Temps forts

Makoto Shinkai Denies Plans to Work for Ghibli

Since acclaimed director Hayao Miyazaki retired in 2013 the animation industry and fans have pointed fingers and upcoming directors, hoping to find the Oscar-winner's heir. Some have Summer Wars and The Boy and The Beast director Mamoru Hosoda but others have begun eyeing Makoto Shinkai. The director's latest feature, your name. has found enormous financial success in Japan. The film has earned enough to even be on par with Miyazaki's features.

In an interview with the UK-based website Express, Shinkai addressed the rumors that he might take the reins at Studio Ghibli.

"No and I don't think they'd even ask me," he told Express' George Simpson. Shinkai elaborated that his style and Studio Ghibli's are really nothing alike. He answered humbly that Ghibli's films are about "craftsmanship" that bring characters to life while his are "a series of stop-motions."

The director has expressed a similar view about his work before when he appeared on a Japanese television program. He told announcer Shinsuke Kasai that he was worried that individuals would associate your name.'s financial success with his abilities, something that he doesn't think is proportional.