Russian animator Yuri Norshtein is preparing a will to bequeath his works and sketches to Japan's Studio Ghibli museum and director Hayao Miyazaki.
Norshtein announced his decision to the Mikhail Kozhukhov Travel Club. The director said he must complete his will in time so his works are not given to any film museum under any circumstances.
Connection With Hayao Miyazaki
The creator of the Soviet animated film Hedgehog in the Fog has a long friendship with Miyazaki. Publication Afisha Daily reported that Miyazaki has stated multiple times that Norshtein's work inspired him throughout his career.
Norshtein said he found a respect and interest in creation within Japanese culture. He expressed his love for Japan, which he first visited in 1993. His studio currently holds a production machine, paper jointed puppets of cartoon characters, numerous drawings, storyboards, and film reels.
Art critic and animation historian Anna Golda previously noted in an interview with the National News Service that the film Whisper of the Heart is clear to viewers unfamiliar with Japanese animation because of its universal story.
