Studio Ghibli Co-Founder Receives Lifetime Achievement Award
Studio Ghibli has spent decades giving anime fans some of the best examples of the genre, with the likes of Spirited Away, Princess Mononoke, and Howl's Moving Castle just being a few films that have resonated with viewers over the years. With the studio started by Hayao Miyazaki, Isao Takahata, and Toshio Suzuki, the latter has been given a prestigious life-time award for their work within the animation industry as he continues to put together major projects for Ghibli as this year will see the arrival of a new film and the opening of the Ghibli amusement park.
Studio Ghibli first began with Hayao Miyazaki, Isao Takahata, and Toshio Suzuki forming the now legendary animation studio for the original purpose of creating an anime adaptation of Nausicaa of the Valley of the Wind, which first hit theaters in 1984. Since the creation of the studio, Ghibli has created some of the biggest names when it comes to anime movies, with Spirited Away firmly holding the top spot for biggest anime film of all time before recently being dethroned by the box office juggernaut known as Demon Slayer: Mugen Train.
The award that Suzuki received is the "Winsor McCay Award," which is given "in recognition of an individual's career/lifetime achievements in animation," Suzuki helped bring films such as Castle In The Sky, My Neighbor Totoro, and Grave of the Fireflies to life, and still plays an active role in several projects that Ghibli is currently focused on, such as the aforementioned theme park.
Toshio Suzuki had this to say after receiving the prestigious award from the Annie Awards, noting that his two fellow co-founders for Studio Ghibli had received the distinguished honor earlier in their careers:
"I am very happy to receive this prestigious award, as it was also given to Hayao Miyazaki and Isao Takahata,"
We have yet to receive any footage for Ghibli's next anime movie, though it will be using a more two-dimensional style than the previous film in the studio's roster, Earwig And The Witch. With this upcoming entry being the last in Miyazaki's career, it will be interesting to see if Ghibli decides to move forward with CG animation versus its classic style.
What do you think of this prestigious award going to one of Ghibli's finest? Feel free to let us know in the comments or hit me up directly on Twitter @EVComedy to talk all things comics, anime, and the world of Studio Ghibli.