In a recent interview, the Japanese master of animation Hayao Miyazaki spoke of his intention to make a sequel to 1992’s Porco Rosso, and the possibility of winding up Studio Ghibli for good...
The Japanese animation legend Hayao Miyazaki has been making unique, achingly beautiful features for so long now that it's hard to imagine the almost unbroken line of classics that have emerged from his Studio Ghibli to ever cease.
But in a recent interview with Cut Magazine, Miyazaki discussed the possibility of his studio's closure should his latest project, The Borrower Arrietty, prove to be a box office failure.
"Suzuki-san [Toshio Suzuki, studio president] is making a dissolution program for Ghibli," Miyazaki said. "No joke, we talked about it the other day. For example, Ghibli should be able to continue with about five staff members as a copyright management company even if we smash the studio. So, Ghibli can say, ‘We stop film production. Goodbye'. I do not have to be there."
It's a grim scenario, and one we genuinely hope doesn't come to pass. On a lighter note, Miyazaki also suggested that if Arrietty and the film after that both perform as hoped, then he's considering a return to an earlier concept of his, 1992's Porco Rosso, for a high flying sequel.
"So I want to escape to Porco Rosso: The Last Sortie," Miyazaki revealed. "I have all its materials. It should be interesting. It is set for Spanish Civil War."
The Borrower Arrietty, the studio's highly stylised take on Mary Norton's children's tale The Borrowers, was released in Japan in July, but it could be some time before a translated version makes it to the west. Miyazaki's previous film, Ponyo, didn't make it to the UK until well over a year after its premiere in Japan.
So, while Porco Rosso: The Last Sortie is still a distant possibility, it's a far, far more happy one than the terrible thought of Studio Ghibli closing its doors for good.