The world-renowned Studio Ghibli will release its first 3D computer-animated film this Winter. NHK, Japan’s national broadcasting organization, will televise the movie. The announcement lists no definitive release date. But placing it in Winter means we can expect it sometime between December 2020 – March 2021. Hayao Miyazaki, a co-founder of Studio Ghibli and director for most of its movies, is a planner on the production. But his son, Goro Miyazaki, will direct.
Previous Studio Ghibli productions, like the Oscar-winning Spirited Away, have all been mostly hand-drawn. However, the studio has used computer animation for specific scenes that would have been too difficult to create through its traditional methods. After briefly retiring in 2013, Hayao Miyazaki became more interested in exploring computer animation. In terms of cost and time, it’s definitely a more affordable process. Miyazaki’s next directorial effort, a hand-drawn feature announced a few years ago, still has around 3 years left before it’s finished.
Aya and the Witch from Studio Ghibli
The upcoming film, Aya and the Witch, is an adaptation of the children’s book Earwig and the Witch by Diana Wynne Jones. Studio Ghibli adapted another of Jones’ books, Howl’s Moving Castle, in 2004. Earwig and the Witch tells the story of a young orphan who gets fostered by an evil witch. She discovers she has powers of her own and must use them outwit the witch.
Miyazaki co-founded Studio Ghibli in 1985 with director Isao Takahata and producer Toshio Suzuki. Many of the studio’s films, including Princess Mononoke, Kiki’s Delivery Service, and My Neighbor Totoro, are beloved by anime fans everywhere. Its body of work recently became available to stream for the first time through HBO Max. Aya and the Witch will be its first release since 2014’s When Marnie Was There. However, it co-produced 2016’s The Red Turtle with German distributor Wild Bunch.
