Ghibli To Animate LeGuin's Story

The next animated movie produced by Studio Ghibli will be directed by Goro Miyazaki (the son of Hayao Miyazaki) and adapted from Ursula K. LeGuin Earthsea Cycle.

Studio Ghibli is famous for having animated movies directed by Hayao Miyazaki (Laputa: Castle In The Sky, My Neighbor Totoro, Kiki's Delivery Service, Porco Rosso, Princess Mononoke, Spirited Away, Howl's Moving Castle) and Isao Takahata (Grave Of The Fireflies, Only Yesterday, Tanuki Wars Ponpoko and Tonari no Yamada-kun).

The movie will be titled Gedo Senki [Record Of The Gedo War]: Tales From Earthsea and will be released in July 2006.

It seems that Ghibli is moving away from creating their animation based on original story since it is their second movie that will be an adaptation from an English speaking novel. Their previous movie, Howl's Moving Castle, was adapted from a novel by English writer Diana Wynne Jones. Gedo Senki will be the adaptation of the third (The Farthest Shore) and fourth (Tehanu) books of Ursula K. LeGuin Earthsea Cycle.

(Source: Anime News Network: Ghibli Announces New Anime & Gedo Senki News).

Ghibli Web Site
Ursula K. LeGuin Web Site