Miyazaki Is Un-Retiring For A Final Film

A new NHK special boasting the title The Man Who Is Not Done has delivered us some uplifting news about, well, a man who is not done. Brace yourself, because Studio Ghibli ringleader Hayao Miyazaki is coming out of semi-retirement to finish one last feature film. This would make for his first full-length project since he went into retirement back in 2013. And honestly, this is a shining glimmer of hope considering that, in my opinion, the whole damn world is falling apart.

One of the side projects Miyazaki has been working on for the past, I don't know, 20 or so years, is a short flick, Kemushi no Boro, which tells the story about a caterpillar so small it could be crushed between one's fingers (ew). However, he's been unhappy with the outcome and hopes to make expand the tale into a longer project. Historically, Miyazaki films have been marked by not only mesmerizing artwork and strong storytelling that makes Disney look sophomoric, but by a strong feminist spirit. Look no further than Princess Mononoke or Spirited Away to see such empowerment in action. And with the Donald Trump administration looming over America like... well, like Donald Trump, we need all the fight and feminism we can get.

Now, will there be a lot of that in this movie about a teensy caterpillar? I don't know. Granted, Miyazaki comes out of retirement more than the Rolling Stones have final world tours. Still. I'll take what I can get.

If you're looking for immediate comfort, though, you may be out of luck. It could take Miyazaki up to five years to bring this project to life. My sincerest hopes is that it'll either be completed before then, and/or we have clawed our way out of this hell we are living in by then. Even still, the news alone is definitely grilled cheese and tomato soup to me right now.

On a related note, if you need any more proof that Miyazaki is a baller, please know that he's pretty chill in the face of death. Considering that the senior will be about 78 by the time his film could possibly be released, there's concerns that, well, maybe he won't finish it. "Maybe I'll be alive?" he said, before adding later that, "I think it’s still better to die when you are doing something than dying when you are doing nothing." Beautiful.

We couldn't be happier to hear that Miyazaki isn't done yet, and hopefully this will give us sometime to look forward to while our entire country falls apart. Because from caterpillars to cat buses, Miyazaki never fails to bring us some magic into our world by transporting us into his.

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