A press conference was held at Studio Ghibli (Koganei City, Tokyo) on March 17th, where the "Panorama Box" was unveiled as director Hayao Miyazaki's "latest work." Producer Toshio Suzuki, who appeared at the press conference, revealed Miyazaki's current condition, saying, "Even though he's 85, he still wants to make movies," and "He's very energetic."
Producer Suzuki reported, "Hayao Miyazaki turned 85 in January of this year, and I thought he might be getting old soon, but that's not the case at all; he's incredibly energetic." When asked by Hayao Miyazaki's son, director Goro Miyazaki, who was present at the press conference, "Why is he so energetic?", Goro Miyazaki revealed, "His blood test results are better than mine."
Producer Suzuki said of director Hayao Miyazaki, "He has a very strong sense that he's still active and working hard. Even though he's 85, he still wants to make movies." He added, "But that varies from day to day. On days when he's not feeling well, he clearly loses his motivation and might say things like, 'I don't feel like making movies anymore.' It's a cycle."
The Panorama Box is a picture box that, when you look into the picture drawn inside, reveals a landscape with depth. Director Miyazaki has been working on the Panorama Box as a new project since the final stages of production for the animated film "The Boy and the Heron?", which will be released in 2023. It was made to be displayed at Ghibli Park (Nagakute City, Aichi Prefecture) and will be on display in the special exhibition room of "Ghibli's Grand Warehouse" from July 8th.
When viewed from the front, it looks like a single image resembling a scene from a movie, but in reality, the background and characters are drawn separately, and these images are arranged in multiple layers within the box. The appeal lies in how the view changes depending on your perspective. All of the illustrations used are original drawings by director Miyazaki, from feature-length animated films such as "Nausicaä of the Valley of the Wind" to "The Boy and the Heron?", as well as short animated films and original new works. On this day, 23 panoramic boxes were unveiled.
