In urgent news, Studio Ghibli’s Hayao Miyazaki’s beard has been shaved off, leaving behind a film director whose films are hugely popular but whose face is not. Miyazaki’s new appearance was featured in a video posted by Oscar’s official YouTube channel. He and Studio Ghibli co-founder Toshio Suzuki released a message thanking the Academy for the nomination.Suzuki: “I am honored because Kimitachi wa Dou Ikiru Ka? (The Boy and the Heron) was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Animated Feature. I am grateful to the Academy and everyone who nominated us.”
Miyazaki – who seemed like he’d rather do anything else – was interviewed by Suzuki during an Oscars segment. Miyazaki does not completely agree that The Boy and the Heron is autobiographical but admits that it has many elements. He also added, “Wow, I’m glad I made it to the end. All that was left was my exhausted self” and “I thought it would never end. We tried to get it done because the money kept coming!”
The Boy and the Heron has been in development for seven long years. Multiple interviews between The Boy and the Heron staff and the animation blog Full Frontal paint a picture of the perseverance and tight-knit community that Miyazaki has built over a career that spans decades. his decade. Staff members such as legendary animator Toshiyuki Inoue recounted their experiences working on the film, at times portraying Miyazaki as intimidating but seeing it as an opportunity to surpass himself. Their collective efforts have paid off, with The Boy and the Heron considered a frontrunner for the upcoming Oscars and winning Best Animated Feature at the Florida Film Critics Circle, BAFTA and Golden Globe Award.
GKIDS distributes The Boy and the Heron in North American theaters. The film has grossed more than 167 million USD worldwide (Box Office Mojo). GKIDS describes the film: A boy named Mahito longs for his mother’s adventure into a world shared by the living and the dead. There, death ends and life finds a new beginning.
A semi-autobiographical fantasy about life, death and creativity, a tribute to friendship, from the mind of Hayao Miyazaki.
Source: Oscars YouTube channel, via Catsuka on X (formerly Twitter)© 2023 Studio Ghibli