Studio Ghibli sold to TV studio in major succession shakeup

Studio Ghibli has been sold to Nippon Television in a huge shakeup for the famous anime firm, leaving fans concerned for its future in the wake of Hayao Miyazaki’s ‘final’ film.

Studio Ghibli is known far and wide for its critically-acclaimed animated films like Princess Mononoke, My Neighbor Totoro, and more, which have won the hearts of fans all over the world across several generations.

The animation studio, first founded in 1985 by legendary directors Hayao Miyazaki and Isao Takahata, is set to release its latest film in the US this December… one that is said to be Miyazaki’s final work.

In the wake of this news, another major development has occurred that is leaving fans wondering what’s next for the studio’s future.

Studio Ghibli sells to Nippon TV in major move for anime giant

On September 21, it was reported that Studio Ghibli is set to sell a major portion of its stock to Japanese television network Nippon TV, cementing the broadcaster as a majority stakeholder in the company with a whopping 42.3% of voting rights.

This decision comes in light of the question of succession for Studio Ghibli’s leadership. In a statement from the studio, it was revealed that Miyazaki’s son, Goro Miyazaki, did not want to step into his father’s shoes to lead the company.

“At Studio Ghibli, director Miyazaki Hayao is now 82 years old, and producer Suzuki Toshio is also 75 years old, and the issue of succession has been a problem for a long time,” the studio said.

“Miyazaki Goro, the eldest son of founder Miyazaki Hayao and an animation film director himself, has been mentioned several times as the successor to Studio Ghibli. However, Miyazaki Goro himself firmly declined, believing that it would be difficult to carry Ghibli alone and that it would be better to leave the future of the company to others.”

Both Ghibli and NTV have had a working relationship for many years now, with the TV network actually airing Miyazaki’s 1985 sci-fi hit Nausicaa of the Valley of the Wind and even investing in Kiki’s Delivery Service.

While many fans are a bit wary of this big change for the beloved studio, others are excited, noting that this could mean Ghibli will “live on” after the company’s current leadership moves on.

This is all about succession. It’s exciting because it signals that Ghibli may live on past the current generation’s leadership. It’s also concerning because it shows the studio clearly doesn’t have a long term plan yet. Those who would’ve been next already created Studio Ponoc https://t.co/WLSkW9DDSN

— daniel (@dmusa24) September 21, 2023

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