Studio Ghibli to delay the release of Isao Takahata’s ‘The Tale of Princess Kaguya (Kaguyahime no Monogatari)’
A widely anticipated summer bonanza for anime fans when two films by top Studio Ghibli Inc. directors Hayao Miyazaki and Isao Takahata were scheduled to be released the same day won’t happen.The leading anime production house Studio Ghibli will delay the release of Takahata’s “Kaguyahime no Monogatari” (The Tale of Princess Kaguya) until the fall, distributor Toho Co. said.
The animated feature, which is based on a Japanese folktale of “The Tale of the Bamboo Cutter,” or “Princess Kaguya,” is the anime maestro’s first movie in 14 years.
It was initially scheduled to hit cinemas on the same day in summer 2013 as legendary anime director Miyazaki’s “Kaze Tachinu” (The Wind is Rising).
But the release of “Kaguyahime no Monogatari” will be pushed back a few months, while “Kaze Tachinu” remains on schedule for a summer release.
Toho explained that there has been a delay in the completion of the storyboards for the film.
The film studio and distributor were notified by Studio Ghibli that the anime house had fallen behind schedule to finish the storyboards. Given the circumstances, Toho decided to postpone the release date to give the studio more time to raise the quality of the picture.
“Kaguyahime no Monogatari” is one of the most highly anticipated animated features in Japan this year. It made headlines when it was announced that the two films by Japan’s top anime directors would be released on the same day.
The releases will still mark the first time in 25 years that Studio Ghibli has released movies by the two directors in the same year. In 1988, Takahata’s “Grave of the Fireflies” and Miyazaki’s “My Neighbor Totoro” were released as a double feature.
Source: The Asahi Simbun