Hayao Miyazaki to Retire from Directing

Studio Ghibli president Koju Hoshino announced that Hayao Miyazaki, famed director of such greats as My Neighbor Totoro, Spirited Away, and Howl’s Moving Castle, will officially be retiring after the release of his next film, The Wind Rises.  The announcement was made this weekend at the Venice Film Festival, where the film is in competition.  Miyazaki will be making an official statement sometime this week in Tokyo.

As a huge fan of nearly everything in the Studio Ghibli catalog, I’m sadden to hear the 72-year old will be retiring, however I think most can agree he left a big enough stamp on cinema that he deserves a nice relaxing break.

The Wind Rises will be released by Disney, however no US release date has been announced.