20 Facts About Michael Arias

Michael Arias was born on 1968 and is an American-born filmmaker active primarily in Japan.

Michael Arias's father, Ron Arias was born on 1941 and is a former senior writer and correspondent for People magazine and a highly regarded Chicano writer.

Michael Arias' mother, Dr Joan Arias, was a professor of Spanish and IBM Software Sales Specialist.

When still a young boy, Michael Arias often watched movies in the theater with his parents and borrowed 16mm prints from a local public library for screening at home; it was at this stage in his life that he developed his passion for cinema.

Michael Arias graduated from the Webb School of California at the age of 16.

Michael Arias then attended Wesleyan University in Connecticut, majoring in linguistics for two years, before dropping out to pursue a career as a musician.

Michael Arias began his film career in 1987 at nascent visual effects powerhouse Dream Quest Images, first as an unpaid intern and then as a full-time employee and IATSE member.

Once relocated to the Berkshires, where pre-production was underway, Michael Arias was drafted by Trumbull to animate the attraction's flight-simulator-style ride vehicles.

In 1991 Michael Arias accepted an offer to work as a motion-control camera operator in Imagica's Special Effects department, and moved to Tokyo.

At Sega, Michael Arias co-directed and animated the ridefilm Megalopolice: Tokyo City Battle.

In 1995, after establishing himself definitively in Tokyo, Michael Arias was introduced by a friend to Taiyo Matsumoto's manga Tekkonkinkreet, a work that profoundly affected him.

Michael Arias worked closely with the Wachowskis to refine the project's unique specifications: though initially conceived of as a television series, The Animatrix evolved into a collection of nine non-episodic animated shorts, each six to ten minutes long.

In 2003, while working on The Animatrix, Michael Arias picked up Tekkonkinkreet again.

Michael Arias is the first to join the roster of Asmik's artist management division.

Shortly after finishing publicity for Tekkonkinkreet, Michael Arias began work writing and directing Hide and Seek, one of fifteen 1-minute animated shorts comprising the NHK animation anthology Ani-kuri.

In 2007 Michael Arias began work on Heaven's Door, a Japanese live-action feature film loosely based on the German hit Knockin' on Heaven's Door directed by Thomas Jahn and written by Jahn and actor Til Schweiger.

Michael Arias has translated and adapted to English some of Tekkonkinkreet author Taiyo Matsumoto's manga.

Michael Arias is credited with the 2019 English translation and adaptation of Matsumoto's surreal tale of anthropomorphized stray cats Cats of the Louvre for publisher Viz's Signature collection, recipient of the Eisner Award for Best US Edition of International Material - Asia.

Michael Arias has lived in Tokyo, Japan since he was 23 and speaks and writes Japanese fluently.

In 2011 Michael Arias documented his experiences providing relief to relatives in Miyagi Prefecture during the days immediately following the Tohoku earthquake and tsunami.