Hayao Miyazaki has been working in animation for over half a century, turning out classic films at a staggering rate, including The Castle of Cagliostro, Nausicaä of the Valley of the Wind, My Neighbor Totoro, Princess Mononoke, Spirited Away, Howl’s Moving Castle, and many more. The guy is a living legend, and he has one more film left in the tank: How Do You Live?
This will supposedly be Miyazaki’s final film, although he’s said that before. Still, at 82 years old, you figure he can’t do this for much longer. And even if it doesn’t end up being his last film, a new Miyazaki movie is cause for celebration by itself.
So what is How Do You Live? about? We don’t know, and apparently that’s the way Studio Ghibli wants it. According to producer Toshio Suzuki, the studio won’t release any promotional material for the film: no plot summary, no trailer, no commercials, not even a voice cast. All we have is this enigmatic poster released back in December:
Bird!
How Do You Live? is Hayao Miyazaki’s “final” film
Now, granted, we do know a little about the movie: Ghibli has said that it’s a “grand fantasy” loosely based on Genzaburo Yoshino’s 1937 novel How Do You Live?, a coming-of-age story about a young boy finding himself after the death of his father.
Still, it’s a bold move to go forward with no marketing whatsoever. “Deep down, I think this is what moviegoers latently desire,” Suzuki said.
How Do You Live? comes out in theaters on July 14, 2023 in Japan. A North American release will follow.
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