《記憶中的瑪妮》或將是吉卜力最後一部電影

《記憶中的瑪妮》可能是吉卜力工作室的最後一部電影，如果關於該工作室很快就要解散的傳言是真的話。

一名內部員工告訴日本News Cafe新聞網說，吉卜力的最新動畫《記憶中的瑪妮》應該是工作室最後一部動畫作品。

吉卜力工作室曾出品過許多廣受喜愛的動畫電影，如《龍貓》、《千與千尋》和《哈爾的移動城堡》。

內部人士指出，製作動畫電影需要大量的資金，光是每年發給全職僱員的工資就是一筆不小的數目。爲了回收製作成本，工作室必須要保證電影大賣，這給工作室帶來了不小的壓力。工作室每製作一部動畫電影，票房必須上1億美元才能收回製作成本，並保證足夠的盈利。

吉卜力工作室的靈魂人物宮崎駿已經在去年夏天宣佈退休。

When Marnie Was There may be Studio Ghibli's final film, if rumours of the Japanese animation studio's imminent closure are true.

The reports come from a Ghibli insider, who told Japanese website News Cafe (via Kotaku) that there have been changes afoot in the studio responsible for family favourites such as My Neighbour Totoro, Spirited Away and Howl's Moving Castle.

Studio co-founder Hayao Miyazaki retired last summer, after completing The Wind Rises. Earlier this year co-founder and producer Toshio Suzuki stopped producing films and became Ghibli's general manager.

Although the reports have been unconfirmed, the source told News Cafe that financial reasons made it likely that When Marnie Was There would be the Ghibli's final film before they just "manage the copyrights", or make money from, their older material.

Ghibli's films are made by full-time staff working in Japan, making them very expensive to produce. Furthermore, Japanese newspaper Asahi Shimbun revealed last autumn that The Wind Rises had yet to make a profit and The Tale of Princess Kaguya, also released in 2013, made 5.1 billion yen, the equivalent of £29 million, and was considered a flop by the studio due to its production costs.

The source said: "There's no choice but to dissolve the studio, because it's unable cross the high hurdle of announcing a new film on an annual basis."

It's not the first time Miyazaki has mentioned the dissolution of the studio. In 2010 he spoke of plans which look remarkably similar to those rumoured here in an interview with Cut Magazine. "Suzuki-san is making a dissolution program for Ghibli.

"No joke, we talked about it the other day. For example, Ghibli should be able to continue with about five staff members as a copyright management company even if we smash the studio. So, Ghibli can say 'We stop film production. Goodbye'. I do not have to be there."

When Telegraph film critic Robbie Collin met Miyazaki earlier this year, the studio co-founder suggested Ghibli would be taking a break: “We have no future plans. We just want to take some time off,” he said.