It’s a somewhat distressing time to be a Studio Ghibli fan right now: Hayao Miyazaki, the legendary leader of the Japanese animation studio, retired from making feature films a few years ago (although that retirement may be short-lived), and the studio itself is supposedly on its way out the door. But Ghibli isn’t finished altogether just yet. In fact, they have a new project coming stateside later this month (via The Daily Dot).
Ronja, The Robber’s Daughter, an anime series co-produced by Polygon Pictures and Studio Ghibli, aired its 26-episode run in Japan starting in late 2014, and beginning on January 27, an English dub of the series will be available for streaming on Amazon Prime Video. This latest effort is directed by Goro Miyazaki, the son of Hayao Miyazaki and himself the director of Ghibli films Tales from Earthsea and From Up on Poppy Hill. The show is based on the children’s fantasy book Ronia the Robber’s Daughter, which was written by Swedish author Astrid Lindgren, the same woman who created Pippi Longstocking.
The story follows Ronja, the only child of a bandit chief, who grows up in the woodlands with a clan of thieves, eventually developing the courage to explore the forest on her own and encounter the mystical creatures that reside within. She also meets a boy her age who turns out to be the son of a rival clan chief; this meeting has a significant impact on her life.
The voice cast has yet to be revealed for the 3D-animated, cell-shaded series, but we do know that Gillian Anderson will voice the narrator. Check out the trailer above, and if you’re not an Amazon Prime subscriber, we’re very sorry to hear that.
Featured image: Amazon Prime Video
