Studio Ghibli Producer Confirms Hayao Miyazaki is At Work On His First Feature Since 2013

Studio Ghibli fans got the news of a lifetime last fall when rumors began swirling that company co-founder Hayao Miyazaki was coming out of retirement to make his first feature since 2013’s “The Wind Rises.” Aside from news about the director’s CGI short film “Boro the Caterpillar,” which is expected to debut at the Studio Ghibli museum in Mitaka, Tokyo this summer, Studio Ghibli has remained extremely tight lipped about Miyazaki’s return to feature filmmaking. In fact, the animation studio hadn’t even confirmed the news until now.

READ MORE: Hayao Miyazaki’s New Short Film ‘Boro the Caterpillar’ Set For Summer 2017 Premiere

During an Academy screening of Oscar nominee “The Red Turtle,” longtime Studio Ghibli producer Toshio Suzuki joined Pixar’s Pete Doctor (“Up,” “Monsters, Inc.”) and let it slip that Miyazaki is indeed back at work on a feature-length movie.

“Right now in Tokyo, he’s putting all his effort into making it,” he confirmed. Kyodo additionally reports the project is expected to be released sometime in 2019 before Tokyo hosts the 2020 Olympic games. Suzuki also confirmed he’ll be producing.

Exactly what the feature is, however, is still not certain. Miyazaki has previously said that short film “Boro the Caterpillar” would work better as a feature, which has led many to believe his new movie is an adaptation of the short film that premieres this summer, but that’s not yet confirmed. Regardless, the fact Miyazaki is working on the feature right now is wonderful news, regardless of what the movie ends up being.

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