Studio Ghibli and distributor TOHO announced Kaze Tachinu (The Wind Is Rising) and Kaguya-hime no Monogatari (The Tale of Princess Kaguya), according to a report by the Anime News Network, the latest films from studio co-founders and directors Hayao Miyazaki and Isao Takahata. Both features are scheduled to open throughout Japan next summer.

In February 2009, Miyazaki launched a two-part manga mini-series called “Kaze Tachinu” which focuses on Jirō Horikoshi, the designer of Japan's famed Mitsubishi A6M Zero fighter plane of World War II. Author Tatsuo Hori also wrote a novel called Kaze Tachinu, and the film's tagline both references real-life figures and paraphrases Hori's book: “Show respect for Jiro Horikoshi and Tatsuo Hori. We must try to live.”

(Hori himself was reportedly quoting Paul Valéry's “Le cimetière marin” (“The Graveyard by the Sea”) poem, which reads, “Le vent se lève! . . . il faut tenter de vivre!” (“The Wind Is Rising! . . . We must try to live!”)

Frequent Miyazaki collaborator Joe Hisaishi is composing the music for the film. Miyazaki is not only directing the film, but he conceived the story and wrote the screenplay himself. This will be the first film from Miyazaki since the release of Ponyo roughly five years ago.

Kaze Tachinu (The Wind Is Rising)

Kaguya-hime no Monogatari (The Tale of Princess Kaguya)