Last night, in Toronto, one of the biggest and most important film festivals in the world

opened with an unusual film, an animation.

But not just any animation, this was the latest film from Studio Ghibli and the Revea

director, Hayao Miyazaki.

It's a film that's already broken box office records in Japan, and according to Miyazaki,

although it's his first film in a decade, he swears that it's also his last.

If you're not familiar with Studio Ghibli or the great Japanese animator, then you might

have heard of his films, like the Oscar-winning Spirited Away or My Neighbor Totoro.

Either way, you're in for a treat, as the man who created Toy Story would tell you.

John Aseter once said that in their history of animation, there are two figures whose contribution

to our art form placed them above all others, and the first, he said, is Walt Disney, and

the second is Hayao Miyazaki.

Miyazaki has been at the helm of the studio for almost four decades, and his beautiful

hand-drawn animations have created magical and often very profound films, which have

won millions of fans all over the world.

I think he's the greatest animator in the history of the medium.

Miyazaki Studio Ghibli in general, that's one of those great bodies of work that is a treasure

for cinema.

But whilst the western titan of animation, Disney, is celebrating its hundredth anniversary

this year, could this be the end of Studio Ghibli?

You're listening to stories of our times from the Times and the Sunday Times.

I'm Manvina Rano.

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