The Collected Works of Hayao Miyazaki Blu-Ray Set is Available for Pre-Order
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Despite being a huge Hayao Miyazaki fan, my movie collection is sorely lacking some of his best works. Luckily, my patience (re: laziness) has paid off as Studio Ghibli is releasing The Collected Works of Hayao Miyazaki Blu-Ray Set. The collection, which will be an Amazon exclusive, features Miyzaki's full filmography (Lupin III: The Castle of Cagliostro, Nausicaä of the Valley of the Wind, Castle in the Sky, My Neighbor Totoro, Kiki’s Delivery Service, Porco Rosso, Princess Mononoke, Spirited Away, Howl’s Moving Castle, Ponyo, and The Wind Rises), a television pilot for Yuki no Taiyo (Yuki's Sun) that Miyazaki directed, storyboarded, and animated in 1972, three episodes of Akado Suzunosuk (Little Samurai) that Miyazaki storyboarded, the uncut video of Miyazaki's retirement press conference, and The Great Dichotomy: Looking at the Works of Hayao Miyazaki by Tomohiro Machiyama, a book that explores and analyzes the themes of Miyazaki's filmography.
The Collected Works of Hayao Miyazaki Blu-Ray Set is going for $225 and can be pre-ordered from Amazon right now.
[via /Film]
Hayao Miyazaki Making CG Short Film
Famed animator Hayao Miyazaki is returning to the drawing board... literally. It's been two years since Miyazaki's retirement and the release of his last film, The Wind Rises, yet it was only a matter of time before the legendary director got the creative itch and returned to work on a new project. However, there are a few caveats surrounding the announcement of his return.
Firstly, the short, which is rumored to be a 10-minute short about a fuzzy caterpillar named Boro, might be a Ghibli Museum-exclusive. Miyazaki has created Ghibli Museum-exclusive shorts before, such as the My Neighbor Totoro follow-up, Mei and the Kittenbus, but rarely do they screen in the United States, nor do they ever get an official domestic release. Fans of Miyazaki interested in seeing this new short will have to visit the Ghibli Museum in Tokyo to do so. The second caveat, which isn't much of a bad thing, is Miyazaki's use of CG to create the short. Miyazaki has utilized CG in the past to supplement his art, but this will be his first full CG short film. Lastly, it might take an estimated three years for the short to be completed.
Regardless, it's great to see Miyazaki returning to what he loves the most. We can only hope he'll still have the itch to develop a full-length feature once the short is completed.
[via Variety]
[Trailer] The Tale of Princess Kaguya
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While Hayao Miyazaki might be retiring (or might not... conflicting reports still haven't cleared the entire situation up), Studio Ghibli was seen as being stuck in a limbo. To be fair, while Miyazaki was the driving force that made Studio Ghibli the purveyor of family Japanese animation films, there are still other animators and directors on staff that have received their own critical acclaim and success, just not at the level Miyazaki has. One such director is Isao Takahata, and if his next film is as good as his previous films Grave of the Fireflies (one of my personal favorites) and Pom Poko (an underrated classic), Studio Ghibli fans will be in for a treat.
The Tale of Princess Kaguya follows a classic Japanese folktale about a bamboo cutter and his wife finding a young princess. The English dub will feature James Caan (The Godfather), Mary Steenburgen (The Help), and Chloe Grace Moretz (The Equalizer) in the lead roles. What I find most compelling about the film is its art style. It's completely hand-drawn, which is more of a rarity in animation these days than you might think, but also features a sketchbook, crayon-esque look that certainly lends itself well to the film's classic tale.
The Tale of Princess Kaguya will be in theaters on October 17th. You can read the film's official synopsis below:
Legendary Studio Ghibli cofounder Isao Takahata (Grave of the Fireflies, Pom Poko) revisits Japan’s most famous folktale in this gorgeous, hand-drawn masterwork, decades in the making. Found inside a shining stalk of bamboo by an old bamboo cutter (James Caan) and his wife (Mary Steenburgen), a tiny girl grows rapidly into an exquisite young lady (Chloë Grace Moretz). The mysterious young princess enthralls all who encounter her – but ultimately she must confront her fate, the punishment for her crime.
Is Studio Ghibli Shutting Down?
Studio Ghibli is one of the greatest animation studios around. At one point, Ghibli was seen as the East's equivalent of Disney (and hell, many still do) thanks to the amazing vision and talent from Ghibli co-founder Hayao Miyazaki. It's Miyazaki's many films, including My Neighbor Totoro, Porco Rosso, Princess Mononoke, and Spirited Away, that helped elevate the widespread acceptance and critical praise of feature-length anime films in the West. However, with the rising costs of production and the lack of financial profit guarantee following Miyazaki's retirement last year, the company has decided to go on a temporary hiatus as they re-evaluate their future.
Over the past few days, many outlets reported this news as Studio Ghibli completely shutting down. Thankfully, however, it was all a misunderstanding over a translation error. What is known is this: Studio Ghibli will be cutting back on production in an attempt to find a better financial solution that will allow them to continue creating films post-Miyazaki. After all, while the iconic director was arguably the most well-known from the studio, there are many other talented animators working for Studio Ghibli, including Miyazaki's own son, Goro, that will help keep the studio going for a long time.
Here's hoping the future of Studio Ghibli is just as successful as its past.
[via Collider]