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Hayao Miyazaki Draws New Year's Tiger For 2022

Studio Ghibli's official Twitter account posted an illustration of a tiger drawn by Hayao Miyazaki to celebrate the new year, along with photos showing him in the process of drawing it. (The calendar year 2022 will overlap with the Chinese zodiac Year of the Tiger, which begins on February 1.)

Ghibli co-founder Toshio Suzuki also drew his own tiger to commemorate the occasion.

As the new year begins, the Twitter account shared a status update on Miyazaki's newest film and the Ghibli theme park, saying that work on both fronts is "progressing."

Miyazaki is directing his next feature film, Kimi-tachi wa Dō Ikiru ka (How Do You Live?). Studio Ghibli producer Toshio Suzuki stated in an interview in December 2020 that the film's animation is half finished and that the film will be 125 minutes long. In a Sight & Sound interview published in March 2021, Suzuki stated once again that the film is half finished and that he does not expect it to release for another three years.

In October 2019, he reported that the film was about 15% complete, after three and a half years of production. He then stated in May 2020 that staff had completed 36 minutes of the movie.

The Aichi prefectural government announced in June 2021 that the Dondoko Mori Area, the previously announced area featuring My Neighbor Totoro for the planned Ghibli Park, is under construction.

Aichi prefecture agreed in May 2017 to establish the park. The project's planners then revealed the basic design plans in April 2018. The park was initially planned to open in 2020. Studio Ghibli and the Chunichi Shimbun newspaper jointly established the Ghibli Park, Inc. company that will be responsible for the management and operation of the park.

Work on the designs began in 2019, and construction will last for about two or three years. Aichi prefecture has budgeted 31 billion yen (about US$280 million) for construction, in addition to 3 billion yen (about US$30 million) for the design and planning process. Construction contractor Kajima Corporation began construction of the first three areas of the park in July 2020.

Source: Studio Ghibli's official Twitter account