Studio Ghibli has kept quiet for a few years now, but things could be rumbling at the famous studio these days. According to a new report, Studio Ghibli has just appointed a new director to oversee its work.
Videos by ComicBook.com
Earlier today, the company confirmed former Studio Ghibli Museum director Kiyofumi Nakajima has been tasked with overseeing the company (via ANN). The studio’s previous president Koji Hoshino will serve as a chairman for the company while Toshio Suzuki continues on as a producer. Each of the men will also act as representative directors for the studio.
The in-studio switch is said to have happened to prepare for a new wave of Studio Ghibli productions. The appointments will lead the company as they move towards a new production schedule. Back in 2013, the studio’s production department fell apart after director Hayao Miyazaki announced he would be retiring.
Of course, things on that front have since changed. Earlier this year, Miyazaki confirmed he was coming out of retirement and is working on a new feature film. Studio Ghibli restarted its production team last month as work on How Do You Live? got underway, and the movie will take up to four years to finish.
With Nakajima taking over Studio Ghibli, the company’s museum is also shifting around several of its workers. The new museum director is Kazuki Anzai who formerly oversaw its exhibitions and special events. Anzai began working with Studio Ghibli in 1998 and brought her background in interior design to the Ghibli Museum and Tokuma Memorial Cultural Foundation shortly afterwards.
If you are hoping to lend your own talents to Studio Ghibli, you are in for a rather long hiring process. Earlier this year, reports announced the company was looking to hire new animators to work on Miyazaki’s film, but it is harder to join Studio Ghibli than you may think. So many artist submitted portfolios to the company that screening had to be outsourced, but Studio Ghibli did wind up with a slew of new talent.
After being screened, selected applicants were asked to take a practical exam. Those lucky enough to be hired started in October and are currently undergoing six months of training. The hires were given three-year contracts to work at the Koganei building in Tokyo and are being paid about $1,800 per month in addition to the cost of travel to work.
