Hayao Miyazaki came out of retirement thanks to this person

While The Wind rises was to be his final masterpiece, Hayao Miyazaki finally came out of retirement to realize The Boy and the Heron. But why such a decision?

Hayao Miyazaki: the reasons for his return finally revealed

Remember! In 2013, the Japanese public discovered The Wind risespresented as Hayao Miyazaki’s ultimate masterpiece. Although the master of Japanese animated cinema has been accustomed to announcing his retirement with each film since Porco Rosso, few journalists have listened to the adage “Scalded cat fears cold water” and this announcement from Hayao Miyazaki was taken very seriously. It must be said that the Japanese legend insisted a lot during the promotion on his declining eyesight and his tremors which slowed down his pace of work and made production deadlines more and more difficult to meet.

On November 22, 2024, the French public was able to discover the documentary during special screenings Hayao Miyazaki and the Heron produced by NHK, which looks back on the creation of the film The Boy and the Heron. A fascinating document taking us behind the scenes of Studio Ghibli, the documentary also sheds light on the reasons for Hayao Miyazaki’s return. In fact, he confides that the death of colorist Michiyo Yasuda on October 5, 2016 at the age of 77 played a big role in her comeback. Close to the duo formed by Hayao Miyazaki and Isao Takahata, Michiyo Yasuda began collaborating with the two directors in the early 1970s. She then worked on all of Hayao Miyazaki and Isao Takahata’s projects for Studio Ghibli.

With a strong character, she was also one of the only members of the studio to succeed in standing up to Hayao Miyazaki. According to the latter, his old friend asked him to direct a new feature film before she died. Shortly after his death, producer Toshio Suzuki announced that Hayao Miyazaki was working on a new feature film. The death of Isao Takahata, friend and rival of Hayao Miyazaki, and co-founder of Studio Ghibli alongside Miyazaki and Suzuki, then gave a particular direction to the film The Boy and the Heronwhich became a death-haunted masterpiece. Mahito’s great-uncle would represent the director of the Tomb of the Fireflies a you Story of Princess Kaguya.

Following the success of his last film, Hayao Miyazaki announced he was not retiring. His son Goro Miyazaki has confirmed that the master is working on a new deeply nostalgic film. We can’t wait to see the result!