Hayao Miyazaki, the famous director of Japanese animation company Studio Ghibli, has returned after previously announcing his retirement from filmmaking.
The acclaimed animator and director, known for My Neighbor Totoro and many other iconic Japanese animated films, recently announced his retirement following the release of his “final” film. me, The Boy and the Heron. Now, according to Studio Ghibli president Toshio Suzuki, Miyazaki is not only back in action but is more active than ever, saying the director is said to be “obsessed” with his next project. “He was thinking about this next project every day and I couldn’t stop him – in fact I gave up,” Suzuki said in an interview with Liberation. “I no longer try to dissuade him, even when he does a failed movie. In life, only work makes him excited.”
A founding member of Studio Ghibli, Miyazaki has remained active as the studio’s most famous director since 1985, serving as the creative mind behind iconic films such as Castle Howl and Spirited Away’s moving station, which won the Academy Award for Best Animated Feature in 2003. Now 82 years old, Miyazaki continues to produce films for the studio, with his most recent completed effort he, The Boy and the Heron, was proposed as his creative swan song before his retirement.
However, Miyazaki has now returned to the director’s chair for another film, which he is said to be so obsessed with that, according to Suzuki, the producers have claimed that he has even forgotten about the previous film. What content to talk about? Neither Studio Ghibli nor Miyazaki himself has revealed any information about what the new project is about or when it might come to fruition, but the studio has promised fans at least one more Miyazaki film to expected.
Meanwhile, The Boy and the Heron continued to receive rave reviews prior to its release, with many critics calling it one of Miyazaki’s best works to date. Further cementing his legacy in the industry, director Goro Miyazaki’s son has also made a name for himself at the studio, with works such as Tales from Earthsea receiving similar praise and the His most recent film, Earwig and the Witch, was the studio’s first ever CG-animated film.
The Boy and the Heron will hit theaters worldwide on December 8.
Source: Liberation