The Academy Museum of Motion Pictures announced that it would screen all Hayao Miyazaki films. The museum’s first exhibit will feature his collaboration works with different Studio Ghibli movies. The official website also noted that there would be production materials “never before seen outside of the Ghibli Archives.” Other films to be presented feature My Neighbor Totoro and Spirited Away.
Miyazaki and Studio Ghibli’s Work
Miyazaki’s path to international fame has been anything but a straight shot. The Studio Ghibli co-founder didn’t earn significant recognition until Spirited Away’s Oscar win in 2002. Before deciding to screen Hayao Miyazaki’s films, museum curator Jessica Nibel was asked about her opinion towards Miyazaki.
Giving her opinion, Nibel says that Miyazaki “checked all the boxes” when it came to the museum. She then goes on to say, “There are so many reasons I can’t even count them. First of all, he’s an international filmmaker, and we are an international film museum, so we want to look at global filmmaking. He was a good choice for us.” She then also mentions that Studio Ghibli was the one to give them the idea of screening movies.
The exhibit will also “present more than 200 concept sketches, character designs, storyboards, layouts, cels, backgrounds, film clips, and immersive environments.” There will also be a special print catalog, film screenings, events, and “unique Studio Ghibli merchandise.”
The once-delayed museum will premiere on September 30th. As a whole, it will highlight the 90-year history of the Oscars. It will open at the intersection of Wilshire Boulevard and Fairfax Avenue in Los Angeles. It will follow a gala on September 25th. The dates for the museum are October 5th to November 27th for the general public.
Regarding Miyazaki, he is now directing his next feature film. Kimi-tachi wa Do Ikiru Ka (How Do You Live?) is 15% complete, according to Toshio Suzuki, in October 2019. The film tells the story of a growing boy who begins to explore larger questions of life while reading his uncle’s journal.