Studio Ghibli started 2020 with the cunning announcement that they are planning to release two feature film projects as soon as possible.
During the announcement, we only knew of Hayao Miyazaki’s How Do You Live?, which takes inspiration from Genzaburo Yoshino’s 1937 book of the same name.
Recently, thanks to a chat between Ghibli co-founder Toshio Suzuki and Entertainment Weekly, more details come to light on what Studio Ghibli has in the works.
First is regarding Miyazaki’s current project, Suzuki described it as a “big, fantastical story.”
It was previously reported that this project is taking some time to finish, which Suzuki says comes partially from the new approach of spending more time and money to make a film. Apparently, they are still hand-drawing everything, and even with 60 animators—compared to eight animators for 1988’s My Neighbor Totoro, for instance—they’re completing around one minute of animation each month.Â
At present, the studio has already done about 36 minutes for Kimi-tachi wa Dou Ikiru ka after three years of work. Suzuki hopes to finish it in three more years. It’s good news that the COVID-19 pandemic hasn’t affected the studio’s progress, so hopefully, they can stay on track with those projections.Â
There are not a lot of information about the second movie in production. However, what we know is that it’s going to be another project from Miyazaki’s son, Goro Miyazaki.
Meanwhile, the Tales from Earthsea and From Up on Poppy Hill director is working on a CG-animated film “based on a book or story from England” about “a very wise girl,” but nothing formal has been announced.Â
Stoked to see new Studio Ghibli films? So are we!
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