Makoto Shinkai drew inspiration for Your Name (2016) from Shūzō Oshimi's Inside Mari, Ranma ½, the novel Torikaebaya Monogatari, and Greg Egan's short story The Safe-Deposit Box, as well as Christopher Nolan's Interstellar (2014). Shinkai also drew inspiration from Japanese folklore, history, buildings, geography - particularly the city of Hida - and his own experiences after he had seen the effects of the Great East Japan Earthquake on a city.
Shinkai sought approval to make the film in September of 2014. By December of 2014, Shinkai had finished writing much of the film. He spent a considerable amount of time writing and storyboarding the film because he wanted to deliver a great film which celebrated Japan, its culture, and perhaps most importantly, its mythology.
And Shinkai's dedication to creating a tremendous product showed: Your Name is one of the most successful and most widely respected anime films of all time, taking in $357.9 million at the worldwide box office and earning incredibly positive reviews.
