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Hayao Miyazaki is out of retirement and working on a new film, says Studio Ghibli producer

Hayao Miyazaki is out of retirement and working on a new film, says Studio Ghibli producer

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The news was first rumored last year

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hayao miyazaki (cinemafestival / Shutterstock.com)

Hayao Miyazaki is back at it again. After announcing his retirement in 2013 (not for the first time), it was rumored last year that he was working on a new feature film, based on a CG short named Boro the Caterpillar. Now, officials at Studio Ghibli have confirmed it: Miyazaki is working on a new feature.

Ghibli producer Toshio Suzuki revealed the news at a pre-Oscars interview for The Red Turtle (which Studio Ghibli co-produced and which is nominated for Best Animated Feature). It was reported by a number of sources including a journalist for the Kyodo news agency:

A separate report from The Inquirer states that the film in question is the adaptation of Boro the Caterpillar, clips of which can be seen above. This was originally a computer-generated short film made for the Ghibli Museum in Tokyo. Little is known about its story other than Miyazaki’s description: it tells the tale of “a tiny, hairy caterpillar, so tiny that it may be easily squished between your fingers.” The short version of Boro is due to be released some time this year, while the longer version is due out in 2019.

As to why Miyazaki keeps announcing his retirement only to return to filmmaking; well, we’ll leave that for him to explain: