Will The Boy and the Heron really be Miyazaki’s last film before a well-deserved retirement? It seems that the maestro of Japanese animation is not yet ready to put his pencils away!
After 10 years of absence from the cinema, Hayao Miyazaki is back with The Boy and the Heron, in theaters since November 1st. For many years, the director of Princess Mononoke and Spirited Away has assured that he will retire but always ends up coming back with a new work.
Now aged 82, will the Japanese maestro put away his pencil to take a well-deserved rest after 7 years of work on The Boy and the Heron? It seems that the artist has no intention of retiring at all, already thinking about some ideas for his next film.
Miyazaki retired?
According to Junichi Nishioka, vice president of Ghibli, Miyazaki has already returned to the studio with new ideas. Present at the premiere of The Boy and the Heron at the Toronto Film Festival last September, Nishioka did not specify whether the director wanted to remake a feature film or rather concentrate on a shorter film, as he had made with Boro the Caterpillar in 2018.
“Some say this may be his last film, but that’s not how Miyazaki sees things. He’s currently working on ideas for a new film. He comes to his office every day for that. This time, he will not announce his retirement. He continues to work as he always has.”indicated the vice-president of Ghibli.
Some say this may be his last film, but that’s not how Miyazaki sees things.
Regardless, Miyazaki remains extremely discreet, having not given any interviews for the release of The Boy and the Heron. You will have to be very patient before hearing about your next project. In the meantime, his new work has had a thunderous start at the French box office. More than 220,000 curious people flocked to theaters to see Miyazaki’s latest magical opus.
As a reminder, the story follows Mahito, a young 11-year-old boy. After his mother disappears in a fire, he must leave Tokyo to live in the countryside in the village where she grew up. He settles with his father in an old manor located on a huge estate where he meets a gray heron who little by little becomes his guide and helps him through his discoveries and questions to understand the world around him and break through. the mysteries of life.