After much anticipation, Hayao Miyazaki’s next film, How Do You Live?, finally has a release date in Japanese cinemas. Specifically, his long-awaited next feature film will be released in July 2023.
Hayao Miyazaki’s “Retirement”
Hayao Miyazaki is arguably the most well-known anime director worldwide as he has directed some of the most beloved films from Studio Ghibli dating back to the 80s.
While Miyazaki’s first feature film was The Castle of Cagliostro (a Lupin III movie), he first gained renown for Nausicaä of the Valley of the Wind.
He followed this up with My Neighbor Totoro which became a huge hit in Japan.
Since then, Miyazaki has created numerous iconic anime movies, including the Academy Award-winning Spirited Away, Princess Mononoke, Howl’s Moving Castle, and more.
In 2013, Miyazaki released The Wind Rises, a historical drama that’s a departure from his usual fantasy works. After this film, Miyazaki announced his retirement.
But his retirement did not last long as just three years after, he announced that he has returned to Studio Ghibli with his next film that’s based on the novel of the same name. This will supposedly be his last film.
Since its production began, not a lot of news has been revealed about Miyazaki’s next project.
But now, the film is revealed to be nearing completion, enough that its theatrical release is just over half a year away.
READ MORE: The Best Studio Ghibli Movies Ranked
‘How Do You Live?’ Story, Release Date
Miyazaki's How Do You Live? is based on a 1937 novel of the same name that’s more akin to The Wind Rises than some of his other works like Princess Mononoke. This is because the book it’s based on is not a fantasy story.
Instead, the story follows a 15-year-old boy named Junichi Honda and his daily life while interspersed with his uncle's journal entries.
The story tackles philosophical themes while being set in pre-war Japan.
In the announcement tweet, the first visual for the film was released, though not much else has been disclosed.
We likely have to wait a bit longer before we see a trailer or screenshots from the movie.
How Do You Live? will release in Japanese cinemas on July 14, 2023.
While there’s no word yet on an international release, expect a theatrical run outside Japan soon as the announcement was also shared by Studio Ghibli USA on Twitter.
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Source: Studio Ghibli's official Twitter account
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