Studio Ghibli to Dabble in TV

Picture courtesy of Den of Geek. 

Studio Ghibli will be taking a huge leap this fall as they will begin airing their very first animated television series, titled Ronia, the Robber's Daughter. The production will be a collaboration between Studio Ghibli and Japan's Polygon Pictures, headed by Gorō Miyazaki (From Up on Poppy Hill), Hayao Miyazaki's son.

The story is based on Astrid Lingdren's (author of Pippi Longstocking) novel of the same name (Swedish: Ronja Rövardotter) and tells a tale somewhat similar to Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet, though admittedly slightly more interesting.

The original story, according to Wiki, is something along these lines:

Ronia is a girl growing up among a clan of robbers living in a castle in the woodlands of early-Medieval Scandinavia. As the only child of Mattis, the chief, she is expected to become the leader of the clan someday. Their castle, Mattis's Fort, is split in two parts by a lightning bolt on the day of Ronia's birth. Soon afterwards, a different clan of robbers, the "Borkas", settles the other side of the mountain, resulting in much strife between the two clans. Ronia grows up with Mattis's clan of robbers as her only company. One day, Ronia sees Birk Borkason, the only son of the enemy chieftain, Borka, idling by the chasm that splits the two parts of the castle. He is the only other child she has ever met, and so she is sorry that he is a Borka. He engages her in a game of jumping across, which does not end until Birk almost falls down. Ronia saves him and they become friends.

We can be sure, however, that the actual portrayal of the story may be much more of an adaptation than a direct translation from novel to animated series. Gorō Miyazaki made this statement regarding the series: 

"Ronia the Robber’s Daughter is a story not just about a girl who grows into adulthood, but it is also a story about the love and growth between a parent and child, and a story about the bonds between friends. My goal is to create a work that everyone, from children to adults, will be able to enjoy."

From this statement it can be assumed that Gorō Miyazaki will be pulling from personal experience in regards to his relationship with Hayao Miyazaki, in order to help him tell a much more intriguing story of the offspring-parent relationship.
Though it may be difficult for most of us to view the television series when it begins airing, Animation Fascination found this link to help connect with NHK BS Premium Services (the network provider).