Studio Ghibli's Hayao Miyazaki Has Lost His Signature Beard

In urgent news, the beard of Studio Ghibli‘s Hayao Miyazaki has been cleanly shaved off, leaving behind a film director whose movies are incredibly well-known, but whose face is not. Miyazaki’s new appearance was seen in a video posted by the official Oscars YouTube channel. He and fellow Studio Ghibli co-founder Toshio Suzuki released a message, thanking the Academy for the nomination.
Suzuki: “I’m very honored that Kimitachi wa Dou Ikiru Ka? (The Boy and the Heron) has been nominated for the Academy Award for Best Animated Feature. I’m grateful to the Academy and everyone who nominated us.”

Miyazaki — who looked like he would rather be doing anything else — was interviewed by Suzuki in an Oscars segment. Miyazaki didn’t quite agree with The Boy and the Heron being autobiographical but admitted it had elements. He also added, “Well, I’m glad that I made it all the way to the end. All that’s left is my worn-out self” and “I thought that it would never end. We managed to finish it because the money kept coming!”

The Boy and the Heron was in development for seven long years. Numerous interviews between The Boy and the Heron‘s staff and the animation blog Full Frontal paint a picture of perseverance, and also of the close-knit community of connections that Miyazaki has built in his decades-long career. Staff like legendary animator Toshiyuki Inoue recounted his experience working on the film, characterizing Miyazaki as scary at times, but saw it as an opportunity to surpass himself. Their collective efforts paid off, with The Boy and the Heron seen as a frontrunner for the upcoming Oscars, and winning Best Animated Feature at the Florida Film Critic Circle, BAFTAs, and the Golden Globe Awards.

GKIDS distributed The Boy and the Heron in North American theaters. The film has grossed over $167 million worldwide (Box Office Mojo). GKIDS describes the film:
A young boy named Mahito
yearning for his mother
ventures into a world shared by the living and the dead.
There, death comes to an end,
and life finds a new beginning.

A semi-autobiographical fantasy
about life, death, and creation,
 in tribute to friendship,
from the mind of Hayao Miyazaki.

Source: Oscars YouTube channel, via Catsuka on X (formerly Twitter)
© 2023 Studio Ghibli