Yesterday, the esteemed Japanese animation powerhouse Studio Ghibli announced it's next feature film, The Borrower Arriety (Karigurashi no Arrietty). Based on Mary Norton's original book series The Borrowers, the film will follow Arriety and her family of Borrowers, minature people around 10 centimeters tall, who live in human households and borrow everyday items to create everything from furniture to clothing. The Borrower Arriety marks the directorial debut of Yonebayashi Hiromasa, though Ghibli favorite and mastermind Miyazaki Hayao originally conceived the scenario and took part in many stages of production. According to Studio Ghibli producer, Suzuki Toshio:
About 40 years ago this project was once considered by both Miyazaki and Takahata and Miyazaki suddenly recalled it and recommended me to read the book. He led me being strong-armed into accepting his idea. Perhaps he has a strong longing for their youth. Anyway, we often have this kind of trouble at Studio Ghibli. So why The Borrowers now? To that question, Miya-san in desperation answered "The situation of "karigurashi" (borrowing life) is very nice. It just fits to our present age. The age of mass consumption is ending now and the idea of "borrowing" proves the advent of it with depression. He immediately wrote down the project paper of the movie.*
I... OK, wow, that's kind of a bummer, Suzuki-san.
The Borrower Arriety will be approximately 80 minutes long and is set to be released during the summer of 2010.
*This rough translation brought to you by the wonderful GhibliWorld.com.
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