Everything About Studio Ghibli’s “How Do You Live?”: Directed by Hayao Miyazaki

Studio Ghibli has confirmed that Hayao Miyazaki is working on his new movie.

Previously in retirement, animator and director Miyazaki is currently directing a movie called “How Do You Live?” Its title comes from the 1937 novel written by Yūzō Yamamoto and Yoshino Genzaburo. We can expect a release in Fall 2021.

Toshiyuki Inoue, who is often called the ‘perfect animator’ for work on Akira, Paprika, and Tokyo Godfathers, appeared on a show called “After 6 Junction”. There, he confirmed that he is working on “How Do You Live?”, along with Takeshi Honda, the animation director of Evangelion 3.0.

According to Inoue, “What Miyazaki wants is more than just a reproduction of reality. It is the realization of an image that exceeds reality. Honda can do that.”

Inoue mentions that the film production is in the latter half, and that he has already seen a part of it.

However, Ghibli executive Toshio Suzuki has said that “Around half the film’s 125 minutes are now animated”, and that it would take another 3-4 years, in an interview on March 25 this year. We cannot confirm anything as yet.

The official Studio Ghibli Twitter account also posted this tweet on Wednesday:

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ジブリの今（１）公式Twitterを開設して三ヶ月が経ちました。毎日たくさんのいいねやリプライを頂き、本当にありがとうございます。現在ジブリは、宮崎駿監督の新作映画『君たちはどう生きるか」を制作しています。今日も現場からは、宮崎さんとスタッフの笑い声が響いてきます。

— スタジオジブリ STUDIO GHIBLI (@JP_GHIBLI) March 31, 2021

Miyazaki has assured that this will be his last film before retiring. Unlike the CG movie Earwig and The Witch, which did not impress critics and fans alike, “How Do You Live?” is entirely hand-drawn.

“How Do You Live?”, also called Kimi-tachi wa Dō Ikiru ka, also has a successful manga adaptation.

Here’s how Penguin’s English translated version describes it:

The streets of Tokyo swarm below fifteen year-old Copper as he gazes out into the city of his childhood. Struck by the thought of the infinite people whose lives play out alongside his own, he begins to wonder, how do you live?

Considering life’s biggest questions for the first time, Copper turns to his dear uncle for heart-warming wisdom. As the old man guides the boy on a journey of philosophical discovery, a timeless tale unfolds, offering a poignant reflection on what it means to be human.