Hayao Miyazaki And His Son Are Working On Two New Studio Ghibli Movies

By Hoai-Tran BuiJan. 27, 2019 1:00 pm EST

Hayao Miyazaki is returning to Studio Ghibli after the animation studio closed down following his 2013 retirement. Most of his former employees and coworkers ended up migrating to the newly established Studio Ponoc, but that doesn't mean Miyazaki will be the only one occupying the dusty offices at Ghibli. The elder Miyazaki is bringing his son and filmmaker Goro Miyazaki with him, and the pair are reportedly working on two new Studio Ghibli movies.

Miyazaki is a famous workaholic who couldn't even sit still through a few months of retirement before launching into a new project. And it seems to be an attitude that he wants to pass down to his son Goro Miyazaki, the director behind the beautiful but empty The Tales of Earthsea and the charming From Up On Poppy Hill — the latter of which was co-penned by the elder Miyazaki.

Goro Miyazaki hasn't directed a feature film since the 2011 collaboration with his father, but Hayao Miyazaki is bringing his son back into the Studio Ghibli fold with his latest un-retirement. According to Vincent Maraval, the founder of the production company Wild Bunch (which has frequently collaborated with Ghibli), both Miyazakis are working on two new productions for Studio Ghibli.

"I can testify, [Hayao] Miyazaki and his son are at work," Maraval (via The Playlist) wrote on Twitter. "Two new productions from Studio Ghibli are in progress and the drawings are incredible! Very big emotion."

Je peux témoigner, miyazaki pere et fils sont au travail. 2 nouvelles productions des studios ghibli sont en cours et les dessins sont in-cro-ya-bles ! Tres grosse emotion

— VINCENT MARAVAL 🇲🇨 (@MARAVALV) January 21, 2019

The project from Hayao Miyazaki is likely his highly anticipated feature-length film, How Do You Live?, the epic fantasy action adventure that Miyazaki began working on three years ago with the intent of a 2020 release in time for the Tokyo Olympics. But the film, which follows a 15-year-old boy named Koperu who moves into his uncle's house after his father's death and undergoes a journey of spiritual growth, will boast "never been done before" techniques that will probably be related to Miyazaki's experimentation with computer animation, which makes the film worth the 3 to 4 year wait.

But what could the younger Miyazaki be working on? Goro Miyazaki hasn't yet stepped out of the shadow of his father, unfortunately, despite the sweet poignancy of From Up on Poppy Hill. While Goro has a handle on the sumptuous visual style of Ghibli, he lacks a confident directorial flair. Perhaps it's because he's still learning the ropes after moving to the entertainment business from his previous career in landscaping. But hopefully under the tutelage of his father, Goro can distinguish himself.