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Here are some excellent screenshots from the Blu-Ray release of Nausicaa of the Valley of Wind. As is the case with nearly all animation, the BD format is a dramatic improvement over the older DVD format. Colors are sharp and vivid, picture is free of pixelation and compression artifacts, and audio is perfectly lossless, rich and booming. Years ago, I remember finding an ancient VHS rip that was worn down to the bones. The colors were washed out (leaving many to speculate Nausicaa wasn't wearing pants), and the screen was so dark you could barely make out anything. It was still a mesmerizing and mind-blowing trip. I've argued for many years that Nausicaa was the movie that saved Hayao Miyazaki's career. Its success, both commercially and creatively, led to the founding of Studio Ghibli and three decades of worldwide acclaim. It's hard for today's younger fans to imagine just how hard the director struggled in the years directly preceding this film. The period of 197...

YouTube channel Tokyosaurus has posted a short video describing the details of Hayao Miyazaki's upcoming feature film, "How Do You Live?" Regular visitors to Ghibli Blog will already be familiar with the details, as we have reported on Monday . There is a short look at the book on which the movie is adapted, some speculation on how Miyazaki will adapt it to his tastes, and expectations on when it will be completed, or even if the director will still be alive. As always, it's far too soon to speculate on anything, and we should not expect to hear many announcements from Studio Ghibli during production, which formally began in October. The final, "final" Miyazaki movie? Well, maybe. Then again, maybe not. The only deciding factor is how much time he has remaining. Let's hope and pray that God gives us all a little more time together. You already have John Lennon, Jimi Hendrix, Prince and Bowie! You can wait for Miyazaki for a little longer.

On Tuesday, October 31, GKIDS released their "second wave" of Studio Ghibli Blu-Ray/DVD titles: Nausicaa of the Valley of Wind and Castle in the Sky. Both titles are part of the studio's catalog reissue series and will continue into early next year. These titles are important for die-hard Ghibli Freaks. Both Nausicaa and Castle in the Sky were released by Disney some years ago, but with annoying issues such as English title burn-in (Nausicaa) and "dubtitles" (Castle). Hopefully, GKIDS has solved these problems, but at the time of publication, I was unable to confirm or deny any changes in the new versions. Let's cross our fingers and hope that these new reissues have proper subtitles and title credits. That would make these titles a must-have for all fans. Stay tuned. Update (11/4/17, 9:17pm): It has been confirmed that Nausicaa has clean credits, and Castle in the Sky has proper English subtitles. Thanks to our friends on Reddit for the confirmation. Now bu...

Today's Artist Spotlight is a charming little illustration I found online. It's none other than "Hipster Totoro," or maybe "Indie Publisher Totoro." He looks just like me, except for that coffee (I had to give up coffee a year or so ago). I remember a couple years ago when "Hipster Ariel" became a rolling internet meme. I can't see why Hipster Totoro couldn't work just as well. I'll just post this image here and leave you to create the funny wisecracks. Unfortunately, I don't know the artist who created this piece. If you find him or her, be sure to send your thanks. Great watercolor design!

This weekend, at the opening of a Natsume Soseki (Botchan, I am a Cat) memorial at Tokyo's Waseda University, Hayao Miyazaki discussed his upcoming movie project, revealing its title: "Kimitachi wa Dou Ikiru Ka?" The direct translation is "How Do You Live?" and is also the title of a 1937 children's book by Japanese author Genzaburo Yoshino. It is believed that the movie will be an adaptation of that book. It was also recently revealed that Miyazaki's felt motivated to create a movie as a personal statement to his grandchild, as a final story to remember his grandfather. It is also known that the director felt inspired to return to feature film directing while working on his Ghibli Museum short film, Boro the Caterpillar. Once again, retirement does not suit him. "Kimitachi wa Dou Ikiru Ka?" is currently under production, and is expected to last three or four years. It was originally hoped to be completed in time for the Tokyo Olympics, but tha...

These excellent watercolor paintings were created by French artist Louise Terrier . She created a series of artworks dedicated to the movies of Studio Ghibli, including My Neighbor Totoro, Kiki's Delivery Service and Howl's Moving Castle. According to an article on Demilked , Terrier was inspired to create since early childhood, when she was encouraged by her parents. “When people ask me: where does that creative energy come from? I would say I don’t know! But it’s just a part of me, like my nose in the middle of my face! Even though my studies take the most part of my time, the pleasure to paint never leaves me.” These watercolor paintings are absolutely spectacular. I wish I had a studio space where I could just cut loose and create wild colors like these. I'm a great fan of vivid color tones and expressionist brushstrokes, which these Totoro pieces have in spades. The compositions are also quite excellent, taking advantage of the picture frame to emphasize emptiness and ...

Hipster Miyazaki would like you to know that he hated Harvey Weinstein long before it became popular : In 1997 the director signed a distribution deal with Disney. It was to prove a springboard to global renown, paving the way for a dedicated exhibition at New York's Museum of Modern Art and helping him secure the 2003 Oscar for Spirited Away. Even so, the nature of Miyazaki's films has been tweaked in transit. In Japan his films are blockbusters the whole family can enjoy. In Britain and the US he remains a predominantly adult, art-house phenomenon. Miyazaki taps a cigarette from a silver case. The Disney deal suits him, he explains, because he has stuck to his guns. His refusal to grant merchandising rights means that there is no chance of any Nausicaa happy meals or Spirited Away video games. Furthermore, Disney wields no creative control. There is a rumour that when Harvey Weinstein was charged with handling the US release of Princess Mononoke, Miyazaki sent him a samurai s...