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HBO Max will stream 'Spirited Away' and other Studio Ghibli movies
HBO Max will be the streaming home for movies from the legendary Japanese animation company Studio Ghibli. Classics including Spirited Away, My Neighbor Totoro, Princess Mononoke and Howl's Moving Castle will be available to stream for the first time anywhere on the service.
What we're listening to: Ghibliotheque
I firmly believe that Studio Ghibli is one of the best animation studios in the world. So does Michael Leader, digital lead for Film4 and regular host of Truth & Movies, a film podcast by Little White Lies magazine. Six weeks ago, he launched a new podcast called Ghibliotheque with Jake Cunningham, a commissioner for Channel 4's short film program Random Acts and, more importantly, a relative newcomer to the company's work. Every week, they watch a different Ghibli movie, give their honest assessment and explain the circumstances surrounding its release. It is, without fail, a thoroughly entertaining and informative listen.
Studio Ghibli reopens for Hayao Miyazaki's new film
Just a few years ago, Studio Ghibli's future was in the air after co-founder and legendary animator Hayao Miyazaki (supposedly) retired. The place is about to be jumping again, however, as the studio announced that it has re-opened to start production on a recently-announced new film by the not-so-retired Miyazaki. He was on hand for a small ceremony on July 3rd, where he "brought together his main collaborators already engaged on his new feature film to talk to them about the project," the company said in a news release (translated).
The Morning After: Monday, May 22nd 2017
Hey, good morning! Over the weekend, you might have missed the (legal) consequences of emoji, Microsoft's holographic display that could squeeze inside your glasses, and how drones and AI are battling poachers.
Studio Ghibli's Hayao Miyazaki to work on his final film this fall
Studio Ghibli fans have something else to look forward to after Ronja, the Robber's Daughter. Hayao Miyazaki, famous Japanese animation filmmaker and the studio's mastermind, will be coming out of his retirement to begin working on his last project this fall. A job posting spotted by AnimeNewsNetwork is looking for in-between animators and background artists to work on his final film for the next three years or longer, starting on October 1st. Miyazaki's body of work includes Princess Mononoke, Spirited Away, Howl's Moving Castle and My Neighbor Totoro. The animation maestro wants to finish the movie before the 2020 Olympics in Tokyo, but Ghibli producer Toshio Suzuki said that simply isn't possible.
'Ronja, the Robber's Daughter' streams on Amazon January 27th
Studio Ghibli fans don't have too much longer to wait before setting sights on Ronja, the Robber's Daughter. All 26 episodes of the English dub will debut January 27th on Amazon Prime Video, according to Entertainment Weekly. Based on the trailer below, at least, the voice overs and lip sync don't seem particularly offensive, but there is a glaring lack of Gillian Anderson's narration throughout.
Amazon to stream Ghibli-produced 'Ronja, the Robber's Daughter'
Amazon's children's video offerings are expanding once again. This time it's with an animated version of Ronja, the Robber's Daughter. That name might sound familiar if you were assigned a book report in 5th grade for Astrid Lindgren month but didn't want to read Pippi Longstocking. The details of the show's production are a little convoluted, so bear with me. It's directed by Goro Miyazaki and hasn't made it outside of Japan and the Scandanavian region. Goro is the son of famed Studio Ghibli mastermind Hayao Miyazaki (Ponyo, Howl's Moving Castle), and Studio Ghibli co-produced this project. That version came out back in 2014.
Check out some of Studio Ghibli's 'Howl's Moving Castle' in VR
If you ever wanted to explore Howl's Moving Castle, now's your chance. That's assuming you own a virtual reality headset, that is. A scene from it, dubbed "The Meadow," is available for folks using Oculus Rift and HTC Vive right now. It comes from developer Nick Pittom, who's previously released interactive scenes based on Ghibli's other lauded work including My Neighbor Totoro and Spirited Away. "The Meadow" is bundled with other, older interactive scenes from Hayao Miyazaki's landmark films, and RoadtoVR writes that "the level of detail that each scene captures is really nothing short of astounding."
Animation software used by Studio Ghibli will soon be free
You may not have heard of Toonz animation software, but you've no doubt seen work it was used in: Studio Ghibli films like Spirited Away and Tale of the Princess Kaguya (above), or the animated series Futurama. Now, the Toonz Ghibli Edition used by legendary Japanese filmmakers like Hayao Miyazaki is going open-source, making it free to use by studios and novice animators alike. The deal came after Japanese publisher Dwango acquired the software from Italian developer Digital Video. It's now focusing on customization and training, but will still sell a premium version to companies "at a very competitive price."
