If you've always dreamed of visiting the famous Japanese animation house Studio Ghibli museum but can't afford the airfare to Japan - or worst still, you can, and did visit Japan, only to learn the hard way about the museum's outrageously strict visiting guidelines - here's some good news. Though now closed because of the COVID-19 pandemic, Ghibli Museum is offering free digital mini-tours on YouTube.
Famously secretive, and with a strict no-photos policy, there's very little information about the museum in the public domain. And while this is only a teasing glimpse - these five taster videos offer less than five minutes combined, I'm afraid - they're sincerely better than nothing... especially when you watch Volume 1 and realise you could look at the walls of that hallway for the rest of your life and never get bored.
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Described as a "staff video journal" - which were recorded when the museum was completely empty - the snippets show off a number of places, including its gorgeous entrance and a stunning themed cafe (thanks, GameSpot).
In related news, as we reported a couple of days ago, the next film for Studio Ghibli is set to be one of its biggest yet. Director Hayao Miyazaki has reportedly said he and his team are spending 'more money' than before in producing their new film, which is called How Do You Live?
Talking about the hotly anticipated release, Toshio Suzuki, the studio's former president, revealed that Miyazaki has promised something special, confirming that "the film that Hayao Miyazaki's working on at the moment is a big, fantastical story".
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Miyazaki is the 79-year-old genius behind some of Studio Ghibli's best works, including the much loved Spirited Away, which won the Oscar for Best Animated Feature in 2003.
When How Do You Live? is released, it will be Miyazaki's first feature-length film since 2013's The Wind Rises, after which he appeared to go into retirement.
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