Studio Ghibli founder Hayao Miyazaki comes out of retirement

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Spirited AwayImage source, 2001 Nibariki - GNDDTM

Studio Ghibli founder Hayao Miyazaki, known for Howl's Moving Castle, Spirited Away and My Neighbor Totoro, has officially come out of retirement.

That's according to Kyodo News, one of the biggest news agencies in Asia.

Speaking in an interview with Ghibli's Toshio Suzuki, Hayao confirmed he is working on a feature film.

He announced his retirement in 2012 but it wasn't the first time and in fact some sources say he's "retired" six times.

Image source, Getty Images

In 2015 he started work on a short animation called Boro the Caterpillar.

And in December he suggested that perhaps it should "probably be a full-length movie" according to Kotaku.

Newsbeat has contacted Studio Ghibli for a comment, but they are yet to reply.

It would be no exaggeration to describe Hayao Miyazaki as the godfather of animation in Japan - some might even say the world.

He founded Studio Ghibli in 1985 and it has long been seen as Japan's answer to Disney.

In 2003 he won an Oscar for best animated feature film with Spirited Away.

Image source, 1988 Nibariki - G

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