Legendary anime director Hayao Miyazaki is coming out of retirement to do one more feature length film, but the reason for his decision hasn’t been explained until now.
According to Studio Ghibli co-founder and producer, Toshio Suzuki, Miyazaki wanted to do one last anime film — the upcoming project “Boro the Caterpillar” — because he wanted to leave it as a legacy for his grand son.
“Miyazaki is making the new film for his grandson. It’s his way of saying ‘Grandpa is moving on to the next world, but he’s leaving behind this film,’” Suzuki said on his guest appearance on NHK’s “Nichiyo Bijutsukan” (Sunday Museum) program on October 8, Livedoor News reported via SoraNews24.
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Miyazaki’s grandson was last mentioned back in 2013 in a Los Angeles Times article about the legendary director’s son, Goro, which reported that he is “married with a 4-year-old son.” So by the time “Boro the Caterpillar” hits cinemas sometime in 2020, the 76-year-old director’s grandson would be around 11 years old.
Suzuki’s comment about Miyazaki’s decision to make “Boro the Caterpillar” a legacy for his grandson was rather surprising.
His relationship with his son did not exactly go smoothly, according to SoraNews24. At one point, the senior Miyazaki scoffed at his then 39-year-old son’s directorial debut in “Tales from Earthsea“, and even said he “hand’t grown up” yet.
There is no official word on when “Boro the Caterpillar” will come out in theaters aside from the target year of 2020. The upcoming feature film is based on the acclaimed director’s short film of the same title, which had already debuted at the Ghibli Museum in Tokyo last July.
