Renowned filmmaker Hayao Miyazaki is taking a quick break from retirement at age 80 to create one last Studio Ghibli film, according to an interview with the New York Times.

The founder of the critically-acclaimed Japanese animation studio described his last upcoming film as “fantasy on a grand scale.” No other details were divulged, except that it would be based on Genzaburo’s Yoshino 1937 novel How Do You Live?, which is about a small 15-year-old boy in Tokyo who recently lost his father. An English translation by Bruno Navasky was released in October.

Toshio Suzuki, long-time producer and colleague of Miyazaki, will also be helming the film. All Suzuki, 73, has said about the film was that he “recognizes himself in one of the characters, who is not human.”

Miyakazi announced his retirement in 2013, shortly after the release of The Wind Rises. Miyazaki’s 54-year-old son, Goro, followed in his footsteps, having directed a few films for Studio Ghibli, such as 2020’s Earwig and the Witch, which was the studio’s first CGI film. It was produced by Suzuki and based on the children’s novel by Diana Wynne Jones.

Studio Ghibli was founded in 1985 by Miyazaki, Suzuki, and Isao Takhata. Its unmatched legacy of moving storytelling and distinct hand-drawn animation style have garnered the studio several awards, like for 2001’s Spirted Away, which won an Oscar for Best Animated Feature.

Miyazaki’s other popular classics include Castle in the Sky, My Neighbor Totoro, Kiki’s Delivery Service, Princess Mononoke, Howl’s Moving Castle, and Ponyo. – Rappler.com