Hayao Miyazaki preparing work on new feature film

At this point he's retired and changed his mind more often than we've had hot dinners, but regardless it did seem as if there was some sense of finality in Studio Ghibli's legendary Hayao Miyazaki latest retirement in 2013, that saw him step away from directing feature films and precipitated a notable wind-down in the studio's productions.

However, it seems like the 76 year-old simply can't stay away from his passion, and having previously hinted himself at a return during an NHK documentary late last year, Studio Ghibli producer Toshio Suzuki confirmed at an interview during an Oscars event that the studio is now gearing up to start production on another feature-length work with Miyazaki at the helm:

Suzuki, through a translator, gave a long answer about how Hayao Miyazaki had approached him last July with about 20 minutes’ worth of storyboards for a feature idea. Miyazaki wanted to know if the idea was any good. Suzuki joked that he knew if he told Miyazaki the idea was good, he could forget about his own retirement, but he told Miyazaki that the idea had promise and that he should keep developing it.

Miyazaki, said Suzuki, was in part motivated by the production of Dudok de Wit’s The Red Turtle to return to feature filmmaking. Though The Red Turtle was animated in Europe, Miyazaki watched Suzuki produce the film and kept close tabs on its production.

Suzuki decided in December 2016 that Miyazaki’s film was solid enough to produce, and they’re now gearing up to produce the feature. In other words, this is a story that’s just getting started.

The news comes via Cartoon Brew.