Famed Japanese director Hayao Miyazaki, 72, has announced his intention to retire from filmmaking. Miyazaki, together with Isao Takahata, co-founded Studio Ghibli in 1895, the studio has two projects currently in the works an no intentions of closing their doors. Nor are they likely to, each project takes at a minimum of 5 years and can go up to 7 years to complete. Miyazaki’s reasons for retirement include a hesitation to commit to a project that could go into his 80s.
That sounds like a very good reason to retire! Though fans are still unsure how to take this retirement since Miyazaki has been in a perma-state of semi-ritirement since the completion of his film ‘Princess Mononoke’ in ’97. In a recent press conference he has said:
“I’ve mentioned that I would retire many times in the past, so a lot of you must be thinking ‘Oh, not again… But this time I am quite serious.”
Though he has also mentioned that if he comes across a project that interests him he’ll take part in it anyway; suggesting that what he’s really doing is continuing his semi-retirement. But this may just be a fan with her hopeful fingers crossed.
Good luck in your retirement Hayao Miyazaki!
Some of Hayao Miyazaki’s most popular works;
- Nausicaa of the Valley of the Wind
- Castle in the Sky
- My Neighbor Totoro
- Kiki’s Delivery Service
- Porco Rosso
- Princess Mononoke
- Spirited Away
- Howl’s Moving Castle
- Ponyo
- The Secret World of Arrietty
