Studio Ghibli, the iconic Japanese cartoon firm behind Miyazaki Hayao’s recent “The Boy and the Heron,” is selling a controlling stake to Japanese broadcaster Nippon Television (NTV). The companies said that Studio Ghibli will become a “subsidiary.”
Nippon Television is to buy shares in Studio Ghibli and become its largest shareholder with 42.3% of voting rights. Executives from NTV are expected to join Studio Ghibli’s management. Terms of the deal, including its valuation and timetable, were not disclosed.
“At Studio Ghibli, director Miyazaki Hayao is now 82 years old, and producer Suzuki Toshio is also 75 years old, and the issue of succession has been a problem for a long time,” Studio Ghibli said in a statement. “Miyazaki Goro, the eldest son of founder Miyazaki Hayao and an animation film director himself, has been mentioned several times as the successor to Studio Ghibli. However, Miyazaki Goro himself firmly declined, believing that it would be difficult to carry Ghibli alone, and that it would be better to leave the future of the company to others.”
