I stopped watching “The Simpsons” a long time ago, though when I catch it on TV (mostly by accident), I still spend a few minutes watching it. Not that it’s actually still funny or anything (I think it stopped being that a long time ago), but you gotta appreciate it for what it’s done for animation, and there’s a certain nostalgia factor at play.

Lately, though, the show has become more known for its various tributes, such as the recent one to Guillermo del Toro. And now this latest episode, which features a brief nod to the works of Japanese animation master Hayao Miyazaki, who last year announced his retirement from directing with his final film, the controversial WWII drama “The Wind Rises.”

Fans of the director will recognize some of his more famous films here, from “My Neighbor Totoro” to “Kiki’s Delivery Service” to “Howl’s Moving Castle.” I’m probably one of the biggest fans of “Totoro” you’ll find out there, so it was great to see.

The clip was labeled “anime,” because I guess most people don’t know who Miyazaki is, which is unfortunate.

http://youtu.be/R94Q6NhuS3A