For those who haven’t heard the news, Hayao Miyazaki, often referred to as “the Walt Disney of Japan,” is formally retiring from the feature film industry. To address the countless questions and concerns of disappointed fans, Miyazaki will be attending a press conference on Friday, September 6, to discuss the details of his retirement. This meeting will be streamed live on website, Niconico, for the whole world to watch.
Miyazaki’s career as an animation director has spanned more than 50 years. His genius brought us such wonderful animated films as Nausicaä of the Valley of the Wind, Kiki’s Delivery Service, and My Neighbor Totoro. Back in 1997, after the production of Princess Mononoke, Miyazaki entered into temporary retirement, but he returned to the field once again in 2001 with the American Academy Award-winning hit, Spirited Away, and has been steadily producing new animated feature films ever since.
This time, it looks as though Miyazaki will be retiring from the animated film industry for good. The surprise announcement was made by Studio Ghibli’s president, Koji Hoshino, at the Venice Film Festival on September 1. After a full screening of Miyazaki’s most recent work, The Wind Rises, it was made public that this award-nominated film would also be Miyazaki’s last.
A press conference covering Hayao Miyazaki’s retirement has been scheduled for Friday, September 6, starting at 2PM JST on Niconico Live. Access begins a half hour prior to the live broadcast and is available to anyone with a Niconico account.
Source: Net Lab (Japanese)
Reference: Niconico Live
Top image: Wikipedia
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