Studio Ghibli's latest New Year’s illustration is my favourite Miyazaki design yet

To celebrate the New Year, Studio Ghibli has released an exclusive illustration from legendary director Hayao Miyazaki. The adorable doodle features this year's Chinese zodiac animal – the wood dragon – but in typical Miyazaki style, it appears more friendly than ferocious.

As illustration trends change, Miyazaki's iconic art style remains a timeless fan favourite. With The Boy and the Heron set to be the director's final film, I'm cherishing every last piece of Miyazaki content I can get. 

Miyazaki's illustration features a wide-eyed cartoon style dragon emerging from a cluster of pastel-coloured clouds. With gold horns and flailing whiskers, it appears to launch out of the screen, clutching a pink orb in its claws. The illustration is paired with red text that reads "Happy New Year". 

Over the years it has become a tradition for Studio Ghibli to release a New Year's greeting message in line with Japan's card sharing custom 'nengajo'. This year's official announcement thanked fans for their support and shared that Miyazaki would be celebrating his 83rd birthday on the day of the studio's new year's reopening. 

Officially returning from retirement in 2017, it seems that Miyazaki isn't set to stop any time soon. It's always a treat to see the director sharing his original art and with The Boy and the Heron completed, I hope we'll still catch a glimpse of Miyazaki's artwork behind the scenes. For more Ghibli goodness, take a look at the adorable Ghibli-style Zelda animation or check out the studio's stylish Uniqlo collab.