Japanese animation film studio, Studio Ghibli’s co-founder and highly acclaimed creator and director of some of the most incredible works in the field of animation is once again stepping out of retirement for his love of film-making, with a new anime feature.
The Academy Honorary Award winning anime director is working on Kemushi No Boro (Boro The Caterpillar), a feature-length version of a 12-minute computer-generated 3D short film that he made in 2015, after learning how to use animation software for the first time.
The news was confirmed during a pre-Oscar interview with Studio Ghibli producer, Toshio Suzuki. Suzuki, who was talking about the Oscar-nominated film The Red Turtle which is co-produced by Studio Ghibli, said that the studio will be back with a feature-length which will be helmed by Miyazaki.
Though there are no estimates of the film’s release date, the animation studio hopes to release the film before the 2020 Olympics in Tokyo. Miyazaki is currently in Tokyo working hard on the feature.
One of the reporters who was present during the interview tweeted the confirmation.
BREAKING: Studio Ghibli producer Toshio Suzuki confirms that Hayao Miyazaki is currently working on his next feature length film
— Chuck D. (@WolfgangChuckD) February 24, 2017
According to his tweets, Miyazaki had presented Suzuki with a storyboard for the film that he had created in 20 minutes. The producer who was also on the verge of retirement told Miyazaki that his concept for the film was great and agreed to produce it.
The short film Boro The Caterpillar will debut at the Ghibli Museum in Tokyo this summer. According to Miyazaki, it’s “a story of a tiny, hairy caterpillar, so tiny that it may be easily squished between your fingers.”
Miyazaki, whose most iconic works include Howl’s Moving Castle, Spirited Away and My Neighbor Totoro, will after years of not being keen on CG, for the first time will venture into computer generated full length film.