2011-08-News

GKids Acquires (most) US Rights

Animenews.biz via Variety reports that GKids (best known for running the New York International Children's Film Festival) has signed a distribution deal for 13 Studio Ghibli films though Disney still holds home video rights. A retrospective tour kicks off this fall with screenings of Castle in the Sky and Spirited Away at the New York Film Fest followed by a traveling tour around the US and Canada. Only Yesterday and the rarely seen in theaters Ocean Waves are both included in the tour.

Thanks to Daniel Zelter for the news.

--LLin 04:32, 9 September 2011 (UTC)

BD Releases of Howl, Earthsea, and Ponyo

Asian Blu-ray Guide reports that the three films are scheduled for a November 16 release in Japan. The covers use the same silhouette motif as earlier BD releases. All three include English audio and English subtitles.

Thanks to Luke Hatton for the news.

--LLin 13:45, 15 August 2011 (UTC)

Miyazaki on CNN

Hayao Miyazaki: The world's greatest animator is a ~2 minute video interview on CNN.

Thanks to Daniel Zelter and Heinz Freyhofer for the news.

--LLin 06:45, 13 August 2011 (UTC)

Studio Ghibli Begins Work on Next Feature Film

Production diary of June 30 shows a photo in which staff members listen to the explanation of the director and producer in the fifth studio. Diary says "The studio finally sets sail on a long trip".
http://www.ghibli.jp/15diary/007174.html#more

Toshio Suzuki has already mentioned on the CUT magazine September issue 2010 that Ghibli will spend the last two years of a five year plan making a big budget film. (The last year is 2013) Toshio Suzuki revealed on his December 28 radio show that Studio Ghibli will make a Showa Trilogy.
http://podcasts.tfm.co.jp/podcasts/tokyo/rg/suzuki_vol168.mp3

Suzuki: Ghibli returns to the old ways. Ghibli's Showa Sanbusaku (Showa Trilogy). We will do it next year [Ed: Kokuriko is set in Showa 38 (1963/1964)], and then the next film is set in a little older Japan [than Kokuriko]. I don't know whether it goes well, but we are talk about it. How was the youth of the generation of the parents of lead character Umi-chan(Kokuriko)?. I feel it's interesting. Then we can see something. If we watch the movies, can understand how Japan came. Besides, put Totoro in it. And up to Ponyo. (Totoro seems one of Showa Trilogy. Kokuriko-zaka official website shows Miyazaki's plan paper. He mentions that Totoro was set in 1953 on it.
http://kokurikozaka.jp/message.html)

Hayao Miyazaki talked about the next film at the press conference of the Kokuriko-zaka theme song on March 28.
http://www2.toho-movie.jp/movie-topic/1103/07kokuriko_ib.html

Miyazaki: In fact, I'm preparing the next film. It is not yet at the announcement stage, but I think that I can stick out my chest and I do not have to change the contents of it. (In other words, he thinks, the contents of the next film are not affected by the earthquake disaster. The contents of it are good for this time.) We must draw a human. But it's very disadvantageous battlefield to draw a life-sized human with an animation. But I think I must prepare. In the movie which I prepare for now, a life-sized human appears. (In short, next film is Not fantasy.)

Ghibli diary of July 8 shows a photo of a staff member wearing a Hakama for animation drawing.
http://www.ghibli.jp/15diary/007210.htmlhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hakama

Goro Miyazaki mentioned at the Kokuriko press conference "Ghibli will be separated from fantasy for a while".
http://www2.toho-movie.jp/movie-topic/1107/02kokuriko_kh.html

Ghibli made the short film Takara Sagashi by Nishi Ghibli young animators. They had came back to Ghibli and had participated in Arrietty and Kokuriko-zaka production.

Takara Sagashi
http://www.7netshopping.jp/spc/static/ghibli/ghibli_takarasagashi.html
http://www.ghibli-museum.jp/en/
This was made for the training of young animators.

Planing and Composition : Hayao Miyazaki
Director: unknown
Music : Michiru http://michiru.jp/
Run-time: 8min 40 sec

Ghibli Museum special exhibition.
http://www.lawson.co.jp/ghibli/museum/research/detail_20110706_40351.html
http://www.ghibli-museum.jp/en/exibition/007157.html

New Ghibli museum TVCM
http://www.lawson.co.jp/ghibli/

After Great Hanshin Earthquake, Ghibli invested a large sum of money and trained young animators on the big budget film Mononoke. Hayao Miyazaki had the idea of the sequel of Poroco Rosso. It's true. But he thinks he should Not make it. Because it is the escape out of the pains to think about the next film. For Miyazaki, Porco Rosso is the easy way, because it's the old man's hobby. He said that at all times, "We must not make a movie as a hobby".

Relating this to Miyazaki's interview on the CUT magazine Sep issue 2010:

"So I want to escape to "Porco Rosso: The Last Sortie". "If next two films succeed and Suzuki-san lets me make it (Porco) while saying, 'It cannot be helped because it's a hobby of the old man', I'm happy. It's my hobby." (This is Miyazaki's desire - not to be realized, or just a joke.) "I had thought about the possibility of "Porco Rosso: The Last Sortie" in the morning. But before Shibuya-san (the interviewer) arrived, I thought 'It's not good after all, It's just my hobby.'"

In short, Miyazaki does Not make the sequel of Porco Rosso film.

Thanks to T. Ishikawa for the news.

-- Mrgazpacho 00:47, 1 August 2011 (UTC)