Earwig and the Witch director Goro Miyazaki opened up about his father Hayao Miyazaki’s next Studio Ghibli movie, following the critical success of The Boy and the Heron. The latter was originally thought to be the acclaimed filmmaker’s final movie before retirement. However, according to Studio Ghibli president Toshio Suzuki, Hayao Miyazaki’s latest movie gave him “newfound confidence” to continue exploring other stories.
Speaking with Oricon (translated via ComicBook.com), Goro Miyazaki teased the theme for the Spirited Away director’s next Studio Ghibli movie, which might potentially be an action-packed story about nostalgia.
“I’d tell him, ‘Make some for future projects. Only making them for your past stuff is boring.’ He’s making some now though.” Goro said. “I don’t know if it’ll actually be for his next film, but it’s looking like an action-adventure-type movie, nostalgic and reminiscent of the old days.”
The Boy and the Heron to receive a SteelBook Edition
Following its U.S. theatrical release, The Boy and the Heron will officially be receiving a special Steelbook edition starting on July 9, 2024. This marks the first-ever Studio Ghibli film presented in 4K. This comes after the coming-of-age fantasy won an Academy Award for Best Animated Feature.
“Through encounters with his friends and uncle, follows a teenage boy’s psychological development,” reads the synopsis. “He enters a magical world with a talking grey heron after finding an abandoned tower in his new town.”
The Boy and the Heron (originally titled How Do You Live) was written and directed by Miyazaki and served as his first directorial project in a decade. The hand-drawn animated film features the voices of Soma Santoki, Masaki Suda (The Backwater), singer Aimyon, Yoshino Kimura (Confessions), Shōhei Hino (As Long as We Both Shall Live), Ko Shibasaki (47 Ronin), and Takuya Kimura (Howl’s Moving Castle). As for its English-dubbed cast, it consists of Robert Pattinson, Gemma Chan, Mark Hamill, Florence Pugh, Willem Dafoe, Dave Bautista and more. It was produced by Studio Ghibli founder Toshio Suzuki.
