Studio Ghibli considering restructuring options after Hayao Miyazaki's retirement

Yesterday the Internet was awash with claims that Studio Ghibli had announced everything from ceasing the production of feature films to shuttering the company entirely during a TV appearance of studio co-founder Toshio Suzuki - now, in the cold light of day and some more reliable sources, we have a better grasp on what was discussed.

In short, Studio Ghibli are indeed considering their options in the wake of Hayao Miyazaki's retirement (and the relatively poor performance of their last two feature film releases), and Suzuki made it clear that "great changes" would have to take place within the organisation. While this may indeed involve dismantling the studio's production department, it appears that Ghibli's main consideration at present is embarking upon a course of "housecleaning" and restructuring to create a studio capable of thriving under a new generation of talent. During this process of reflection and change, it seems that the studio will be taking a brief pause in terms of production work - whether this will have any effect upon Goro Miyazaki's Ronia the Robber's Daughter, produced as a collaboration between Studio Ghibli and Polygon Pictures - remains unclear.

You can find the news of Toshio Suzuki's comments at Anime News Network, while Kotaku have a breakdown of some of the specific comments made during his TV appearance.