We have some exciting news in the chute for Studio Ghibli fans. Toshio Suzuki, a producer at the Japanese animation studio recently confirmed reports that Ghibli co-founders and animation legends Hayao Miyazaki and Isao Takahata both have new feature-length projects in the works.
Miyazaki, director and writer of Ghibli classics My Neighbor Totoro and Spirited Away, is one of the most influential figures in contemporary animation. At The Museum of Contemporary Art recently, Suzuki said Miyazaki’s current project is an “autobiography”. Anime News Network notes the vague phrasing of the word in Japanese makes it difficult to know whether the film will be Miyazaki’s own autobiography or an adaptation of someone else’s.
Takahata, writer/director of oft-cited saddest film ever Grave of the Fireflies, hasn’t directed a feature since 1999’s My Neighbors The Yamadas. It’s been rumored since 2009 that his next project would be based on a classic Japanese folktale about a princess who was discovered inside a stalk of bamboo as a baby. Though Takahata himself mentioned the story at the Locarno International Film Festival that year, the subject of his current project remains unconfirmed.
Takahata said his film is still very much a work in progress and should not be expected for at least two years. Still, it’s good to know that two of the biggest names in animation history have films on the way.
Which project are you looking forward to most? Why?