2012-02-News

Toshio Suzuki's "Incredible" Plan

It was revealed on the latest Toshio Suzuki radio show that he has an incredible plan for next summer.

One of the guests asked Suzuki a question near the end of the radio show.

Guest: When is Takahata-san's film released?

Suzuki: Well, Miyazaki... (narration is inserted on top of Suzuki's voice)

Narration: Sorry, we cannot yet broadcast this talk, but, actually Suzuki-san seems to have an incredible plan which is not swept irresistibly by the current of the times.

Guests: Wooooow! (Guests are astonished by Suzuki's plan)

Suzuki: I'm so sorry, but we make all of next summer into Studio Ghibli.

(Laughter and the applause by guests)

Narration: Probably, Calcifer's flame begins to blaze like a brick from now on.

It is still unknown what Suzuki's words mean, but Studio Ghibli has announced that animation production on Takahata's new film began in January and it is going to be completed in the summer of 2013. Hayao Miyazaki's new epic film animation production has been active since June 30 of 2011 and Miyazaki already mentioned in CUT magazine that he is making a film about a Japanese engineer who developed a weapon of the war. And he mentioned in the Neppu January issue that animation on his film will be completed in the summer of 2013.

Thanks to T. Ishikawa for the news.

--LLin 05:36, 22 February 2012 (UTC)

Arrietty Box Office Results, Grave of the Fireflies in LA

• Anime News Network (via Box Office Mojo) reports the film placed #8 by hauling in $8,684,864 from US theaters over the three-day weekend. It's the best opening for a Studio Ghibli film and prompted a press release from the studio.
• The LA Times covers how Cécile Corbel ended up writing music for the film.
• Sean Lennon presents a screening of Grave of the Fireflies at the Los Angeles Animation Festival on March 11. Tickets are $10.

Thanks to Daniel Zelter for the news.

--LLin 05:36, 22 February 2012 (UTC)

Arrietty News Bits

• Deadline places Arrietty in the #9 spot at the box office on Friday.
• An official Arrietty Facebook page is open for likes
• The Toronto International Film Festival is hosting Spirited Away: The Films of Studio Ghibli from March 10 to April 13. Some of the subbed films are the first time they've been officially screened in that manner in Canada.
• Ni no Kuni is scheduled for a "winter 2012" release in the US but Europe will have to wait until 2013 for the joint Level-5/Studio Ghibli PS3 game.
• Rotten Tomatoes rounds up all of the available Studio Ghibli films in English and their ratings range from 43% to 100%. Arrietty is currently sitting at 93%.
• Ghibli's Neppu February issue features the theme "Demonstration" (table of contents) with cover art by Yohei Takamatsu (director of The Day I Bought a Star).
• Ghibli's publishing department started a twitter account
• Although the Studio Ghibli PR department closed last September some other sources have popped up to fill the void:
  • Nishi Diary
  • Mushi no Idokoro Diary
  • Ghibli Museum Diary
  • Ghibli Report from Nonaka-kun - Nonaka-kun with the state of Ghibli every month

Thanks to T. Ishikawa, Daniel Zelter, and Christopher See for the news.

--LLin 18:24, 18 February 2012 (UTC)

News from Japan

• Toshio Suzuki revealed during a conversation with Shunji Iwai on a TV show that Goro Miyazaki's next film is a Chanbara film (samurai sword fight movie) set in Tohoku (East Japan) of the Middle Ages and is currently in the planning stage. According to Suzuki, it mixes historical fact with fiction.
• Hayao Miyazaki mentioned in Neppu's February issue that his new film is going to be completed during the summer of next year, but he does not know how it will turn out by the change of social conditions.
• NHK's Kokuriko-zaka production documentary "Futari (two persons) / Kokuriko-zaka: 300 Days War of Father and Son" will be released on May 16. 73 minutes, no English subtitles.
• A new film will be unveiled at the Museum of Contemporary Art, Tokyo supervised by Director A (Hideaki Anno) and Director H (possibly Higuchi Shinji). This film will be a special feature of the exhibition.
• A farewell party was held on December 13 for Steve Alpert who is returning to US.
• The Eagle's Japanese website quotes Hayao Miyazaki's comment from "50 Iwanami Boys Books Chosen by Hayao Miyazaki." "The original book is a masterpiece of the historical novel. I'd tried several times to create a magnificent animation, move this story to the ancient Tohoku, Japan. I was excited while imagining the ancient Edo bay where people are not, but it is not yet realized. This is one of my very favorite novels."

Nishioka, formerly the director of Studio Ghibli's public relations department (it was dissolved) and the writer of the Studio Ghibli production diary, has moved to the Studio Ghibli Museum and started a new video diary. Highlights from various videos:

• 1. 232 (1:16) - Q: The reason why you chose Yonebayashi (Maro) as a director. M: Because there was not another talented person. And inspiration.
  2. 233 (0:44) - Miyazaki talks about Yonebayashi's characteristics
     

(5:03) Advice to Yonebayashi

• 1. 234 (1:00) The reason why Miyazaki was attracted by the original book
     

(2:32) The reason why changed the setting to Japan. M: Young animators do not have the curiosity or yearning to understand the culture of a foreign country. Their concern has turned to only the contents of things showed on TV, or a mail order catalog. Because it is impossible to say to them "Go to Britain and make a movie based there", I thought that a old Japanese house was possible. But I think that they remain ignorance as ever. This does not slander the staff. I think that curiosity is fundamentally lacking in the a current Japanese state. Not the curiosity for the private life of a celebrity, but about life, eating, ancestors, and the history of us. I think that their deplorable curiosity narrows the stage of a movie. They can create a ship from science fiction because they watched a lot of such movies. They can look at Tokyo like Blade Runner-style. Because they watched such a movie. Though they must become a top batter, I think that their effort is insufficient.

• 1. 235 - Miyazaki talks about the past, the present, and the future of Japanese animation
  2. 226-#231 - Yonebayashi talks about Arrietty and Miyazaki.
  3. 252-#253 - The place that became the stage of Arrietty
  4. 264 - Arrietty Genga (key frame drawings)
  5. 265 - Art boards
  6. 266-#268 - The process of character design by Yonebayashi

Thanks to T. Ishikawa for the news.

--LLin 04:59, 11 February 2012 (UTC)

Arrietty News You Can Use

• Arrietty is receiving the largest theatrical push yet for a Studio Ghibli film, opening on over 1200 screens according to the Wall Street Journal (commentary from The Ghibli Blog).
• The El Capitan Theater in Hollywood is screening Arrietty in Japanese without subtitles for those who find subs "distracting"
• Bridgit Mendler not only voices the title character in Arrietty but also contributes a song
• Four Studio Ghibli films are scheduled at the Alamo Drafthouse in Austin and Film School Rejects is on the scene with critical analysis
• A talkback session follows the February 19th screening of Arrietty in Grand Rapids
• More clips from DailyBlam

Thanks to Daniel Zelter and Daniel Thomas MacInnes for the news.

--LLin 00:03, 9 February 2012 (UTC)

Arrietty Clips

• You'll get a fairly good idea of the film's content via clips from DailyBlam, Wired, SlashFilm, MovieFone, and CinemaBlend
• Interview with Arrietty's English dub director Gary Rydstrom via the LA Times
• The Ghibli Blog has coverage on the 2012 Tokyo Anime Fair

Thanks to Daniel Zelter and Daniel Thomas MacInnes for the news.

--LLin 16:15, 3 February 2012 (UTC)