months. Official website here.

Now that Miyazaki-san is officially retired he has diverted his creative energy into creating new exhibits for the museum – I look forward to seeing them in the near future.