Last year, animation genius and Studio Ghibli co-founder Hayao Miyazaki announced that he was retiring from filmmaking to focus on other projects, and we were sad. Then, a couple of months ago even sadder word came that Ghibli itself would be shutting down, which was later modified to “restructuring”. But according to Miyazaki himself, it could still be the end for the venerable animation studio.
Talking with the LA Times as he prepares to accept an honorary Oscar, Miyazaki was asked about the future of the company he helped to build. “At this point, we're not making a new film," he says. “I think we will not be making any feature films to be shown in theaters. That was not my intention, though. All I did was announce that I would be retiring and not making any more features.”
Surely someone new could come along and continue the work? “That will depend on their efforts and whether they'll have the fortune, the luck, to be able to make films.”
It sounds like he’s not hopeful right now, but is leaving the door open for others, so presumably someone could come along and restore the studio’s fortunes. He doesn’t seem to be all that confident in the future of hand-drawn animation, though. “If creators have the intent to do hand-drawn animation, there certainly will be opportunities for them to do that. But what might be a difficulty will be the financial considerations. I do think the era of pencil, paper and film is coming to an end.”
Of course, until Studio Ghibli actually shuts its doors, there is hope, but it’s certainly not the most encouraging news, especially given the source…