A press conference was held at Studio Ghibli (Koganei City, Tokyo) on March 17th, where the "Panorama Box" was unveiled as director Hayao Miyazaki's "latest work." The Panorama Box is a picture box that, when you look into the picture drawn inside, reveals a landscape with depth. Director Hayao Miyazaki has been working on the Panorama Box as a new project since the final stages of production of the animated film "The Boy and the Heron?", which will be released in 2023. It was made to be displayed at Ghibli Park (Nagakute City, Aichi Prefecture) and will be on display in the special exhibition room of "Ghibli's Grand Warehouse" from July 8th.
When viewed from the front, the panoramic box appears as a single image resembling a scene from a movie, but in reality, the background and characters are drawn separately and arranged in multiple layers within the box. The appeal lies in how the view changes depending on the viewpoint. All of the illustrations used are original drawings by director Hayao Miyazaki, from feature-length animated films such as "Nausicaä of the Valley of the Wind" to "The Boy and the Heron?", as well as short animated films and original new works. On this day, 23 panoramic boxes were unveiled.
Producer Toshio Suzuki and director Goro Miyazaki appeared at the press conference. Director Goro Miyazaki explained the production of the Panorama Box, saying, "Hayao Miyazaki started it around June 2022. At the time, he was working on ' The Boy and the Heron?' and had finished the animation work and was in the final stages of finishing, so he had nothing to do and thought, 'I'll let them display something of mine at Ghibli Park.' According to Hayao Miyazaki, he started the Panorama Box saying, 'I'm making it for Goro, for Ghibli Park.'"
The term "panorama box" is said to be a neologism coined by director Hayao Miyazaki, and is generally referred to as an "art box." Director Goro Miyazaki commented on the characteristics of this panorama box, saying, "Generally, they are often made to be viewed from the side, like viewing a stage, but what is characteristic of Hayao Miyazaki's panorama box is that it is vertical. He makes a lot of use of vertical compositions, essentially creating many images that are like overhead shots and low-angle shots, as if the camera has been moved up and down. I think creating that kind of space is very typical of Hayao Miyazaki."
It is said that the film was made using paper, pencils, paints, and pens, which director Hayao Miyazaki is familiar with, and director Goro Miyazaki said, "I think the key point is that I made it myself. It probably wouldn't work if someone else did it. I think there was meaning in me drawing the blueprints and creating it myself."
Producer Suzuki said, "Hayao Miyazaki was really serious about creating the Panorama Box, and his artistic talent hasn't diminished. It's even evolving now. Ghibli Park was created by Goro Miyazaki, wasn't it? He's not the type of person who's very interested in things other people have created. This is the perfect opportunity for him to challenge Goro Miyazaki and step forward. That's because creating something interesting is his driving force. It doesn't matter who the opponent is. He wants to create something interesting that surpasses everyone else's, put it out into the world, and say, 'How about that?' That's the kind of person he is."
The Panorama Box was created with children's eyes in mind, and apparently, some local children came to see it before the press conference that day. Director Goro revealed, "The children really enjoyed watching it, and what impressed me most was Hayao Miyazaki's reaction. He said, 'The Ghibli for children is back.' He was very happy," and added that Director Miyazaki had asked him for a handshake at that time.
