LOS ANGELES, Feb 19 (News On Japan) - At the Annie Awards ceremony held in Los Angeles on Saturday, February 17, known as the Academy Awards of the animation industry, Hayao Miyazaki's film "The Boy and the Heron" received the Storyboard and Character Animation awards.
Nominated in seven categories, "The Boy and the Heron" missed out on the most coveted Best Feature award but secured accolades for Storyboarding and Character Animation.
Animation director Yu Honda, who attended the ceremony, reflected on the seven-year journey of making the film. He believed Miyazaki initially intended to complete the project in about three years and make it his swan song. Honda reminisced about working side by side with Miyazaki, who often sang and suggested watching the beautiful sunset from the rooftop, seemingly enjoying the remaining years of his life. Despite the project taking seven years, Honda joked that Miyazaki is still alive and his life plans have been disrupted. He believes Miyazaki might be bored and hopes he will start working on a new project, to which Honda would gladly contribute.
Studio Ghibli's executive officer, Junichi Nishioka, accepted the Storyboard award on behalf of Miyazaki. He mentioned that Miyazaki couldn't attend due to his age and the challenges of a long journey. Nishioka expressed his pleasure that Miyazaki's storyboarding was recognized, considering him the most passionate director in this aspect globally. Unlike other directors, Miyazaki doesn't write scripts but starts directly with storyboarding, a unique approach in the industry. Nishioka highlighted Miyazaki's dedication to translating his mental imagery onto paper over a year and his continuous storyboarding while directing on set for 50 years. He quoted one of Miyazaki's famous sayings: "The person who draws the storyboard is the director."
"The Boy and the Heron" has already made history by being the first Japanese film to win the Best Animated Feature at the Golden Globe Awards. It is also nominated for the Best Animated Feature at the upcoming Academy Awards on March 10th, with high hopes for a win.
Additionally, Joe Hisaishi, who has composed music for numerous Studio Ghibli films, was honored with the Winsor McCay Award for his significant contributions to the animation industry.
Meanwhile, Makoto Shinkai's film "Suzume no Tojimari" was nominated in seven categories, including Best Feature and Best Writing, but did not secure any awards. The Best Feature award went to "Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse."
Source: 日テレNEWS
