Hayao Miyazaki may have said he’s retiring in the past, he never has. Now, we have a delightful 1-minute animated short called Miyazaki, which perfectly captures that eternal back-and-forth in the most charming way possible.
Created by eight animation students at the world-renowned Gobelins school in Paris, this breezy little film plays like a love letter to the legendary filmmaker who just can’t stay away from storytelling.
It opens with him announcing his retirement (again), but quickly shifts into a whimsical “what now?” moment until, of course, he quietly wanders back to his desk to work. Because what else would Miyazaki-san do?
As described in the short’s YouTube description: “Miyazaki finally announces his retirement and we follow him on his new adventure!”
It’s both a fun and sincere tribute to the man who, after first announcing his retirement in 2013 returned nearly a decade later with The Boy and the Heron, which went on to win the Oscar last year. Now he’s already working on yet another film.
The short film was posted to the Chrispy Animations YouTube channel, run by one of the creators, Chris Carter. He and his fellow animators Calixte Chateau, Subodh Das, Lunia Belaid, Alexandre Boutier, Maggie Weng, Zijin Chen, and Siyang Dongcrafted this tribute during their time at Gobelins.
It’s honestly a joy to watch. There’s a warmth and affection for Miyazaki baked into every frame, and it somehow manages to sum up his spirit and stubborn refusal to stop creating.
Check it out, smile, and let it serve as a gentle reminder that some storytellers never really stop, they just pause for a minute, then get back to it.
