Coming off the back of directing his acclaimed sophomore feature, From Up on Poppy Hill, Gor? Miyazaki is about to make his television debut directing Studio Ghibli’s first ever TV series, an adaptation of Ronia the Robber’s Daughter.
The original fantasy book, Ronja Rövardotter, is written by Swedish author Astrid Lindgren, best known for her Pippi Longstocking series, was published back in 1981 and was previously adapted as a live-action feature film in 1984.
Courtesy of Amazon, here’s the synopsis for the original novel:
Ronia lives with her father, a robber chieftain, and his band of men in their fortress on the top of a mountain. On the night Ronia was born, a bolt of lightning split the stronghold in two, leaving a huge chasm – Hell’s Gap – in between.
Soon Ronia is old enough to explore the forest around her, but she must beware of the grey dwarfs and wild harpies that live there. One day she meets Birk, the son of a rival robber leader who has claimed the other side of Hell’s Gap, and upon whom Ronia’s father instantly declares war.
Ronia and Birk develop a friendship that is as indestructible as the mountain fortress itself. But with their families sworn enemies they are forced to keep their friendship a secret until one fateful day when Ronia’s father catches Birk . . . prompting Ronia and Birk to escape into the woods and fend for themselves.
How long can Ronia and Birk survive in the magical forest? And will their fathers ever put aside their differences to get their beloved children back?
Along with news of the project, Studio Ghibli have released the first image over on NHK, who will be broadcasting the series in Japan, with its premiere set for August 31st.
Translating the original Japanese, via Anime News Network, Miyazaki himself had the following to say of the project:
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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 a 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.”
Fans of the animation house’s work will know this sounds right up their street, and it should be very interesting to see the younger Miyazaki return to a world of fantasy, having gone for a more realist version of events in From Up on Poppy Hill, following his 2006 fantasy debut, Tales from Earthsea.
