On March 11, 2024, Japan time, at the Oscar Awards ceremony in Los Angeles, Studio Ghibli’s “The Heron and the Boy” won the Oscar for Best Animated Feature Film. Studio Ghibli producer Toshio Suzuki Pictured after the press conference. (RICHARD A. BROOKS/AFP via Getty Images)
[The Epoch Times, March 12, 2024](Compiled and reported by Epoch Times reporter Ye Zijie) After 21 years, “The Heron and the Boy” directed by the 83-year-old Hayao Miyazaki once again won the Academy Award for Best Animated Feature Film. Neither he nor 75-year-old producer Toshio Suzuki attended the awards ceremony on the 10th US time. In response, Suzuki Toshio’s representative issued a statement that day, mentioning that they were old.
According to reports from The Japan Times and IndieWire, after “The Boy and the Heron” won the Best Animated Feature Award, Toshio Suzuki’s representative spoke through a translator to the media gathered backstage at the Academy Awards. issued a statement, “We are extremely honored to receive the Academy Award for Best Animated Feature. We are grateful to the Academy for awarding us this award. I would also like to thank those involved in the production of this film and those who distributed the film around the world.”
This is the second time that Japanese director Hayao Miyazaki has won the Oscar for Best Animated Feature. In 2003, he was nominated for and won the Oscar for Best Animated Feature for the first time with “Spirited Away”, and then in 2006 and In 2014, he was nominated for two Oscars for Best Animated Feature Film for “Howl’s Moving Castle” and “The Wind Rises” respectively.
Stills from “The Hidden Girl”. (provided by A)
In a statement, Toshio Suzuki discussed the reason why he and Hayao Miyazaki were unable to attend the awards ceremony in person, “It was indeed difficult to complete this film, and I am very grateful that after overcoming these difficulties, the work created has been recognized by so many people around the world. To see and receive this recognition. Hayao Miyazaki and I are both much older. I am grateful to receive this honor at my age and will continue our work with it, and I will work harder in the future.”
According to “ABC News”, on the 12th, according to a long-time confidant, Hayao Miyazaki felt a little embarrassed about his announcement ten years ago that he would no longer make movies due to his age. After winning the award, Toshio Suzuki said: “He regrets announcing to the world that he will no longer make movies.”
Suzuki Toshio said that Miyazaki celebrated his Oscar win privately at his studio but did not attend studio events. When asked why Miyazaki shaved off his trademark beard, Suzuki Toshio said: “He didn’t want to look important.”
In addition to “Heron and Boy”, “Godzilla Minus One” also won the Academy Award for Best Visual Effects, which is an important day for the Japanese film industry. The Japanese media praised this, saying that Japan has not won double awards at the Oscars since 2009. On the 12th, the “Yomiuri Shimbun” published an editorial stating that “Japanese film history has opened a new chapter.”
Stills from “The Heron and the Boy”. (Provided by Jia Shang Entertainment)
Editor in charge: Jasmine
