Miyazaki Will Return to Animation with a 3D CG Short Film

Turns out Hayao Miyazaki is not yet done with retirement as yet and that's great news for animation fans worldwide. For the first time, Miyazaki will be making a 3D computer generated short starring a hairy caterpillar to premiere at the Ghibli Museum in Mikata, Japan. The short which is about 10 minutes will be the first new project the famed storyteller will work on since his last release The Wind Rises in 2013.  Unfortunately, we'll have to wait three long years for the short to be completed and then too, it is due to be shown only at the Ghibli Museum. Guess 2018 is a good a time as any to plan that bucket list trip to Japan.

New Studio Ghibli Feature: When Marnie Was There

Studio Ghibli is already embarking ahead on its post-Miyazaki era with its next feature, When Marnie Was There, an adaptation of author Joan G. Robinson's book.  The British story is about a lonely girl Annie who befriends Marnie and learns that there's more to her new friend than meets the eye.  Directed by Hiromasa Yonebayashi (The Secret World of Arrietty), the film will release in theatres summer 2014.

Are you looking forward to Studio Ghibli's new direction without master animator Hayao Miyazaki? 

Hayao Miyazaki Officially Announces His Retirement

I was holding out on talking about this until it was made official and now it definitely feels official.  There is actual video footage. *sad sigh*  On Friday, famed Japanese animator and director, Hayao Miyazaki (one of the greatest storytellers in animation, in my opinion) announced his retirement from feature films.

Previously he had scaled back his duties at Studio Ghibli but had to take over the responsibility of certain films once their release dates grew nearer.  He said at packed press conference of nearly 600 journalists in Tokyo that "this time I am quite serious." At 73, Miyazaki feels his limitations and plans to continue drawing, but also devote his time to other ventures such as the Ghibli Museum in Tokyo (one of the items on my bucket list).

The Wind Rises, his 11th feature film, has been making the rounds this year at the film festivals in Venice and Toronto.  His previous films, Nausicaa of the Valley of the Wind (1984), My Neighbor Totoro (1988), Kiki's Delivery Service (1989), Princess Mononoke (1997) have become instant classics and many a time broke the box-office at home in Japan.  2001's Spirited Away is his most recognizable film in the West which won the Best Animated Feature Oscar and the Golden Bear in Berlin. 

Miyazaki's films have always conveyed a sense of wonder and adventure that lay outside our doorstep if only we could open our eyes and see them.  While we lament about lead female characters in animated films today, his films have featured strong, intelligent female characters since the 1980s.  Miyazaki also wrote the screenplay on one of the more underrated films in the Studio Ghibli filmography, Whisper of the Heart (1995), a personal favorite of mine.

So all we have to say for now is sayonara, Miyazaki-san and good luck on your much deserved retirement. Thank you for the stories, we are truly transformed by your vast imagination. 

New Trailer for Hayao Miyazaki's The Wind Rises

Amidst all the goodness coming out of Comic-Con in the past few days, there has been a major animation film that has quietly released over the weekend in Japan.  The Wind Rises is the fictionalized story of Jiro Horikoshi, the man who designed the A6M Zero fighter planes which were used in World War II. Kaze Tachinu or The Wind Rises is the tenth feature by acclaimed animator and filmmaker Hayao Miyazaki.  His last directorial feature was 2008’s Ponyo on the Cliff.  This time around, the subject of the latest film is one that has fascinated and inspired the legendary director many times, airplanes.  In a way, you could say his career has come full circle with the film.  Here’s a look at the film’s trailer which features the Great Kanto Earthquake of 1923 and a sweet romance initiated with, what else, paper airplanes.

If you are a fan of Miyazaki san or Studio Ghibli, you will notice his interest with aviation leading to some stunning flights of fancy in films like Kiki’s Delivery Service, Porco Rosso, Castle in the Sky and now The Wind Rises.  In fact, there is some fantastical trip in the clouds in almost all the Studio Ghibli films but Miyazaki’s curiosity stems from early childhood when his uncle owned Miyazaki Airplane which made rudders for the A6M Zero fighter planes and his father was a director at the company. There is no word yet on the film’s international release which I’m sure is eagerly awaited by his countless fans, including me. 

 

Miyazaki to make a Porco Rosso sequel?

Famed Japanese director Hayao Miyazaki is always rumored to be working on several projects.  But Porco Rosso has always been near and dear to his heart.  It's an animated film like no other.  I won't say much about it except this film should be on everyone's must-see list.  Apparently, Miyazaki told Slash Film that he'd very much like to re-visit Porco Rosso and make a sequel to it now the recent Studio Ghibli films have met with considerable success.  This is a rumor I heartily support! Make it so!