Miyazaki to train his new animators like monks
Paul •
One of the issues currently facing the Japanese anime industry is finding creators with enough talent to inherit the creativity and popularity of aging Studio Ghibli maestros Hayao Miyazaki and Isao Takahata. In order to find this talent in the newer generations of artists, Miyazaki will be training 20 select young animators (from 18 to 22 years old) for two years outside of the regular Studio Ghibli staff. He said the following of this new plan.
“Ghibli has always employed several new animators every year. But I stopped it because even if a new face enters the studio, a new wind does not blow to there. A new face cannot behave like a new face. Ghibli’s body deteriorates. Ghibli needs new hands and feet.” He added, “These 20 animators will train themselves like monks. For two years, they must be devoted only to work. I am convinced that their two year experience becomes the property of the later ten years.”
Ultimately, at the end of their training, each animator will be tasked with creating a short film for the Studio Ghibli Museum.
Miyazaki’s latest movie, Ponyo on the Cliff by the Sea, opened in Japanese theaters earlier in the week. It went straight into the Japanese box office at number 1, earning an impressive $14 million during its first three days of public screening.
