new Miyazaki film!

The 2004 release of “Howl’s Moving Castle” was met by speculation that it would be his last film, raising concerns in Japan for the future of the lucrative animation industry.

But “Ponyo on the Cliff by the Sea” has dampened such concern.

Miyazaki, who had used computer graphics since “Princess Mononoke” in 1997, decided to shun hi-tech effects in his latest picture.

“I believe that making animation with pencils is the only way for us to survive,” Miyazaki told a news conference.

“Everybody is discarding pencils. Because of that, at least we should not lose track of ourselves,” he said. “I want to continue to work in such circumstances.”

The film used 170,000 hand-drawn pictures to animate characters and objects, a record number for a Miyazaki production.

It took one and a half years for 70 staff to draw the pictures, according to Studio Ghibli, which has released his works.

Hurrah!

There’s hope for a world where Miyazaki films can happen!