Yahoo Movies Hayao Miyazaki has made some of his best work out of retirement
The co-founder of Studio Ghibli has announced his retirement multiple times during his prolific career
Hayao Miyazaki has often spoken about retirement, so much so that there is often much fanfare over each new film being described as his final one, and The Boy and the Heron is the latest to be labelled as such.
Set in 1943, the drama follows a young boy as he is led into another realm by a mysterious heron in order to save his step-mother, and the journey helps him to come to terms with his grief following the loss of his mother during the war.
The Boy and the Heron, which lands in cinemas on Boxing Day, is the first feature film the Studio Ghibli co-founder has worked on since 2013's The Wind Rises. At the time of the biopic's release the prolific filmmaker had announced his retirement for a fourth time, and though there were several years where he appeared to be enjoying this break it wasn't long before he began working again with the 2018 short film Boro the Caterpillar, and then again with The Boy and the Heron.
Despite many calling the film his last, Studio Ghibli executive Junichi Nishioka has spoken publicly about the matter and suggested this assumption is too hasty as he recently told French publication Liberation: "He thinks about the next project every day. I can no longer stop it, I have given up on it. I no longer try to dissuade him, even if he were to make a failed film. In life, there is only work that enchants him."
Read More: The Boy And The Heron Review: Hayao Miyazaki Brings Back The Magic Of Ghibli
What is interesting to note though is how beloved the films are that Miyazaki has worked on following his brief retirements, or even just the announcement of a retirement, and Yahoo is exploring this further.
Miyazaki co-founded Studio Ghibli with Isao Takahata in 1985, and during his time with the studio (and indeed before it) the filmmaker has made an incredible array of films like My Neighbour Totoro and Kiki's Delivery Service, all of which deserve recognition and are hailed as masterpieces in their own right.
But during this time the anime auteur has announced his retirement on several occasions before, the first time following the release of 1997's Princess Mononoke, then again after 2001's Spirited Away, and finally in 2013 after The Wind Rises.
Princess Mononoke to Spirited Away
Miyazaki's Princess Mononoke is a dark yet enchanting tale that served as a turning point for Studio Ghibli, bringing the company to worldwide attention following a distribution deal made with Disney for it and all past and future productions. Despite the bright future of the company, Miyazaki shared his desire to retire as he felt that it was better to let younger voices have their say in the animation industry — but he didn't quit for long.
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No, Miyazaki has always had ideas simmering in the back of his mind it seems and despite his claim that he'd retire in 1997 he returned with Spirited Away in 2001. The animation, which follows a young girl's time in the spirit world and her quest to save her parents after they are turned into pigs, went on to become the biggest film in Ghibli's history.
Spirited Away has, rightly, been heralded as a pinnacle of the anime industry thanks to its stunning visuals and heart-warming story that transported viewers into a fantastical realm full of mystery and intrigue. It earned Miyazaki an Oscar for Best Animated Feature Film and is still one of the highest-grossing anime films of all time.
Spirited Away to Howl's Moving Castle
Before the release of Spirited Away in 2001 Miyazaki shared his desire to retire once more, feeling he had reached the limits of his physical and mental strength to make feature films. Ghibli's next film was set to be made by Mamoru Hosoda — who has since become a prolific director of his own with films like Wolf Children and Belle.
Read more: The highest-grossing anime films of all time
But disputes between the director and studio led to his departure from the project and soon after it was revealed that Miyazaki would step in to direct what would become another one of his best films: Howl's Moving Castle.
Based on Diana Wynne Jones' children's novel, Howl's Moving Castle follows a young woman named Sophie who is cursed by the Witch of the Waste to become an old woman, when she decides to leave her life behind she comes across a castle and meets the wizard Howl. It is a sweeping romance steeped in magic and wonder, and a common favourite amongst Ghibli aficionados.
Like its predecessor, Howl's Moving Castle became one of the highest-grossing films of all time in Japan and though it did not beat Spirited Away to the top spot it became an instant classic for fans. The film was also nominated for an Academy Award for Best Animated Feature but lost out to Aardman Animation's Wallace and Gromit: The Curse of the Were-Rabbit.
The Wind Rises to The Boy and the Heron
Following the release of Howl's Moving Castle, Miyazaki expressed his interest in retiring once more but this didn't go into effect as he went on to make 2008's Ponyo, while he helped produce and write 2010's Arrietty and 2011's From Up on Poppy Hill before returning to direct with The Wind Rises.
Read more: Pluto, Astro Boy and the lasting legacy of Osamu Tezuka
The biopic charted the life of engineer Jiro Horikoshi, and its release was heralded by the news that Miyazaki would indeed, for sure this time, be retiring. A more grounded feature to his previous work, the film explores many of the same themes that the director favoured like the negative impact of war. It was a groundbreaking work to finish on, but in the end Miyazaki soon felt the pull to return to directing.
The Boy and the Heron is another remarkable film from Miyazaki, one that explores grief and family in a touching way whilst also delighting in the fantastical realism that the director is known for. Not only does it feel like a great return to form it is also a celebration of everything that came before thanks to its subtle yet moving nods to the studio's history.
Whatever comes next for Miyazaki will no doubt be another highlight, whether he chooses to announce his next retirement or not, and we can't wait to see it.
The Boy and the Heron will be released in cinemas on Boxing Day.
Watch the trailer for The Boy and the Heron:
