December 8 will see the North American wide release of Studio Ghibli‘s high-anticipated animated film, “The Boy & The Heron.” A new original film that saw beloved Japanese filmmaker Hayao Miyazaki pull himself out of retirement and what may actually lead to more than just that upcoming supernatural post-war tale.
The revered studio’s vice president, Junichi Nishioka, spoke with CBC’s Eli Glasner on the red carpet for the Toronto International Film Festival. It opened the festival with an introduction from Oscar-winning director Guillermo del Toro (“Pinocchio”) praising the animated film and reminding the audience they were the first outside of Japan to experience it in a theater. Nishioka apparently revealed that “The Boy & The Heron” isn’t likely to be the final film for Miyazaki, as he’s still coming into the offices with “new ideas.”
“[Exciting] news for fans of Hayao Miyazaki. Studio Ghibli VP Junichi Nishioka tells us ‘The Boy & The Heron’ is not Miyazaki’s final film and that he is already coming into the office with new ideas,” Glasner said in a tweet on Thursday night.
However, it’s unclear what those “ideas” could be and if they will ultimately materialize into a script someone else at the studio directs. Another option could be that Miyazaki makes the project himself, again. I’m sure die-hard fans of the studio and filmmaker will be delighted to hear any tidbits/details about that project.
There are more rounds of reviews for “The Boy & The Heron” as it screens at TIFF and you can check out the film’s first-look trailer below alongside the film’s official synopsis.
“A young boy named Mahito yearning for his mother ventures into a world shared by the living and the dead. There, death comes to an end, and life finds a new beginning. A semi-autobiographical fantasy about life, death, and creation, in tribute to friendship, from the mind of Hayao Miyazaki.”
SOURCE: STUDIO GHIBLI VIA CBC/TIFF
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