The Studio Ghibli co-founder and director will step out of retirement to make one final project, one which would be his first and last to delve into CGI animation; having announced his plans on NHK, Japan’s public broadcaster, as part of a programme entitled Owaranai Hito Miyazaki Hayao or Hayao Miyazaki – The Man Who Isn’t Finished (via The Hollywood Reporter).
The news also hopefully puts to rest (for now) rumours that Studio Ghibli would be shutting its doors for good; as Suzuki stated, “Ghibli will carry on as long as Miyazaki continues to make films.”
Hayao Miyazaki knows the world needs him right now.
He’s currently collaborating with longtime producer Toshio Suzuki, the current head of Studio Ghibli, on the film; with Suzuki confessing Miyazaki was struggling to adapt to the techniques of CGI animation after a lifetime of hand-drawn films.