Hayao Miyazaki expands his itinerary for his July California visit

by Chris MaGee

We reported back in May that anime master Hayao Miyazaki was going to be making a very, very rare North American visit onJuly 25th to the University of California, Berkeley to receive the Berkeley Japan Prize from the Center for Japanese Studies there. At the time of that original announcement there was some speculation floating around that Miyazaki may make an appearance at the San Diego Comic Con that's taking place between July 23rd and 26th. Now this rumour is no longer a rumour. Tokyograph is now reporting that the man who brought us such contemporary classics as "Princess Mononoke" and "Spirited Away" will be attending the 4-day fest to present clkips of the new English-dubbed version of his 2008 blockbuster "Ponyo on a Cliff by the Sea" (re-titled simply "Ponyo" for the U.S. and Canadian release). If that isn't enough already Miyazaki will also be visiting The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences in Beverly Hills on July 28th, I'm guessing to visit the folks who honoured Miyazaki with an Oscar for "Spirited Away" in 2003. Damn! I wish I lived in California....