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]