Danica Davidson
May 20, 2024 
The prestigious French Cannes Film Festival recently gave Studio Ghibli an honorary Palme d’Or award, and Goro Miyazaki, Hayao Miyazaki’s son, picked it up on behalf of the studio. He also told reporters some interesting things about his dad.
“I think this is a very happy event for all Ghibli, as a validation of not just the studio, but also the staff indirectly involved through the Ghibli Museum and Ghibli Park too,” Goro remarked about the honor.
But reporters wanted to know what Hayao Miyazaki himself thought about the award. It sounds like he was less enthused than Goro, as Goro explained, “His feelings seem to be, ‘I don’t really understand what it is, but thank you.’ It doesn’t seem to have made much of an impression on him at all. . . In his younger days, even while grumbling about it, he seemed happy when he received awards, but now that he’s over 80 he’s receiving them for things he made in the past, so he doesn’t really seem all that concerned or interested. He’s more focused on what he’s going to do in the years he has left to live. ‘Okay, I got an award, but I’m going to focus on what’s in front of me now,’ seems to be his attitude.”
That doesn’t mean the older Miyazaki isn’t still passionate about things. In fact, Goro says his father is competitive and concerned about rivals. “Even at his age, he still thinks of all the other animators around him as rivals,” Goro said. “It doesn’t matter if they’re younger than him, if they’re people who supported him while working as his staff, if they’re people who work at Ghibli or at other studios. If they’re animators, they’re rivals, all of them. Since they’re his rivals, he won’t talk to them about his ideas until he’s got the details worked out just right and he can say ‘Yes, this is it!’”
But does Miyazaki have more ideas? According to Goro, the answer is yes. But Goro also said, “He won’t tell anyone what they are. Absolutely no one.”
Source: SoraNews24
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Danica Davidson is the author of the bestselling Manga Art for Beginners with artist Melanie Westin, plus its sequel, Manga Art for Everyone, and the first-of-its-kind manga chalk book Chalk Art Manga, both illustrated by professional Japanese mangaka Rena Saiya. Check out her other comics and books at www.danicadavidson.com.
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