Hayao Miyazaki May Be Directing A New Movie

If you are a fan of Hayao Miyazaki, then you were no doubt sadden when the legendary artist announced he would no longer make feature films. Three years have passed since Miyazaki entered retirement, but the artists remains as involved with Studio Ghibli than ever before. He still oversees productions at the studio which he co-founded in 1984. And, now, it seems as if Miyazaki has found a reason to turn over his semi-retirement.

And that reason is a rather adorable caterpillar.

In a recent television special Owaranai Hito Miyazaki Hayao (The Man Who Is Not Done: Hayao Miyazaki), the director said he wants to make another animated film. The anime feature is called Boro the Caterpillar, and the artist hopes to have it done before the current decade wraps up.

Miyazaki explained that he began Boro the Caterpillar as short CG project for the Ghibli Museum. However, he realized the anime was deserving of an entire film, so he proposed plans for the film in August. The artist said the full movie would take him five years to complete, so Boro the Caterpillar would arrive in time to celebrate the 2020 Tokyo Olympics. And, what’s more, the film’s final cut would be completed the same year Miyazaki turns 80 years old.

Currently, Miyazaki is waiting to hear back about the project’s approval, but the artist is not waiting on the green-light to start working. He has already started animation work on Boro the Caterpillar and plans on making storyboards for 100 cuts of footage.

While the full movie will take longer to finish, the short film will be done in another year. Miyazaki, who still animates shorts of the Ghibli Museum, will debut the 12-minute Boro the Caterpillar film at the location in late 2017 to early 2018. The artist has waited a long time to share this particular story with fans; Miyazaki has worked on it for almost 20 years and says it is about “a tiny, hairy caterpillar, so tiny that is may be easily squished between your fingers.”

If you cannot wait to see Miyazaki’s film come to life, then you can stave off your appetite with an upcoming TV series from Studio Ghibli. Earlier this year, Amazon announced Prime users will be able to stream Ronja the Robber’s Daughter on its site before 2017 rolls in.

Tara Sorensen, Head of Kids Programming at Amazon Studios, said the aims “to bring a new level of storytelling to our customers and their families” through Ronja. In the site’s official press release, Ronja is described as an “epic 26-part animated story of a strong, adventurous young girl who grows up exploring a beautiful and dangerous forest filled with mystical creatures.”

Gillian Anderson will narrate the series while Gorō Miyazaki directs. Gorō Miyazaki, who is the son of Studio Ghibli’s founder Hayao Miyazaki, made his directorial debut with the company earlier this year with Tale from Earthsea. Despite his reputation as a well-known critic, Hayao Miyazaki praised his son’s work and said it’s “commendable.”

[H/T] Anime News Network