Goro Miyazaki on Gedo Senki pt 2
anime director talks about 3-D animation, his father and his future
May 3, 2007 Dominic von Riedemann
(Source: www.animenewsnetwork.com)
(You can check out Part #1 of this interview over here)
The insert song and the ending theme, performed by the female lead telling the loneliness of her heart, are extremely beautiful. You wrote the lyrics for both. Do you have an interest in lyrics writing?
“I'd never written lyrics formally before, but I like to parody popular songs by rewriting their lyrics, and that might help. In fact, (producer Toshio) Suzuki gave me the idea of lyrics writing. In the animation industry, the originality is highly regarded, but in fact, there's nothing in the world that is completely original. If you can adapt a good creation successfully, then it would be another good creation as well. Mr. Suzuki also showed me some of his favorite poems, and after seeing them, I put my feelings about the movie into the lyrics of those songs.”
After the movie premiered in Japan, you told the Japanese media that you would have failed if you directed it earlier, like in your 20s. Why do you think you would've failed?
“If I directed it in my 20s, my goal would have been to be Hayao Miyazaki and nothing else. Although catching him is still my goal, because he's such a great person, having additional experiences like my university major (forestry / agronomy) and being a museum curator helps me review myself more objectively, and they provided many ideas for me during the production of this movie. It is important to have walked in those indirect paths before directing.”
How do you rate Hayao Miyazaki, as a father and as a director?
“A goose egg as a father and 100% as a director. Why a goose egg as a father? He has always been a workaholic and was almost never found at home, leaving very little time left for my mother and me. I think she endured many difficulties compared with most housewives. For the same reason, his hardworking and talent have created so many excellent titles, so I gave him 100% as a director. Furthermore, during the production phase of any Ghibli movie, both he and Mr. Takahata are demons.”
How would you compare Gedo Senki and your father's first movie, Lupin III: The Castle of Cagliostro?
“I can't think of any point where my movie can top his. It was his first feature-length movie, but its completeness was very high and I consider it one of his best, so it would be very difficult to top. Furthermore, I don't think I can judge my own work objectively.”
Instead of comparing the qualities of the two movies, let's discuss their styles instead. What is the difference in pacing, tempo, artistic presentation?
“In Lupin III: The Castle of Cagliostro, both the direction and the story are very standard as an anime movie should be. I wanted to add something different into my Gedo Senki and make it different, such as adding what's happening around youngsters nowadays; it was something that only I could do.”
Please tell us how you felt when you attended Venice International Film Festival, and any plans for your next movie.
“When I went to Venice, I kept thinking, ‘Is my movie good enough to attend this historic movie festival? Even now, I still feel a little bit embarrassed about attending the festival. However, I felt very grateful because the festival enabled Italian youths to enjoy the movie that many Japanese youths enjoyed. I have to be much more careful, strict, and hardworking for the next film, for while the first movie can be driven purely by passion alone, the same manner can't be applied to the second movie. I am still somewhat hesitant about whether to have a second movie or not (Note: Toshio Suzuki has since announced that Goro will direct another movie).”
The animations made by Hayao Miyazaki and Studio Ghibli are mainly done in 2-D, while most animation studios in the West have adapted 3-D. Will it be possible for Ghibli to adapt to 3-D in the future?
“Ghibli will not abandon 2-D animation while the ‘three old men’ (Miyazaki, Suzuki, Takahata) are still alive. I'm not very sure about Mr. Suzuki, but the other two will fight till the very end; after all, they have spent over forty years perfecting 2-D animation. Meanwhile, the era that ‘3-D is the new kid on the block’ is long gone, and 2-D is in no way inferior to 3-D. They are just different ways of presentation; some are more suitable with 2-D and others more suitable with 3-D. However, it is an undeniable fact that less and less people are devoting themselves on drawing 2-D animation, even in Japan.”
Composer Joe Hisaishi is a long time collaborator of Hayao Miyazaki. How do you feel about him, and will you cooperate with him in the future?
“Mr. Hisaishi has been working with my father for a long time, but to me, he is not an easy person to work with, for both he and my father are old, and while two old men can work together with ease, I like having a more youthful working force. In the end, I chose Tamiya Terashima for Gedo Senki, who is less stubborn and more willing to take advice from the director.”
Is there any work you would like to adapt into an animated movie?
“Of course I have some of my favorite works, but I am not certain if they are suitable to be adapted into anime movies, so right now the answer is ‘no.’”
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