Pixar is pretty much on the top of most people’s list when it comes to animation studios, but for a great many others, Studio Ghibli is as good as it gets. The Japanese animation house was started by anime legendHayao Miyazakimore than 30 years ago, who made some of the greatest animated movies of all time during his run with Studio Ghibli. Now, just three years afterannouncing his retirementfrom feature filmmaking, the legend is returning to direct at least one more movie.
Anime News Networkis reporting thatHayao Miyazakiis indeed going to come out of retirement to direct a feature,Boro the Caterpillar. This is a movie that has been in development for nearly 20 years and is described simply as the “story of a tiny, hairy caterpillar. So tiny that it may be easily squished between your fingers.” It should be noted thatHayao Miyazakihas been in-and-out of retirement several times, going all the way back to 1998 when he said thatPrincess Mononokewas going to be his last movie. He has since directed six movies, very successfully we might add.
The news came as the result of a television special that aired in Japan called “The Man Who is not Done: Hayao Miyazaki.” During the special, the director revealed that the short version ofBoro the Caterpillarhe had been working on for the Ghibli Museum simply didn’t make him happy. So, at the age 75 (76 in January),Hayao Miyazakiwill take at least one more stab at making a feature length anime. If his past work is any indicator, and it definitely is, we should expect nothing shy of greatness.
Hayao Miyazakiformed Studio Ghibli back in 1984 with fellow filmmakerIsao Takahata. During his run with the studio, he directed critically-acclaimed classics such asNausicca of the Valley Wind,Lapuata: Castle in the Sky,My Neighbor Totoro,Kiki’s Delivery Service,Porco Rosso,Princess Mononoke,Spirited Away,Howl’s Moving Castle,PonyoandThe Wind Rises.Spirited Awaywon the Oscar for Best Animated Film in 2003, but most impressively, it is still the highest-grossing movie ever in Japan. It holds that record more than 12 years after it was first released.
Even thoughHayao Miyazakiwas “retired” from the world of making features, he has certainly kept busy. He has been working on a {NEcEsUr80D1Ffg||Samurai themed| manga as well as making short films. According to the Anime News Network, {23} anticipates thatBoro the Caterpillarcould be done by 2019. Though the movie has yet to be officially greenlit, it was noted that work has already begun on the movie.
