SYNOPSIS
In 2013, film director and animator Hayao Miyazaki suddenly announced his retirement at the age of 72. But he couldn’t shake his burning desire to create. After an encounter with young CGI animators, Miyazaki embarked on a new endeavor, his first project ever to utilize CGI. But the artist, who had been adamant about hand-drawn animation, confronted many challenges. The film even faces the danger of being cancelled. Can an old master who thinks he’s past his prime shine once again? This program goes behind the scenes over two years as Miyazaki overcomes struggles to create his short film using CGI.
REVIEWS
“Provides unprecedented access to the master’s creative process. Never-Ending Man is a profound meditation on art and aging.”
— Prof. Julian Cornell, New York University, Cinema Studies
“Requisite viewing for any admirer or critic of Miyazaki’s career or the medium of Japanese animation.”
— Toussaint Egan, Paste Magazine
“A privileged glimpse into the creative processes of one of the greatest animators who ever lived.”
— Kenneth Turan, Los Angeles Times