During an interview with ComingSoon, The Deer King director and former Studio Ghibli chief animation director Masashi Ando spoke about the legendary Hayao Miyazaki.
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When asked about his thoughts on Miyazaki continuing to create film despite several attempts at retirement, Ando called Miyazaki an “exceptional genius,” and explained his beliefs pertaining to why Miyazaki struggles to stay retired.
“Mr. Miyazaki, to put it really simply, he’s an exceptional genius. I really think he was born to create,” Ando explained. “I know he’s retired many times, but he keeps coming back and I really think he’ll actually die if he’s not creating movies. That’s how much he’s entrapped by the process of creation.”
Ando went on to describe what it is about Miyazaki that makes him such a genius.
“So, when you look at someone like him, it really makes you realize that like, yeah, I’m not that type of person,” Ando continued. “Like, I’m not a genius. I’m not so entrapped with creating, but how do I get closer? How do I approach his lifestyle and his work and just his ingenuity, right? So, I do think about it.”
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“In the aftermath of a brutal war, former soldier Van toils in a mine controlled by the ruling empire. One day, his solitary existence is upended when a pack of wild dogs carrying a deadly and incurable disease attack, leaving only Van and a young girl named Yuna as survivors,” reads The Deer King’s synopsis. “Finally free, the pair seek out a simple existence in the countryside but are pursued by nefarious forces. Intent on protecting Yuna at all costs, Van must uncover the true cause of the plague ravaging the kingdom—and its possible cure.”