In short order we were hit with the 1-2 punch of legendary animator Hayao Miyazaki's retirement, followed by the shuttering of his longtime home, Studio Ghibli, who ceased making features. Miyazaki's last movie was the breath-taking and bittersweet biopic, The Wind Rises. We never had much time go grieve over either, though. It wasn't long before Miyazaki began fueling rumors of a return, which led to his short film Boro the Caterpillar, followed by word that a new full-length film may be on the way. As for Ghibli, they continued to distribute films at a regular clip, and many of their animators moved on to work with Studio Ponoc.
One never seemed right without the other, and fortunately we won't have to endure it much longer as Studio Ghibli has officially announced the re-opening of their production wing to work on a brand new feature by Miyazaki. Boom.
Le site officiel du studio Ghibli donne des nouvelles du nouveau film de Hayao Miyazaki. https://t.co/ZwMY0mcCoT #Ghibli #Miyazaki pic.twitter.com/H4taIXsnMr— Buta Connection (@ButaGhibli) August 10, 2017
Hooray! Now we don't know what the movie is, but it may be a full-length version of Boro the Caterpillar. This comes at a particular busy time for Studio Ghibli and Miyazaki individually. The studio has struck a new U.S. distribution deal with GKids, meaning their movies will no longer will be handled by Disney. That's a big deal because it means we may see them presented more to their original form. There's also a new Ghibli theme park on the way that will, of course, feature many of Miyazaki's classics. Speaking of which, Miyazaki just painted the sky red with this plane he helped design based on his classic film, Porco Rosso.
In all, it's a pretty good time to be a fan of great, hand drawn animation!
