Written by Shona Smith on Jan 7, 2020. Posted in Production News

Japan’s Studio Ghibli announces two animations are in the works in 2020

Japan's Studio Ghibli has not released a full-length feature since 2014. The news was announced in a new year message from the studio which also confirmed that plans for a Ghibli Park had started ‘in earnest’.

Neither of the projects underway in 2020 have release dates, but How Do You Live? is the first film from Ghibli co-founder and director Hayao Miyazaki since The Wind Rises in 2013. The director came out of retirement for How Do You Live?, which follows the psychological growth of a teenage boy through interactions with his friends and uncle. Miyazaki has been at the helm of some of the studio’s most successful works including Princess Mononoke (pictured right) and Spirited Away (pictured below) which projected the studio to global renown.

The new year message also included details about the Studio Ghibli theme park. To be located near the city of Nagoya, the park is set to open in 2022. The statement confirmed that work on the park has ‘begun in earnest’ adding that ‘we hope to be able to deliver a lot of excitement this year’.

While Anime is one of Japan’s biggest contributions to the global entertainment industry, the country regularly welcomes international productions shooting on location. Productions including People Just Do Nothing and Giri/Haji and Avengers: Endgame have all recently shot in the country. As the Tokyo Olympics in summer 2020 approach more commercial productions are likely to shoot in the country.

Japan has an extensive network of film commissions that support incoming productions and there are regional film funds available.