Kane Dane
Check out Aya and Witch Photos for Studio Ghibli’s first CG animated feature film. Since its founding in 1985, Japan’s renowned animation studio has been one of the world’s most successful creators and producers of animated content. Of course, when most people hear the name Studio Ghibli, they immediately think of Hayao Miyazaki, one of the studio’s co-founders and his driving creative power over the years. Miyazaki is often responsible for a wide variety of bizarre animated classics, one of which, 2001’s Spirit Away, earned the famous filmmaker his first Oscar.
However, in 2013, Miyazaki fans were crushed to learn that the then-72-year-old had officially retired as director and that The Wind Rise of 2013 would be his last film for Ghibli. Fortunately, Miyazaki changed his mind three years after retirement and returned in 2017 to work on the short film Boro the Caterpillar. Once again he performed directing tasks in the upcoming feature film How Do You Live?
How do you live before Miyazaki? However, Studio Ghibli is preparing to release a movie this year.
The new project is a technical milestone for the studio, as it is the first feature film in the company’s history made with CG Animation. In addition to the aforementioned Borough the Caterpillar short, all Studio Ghibli productions have been made by 2-D animation. The next new film, titled Ey the Witch, currently has no overseas release date but is slated to debut on Japanese TV provider NHK this winter. For now, Ghibli fans outside of Japan will have to settle for some freshly released photos from the film, courtesy of Comic Natalie (via film).
The film is directed by Miyazaki’s son Goro and will be released at this year’s Cannes Film Festival.
Unfortunately, due to the COVID-19 epidemic, Cannes was canceled this year, resulting in increased subordination to television. This will undoubtedly be a new direction for Ghibli, and while CG animation may not be what the acclaimed studio, which it is today, has become, there is no doubt that if any animation studio could use the technology to its fullest expression If so, it is Ghibli. Hopefully, Aya and the Witch will reach the heights of Ghibli’s previous releases as she enters the new and exciting creative territory.
