Current:Home > NewsStudio Ghibli takes a bow at Cannes with an honorary Palme d’Or -Wealth Evolution Experts
Studio Ghibli takes a bow at Cannes with an honorary Palme d’Or
View
Date:2025-04-16 04:21:32
CANNES, France (AP) — Studio Ghibli, the Japanese anime factory of surreal ecological wonders that has for 39 years spirited away moviegoers with tales of Totoros, magical jellyfish and floating castles, was celebrated Monday by the Cannes Film Festival with an honorary Palme d’Or.
In the 22 years that Cannes has been handing out honorary Palmes, the award for Ghibli was the first for anything but an individual filmmaker or actor. (This year’s other recipients are George Lucas and Meryl Streep.) Hayao Miyazaki, the 83-year-old animation master who founded Studio Ghibli in 1985 with Isao Takahata and Toshio Suzuki, didn’t attend the ceremony, but he spoke in a video message taped in Japan.
“I don’t understand any of this,” said Miyazaki. “But thank you.”
At Cannes, where standing ovations can stretch on end, the fervor that greeted Ghibli’s emissaries — Goro Miyazaki (son of Hayao) and Kenichi Yoda — was nevertheless among the most thunderous receptions at the festival. Thierry Fremaux, Cannes’ artistic director, walked across the stage of the Grand Théâtre Lumière filming the long ovation, he said, for a video to send to Miyazaki.
“With this Palme d’Or, we’d like to thank you for all the magic you’ve brought to cinema,” said Iris Knobloch, the president of the festival, presenting the award.
The occasion wasn’t marked by any new Ghibli film but four earlier shorts that hadn’t previously been shown outside Japan. “Mei and the Baby Cat Bus,” a brief follow-up to Miyazaki’s 1989 “My Neighbor Totoro,” expands the Cat Bus of that classic to a whole fleet of cat conveyances, most notably the mini Baby Cat Bus.
The shorts, all of which were made for the Studio Ghibli Museum outside Tokyo, included “Mr. Dough and the Egg Princess,” a culinary-themed desert for Miyazaki’s 2001 film “Spirited Away.” The other two — “House Hunting” and “Boro the Caterpillar” — make musical mini-adventures for forest creatures.
The Studio Ghibli celebration came on the heels of Miyazaki’s long-awaited “The Boy and the Heron” winning the Academy Award in March for best animated film. (A documentary on its making, “Hayao Miyazaki and the Heron,” also played in Cannes.)
Miyazaki sat out that ceremony, too. Goro Miyazaki, whose own films include “From Up on Poppy Hill” and “Tales From Earthsea,” said they had to use a hotel towel to wrap the Oscar to bring home to his father. On Monday, he was relieved by the portability of the Cannes prize.
“I’m reassured seeing the Palme d’Or was in a box,” he said, grinning.
___
Follow AP Film Writer Jake Coyle at: http://twitter.com/jakecoyleAP
veryGood! (7)
Related
- All That You Wanted to Know About She’s All That
- 'Nobody Wants This': Adam Brody, Kristen Bell on love, why perfect match 'can't be found'
- Tropical Weather Latest: Swaths of Mexico and Florida under hurricane warnings as Helene strengthens
- C’mon get happy, Joker is back (this time with Lady Gaga)
- Kylie Jenner Shows Off Sweet Notes From Nieces Dream Kardashian & Chicago West
- Hailey Bieber Reacts to Sighting of Justin Bieber Doppelgänger
- Will Young Voters’ Initial Excitement for Harris Build Enough Momentum to Get Them to the Polls?
- Sean Diddy Combs and Kim Porter’s Kids Break Silence on Rumors About Her Death and Alleged Memoir
- Off the Grid: Sally breaks down USA TODAY's daily crossword puzzle, Hi Hi!
- A Missouri man has been executed for a 1998 murder. Was he guilty or innocent?
Ranking
- As Trump Enters Office, a Ripe Oil and Gas Target Appears: An Alabama National Forest
- One day along the Texas-Mexico border shows that realities shift more rapidly than rhetoric
- Monsters: The Lyle and Erik Menendez Story Stars React to Erik Menendez’s Criticism
- Travis Kelce’s Grotesquerie Costars Weigh In on His Major Acting Debut
- Google unveils a quantum chip. Could it help unlock the universe's deepest secrets?
- Southwest plans to cut flights in Atlanta while adding them elsewhere. Its unions are unhappy
- Milwaukee-area stolen Virgin Mary statue found and returned to church
- Houston Astros win AL West after win over Seattle Mariners
Recommendation
Brianna LaPaglia Reveals The Meaning Behind Her "Chickenfry" Nickname
Wisconsin man charged in 1985 killing of college student whose body was decapitated
‘System of privilege’: How well-connected students get Mississippi State’s best dorms
X releases its first transparency report since Elon Musk’s takeover
'We're reborn!' Gazans express joy at returning home to north
It's Banned Books Week: Most challenged titles and how publishers are pushing back
Father of teenage suspect in North Carolina mass shooting pleads guilty to gun storage crime
Artem Chigvintsev's Lawyer Gives Update on Nikki Garcia Divorce