Famed Japanese filmmaker Hayao Miyazaki is back with his first animated film in five years, "The Wind Rises." In "Wind," Miyazaki, the Oscar winner behind such modern classics as "Spirited Away" and "Howl's Moving Castle," tells the story of Jiro Horikoshi, the inventor of the Mitsubishi A6M Zero fighter plane flown by the Japanese in World War II.
Though the story is mostly fictionalized -- it's based on a novel by Tatsuo Hori -- Horikoshi was real, and the movie depicts his youth in the 1920s, when Japan was going through a depression and suffered a devastating earthquake. The trailer showcases stunning footage of that incident and its aftermath, and is full of the lush, ethereal imagery that is Miyazaki's signature style.
Despite the devastation in Horikoshi's past and the war waiting in his future, the film looks like it will have some happy moments, especially those concerning Nahoko, his female companion whom the trailer describes as "ill-fated." Though we're not sure what's in store for Nahoko, her interactions with Horikoshi are sweet, and give the trailer an overall hopeful vibe.
"The Wind Rises" will make its North American debut at next month's Toronto International Film Festival.
[via Vulture]
