Japan's Studio Ghibli to Produce Its First TV Series

The son of the anime studio's founder Hayao Miyazaki will direct "Ronja the Robber's Daughter," based on a Swedish children's book that was previously adapted for the big screen.

TOKYO – Studio Ghibli is to produce its first TV anime series, to be directed by Goro Miyazaki, son of recently retired studio founder Hayao Miyazaki. A 3D CG adaptation of Swedish author Astrid Lindgren's children's book Ronja the Robber's Daughter (Sanzoku no Musume Ronja), it will be produced in collaboration with Polygon Pictures, Dwango and NHK Enterprises. The show is scheduled for broadcast in Japan this fall.

NHK Enterprises is a subsidiary of Japan's public broadcaster, and the series will air on BS Premium, one of NHK's satellite channels.

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The series will tell the tale of the daughter of a bandit clan's chief and her adventures in the mysterious forest in which they live.

"The story is not just about a girl growing up, but also about the development and love of the parent-child relationship, and a story about the ties between friends," said Goro Miyazaki.

The book was filmed in 1984 by Tage Danielsson, winning a Silver Bear at the 1985 Berlin International Film Festival and becoming the biggest-grossing film of the year in Sweden.

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Miyazaki made his directing debut in 2006 with Tales From Earthsea (Gedo Senki) after staying away from the world of animation in his younger years. Focus on him has increased since his acclaimed father announced his retirement from making anime features last year.

Tokyo-headquartered Polygon Pictures has worked on animated CG productions including Star Wars: The Clone Wars and Transformers Prime.

Twitter: @GavinJBlair