Hayao Miyazaki is a visionary.

Some of the most breathtaking films ever created include The Boy and the Heron, Spirited Away, Tales from Earthsea, Howl’s Moving Castle, and even Grave of the Fireflies. Each stands as a testament to the artistry and vision of Japan’s most celebrated animators.

Yet, even the greatest visionaries occasionally hear the word “No.”

Such was the case with Hayao Miyazaki’s proposed Pippi Longstocking adaptation.

Created by Astrid Lindgren, Pippi—whose full name is Pippilotta Delicatessa Windowshade Mackrelmint Efraim’s Daughter Longstocking—is a spirited nine-year-old with superhuman strength and an unstoppable imagination. She resides in Villa Villekulla with her monkey, Mr. Nilsson, and her towering horse, Alphonso (at least that’s what he was called in the 1988 box-office bomb The New Adventures of Pippi Longstocking.

Nearly two-decades before the American-made travesty, in 1971 Miyazaki and Isao Takahata traveled to Sweden in a journey to bring Pippi’s adventures to life through their own unique style of animation.

“Back in 1971, going abroad wasn’t easy,” Miyazaki remembers. “There were no jumbo jets, and it took time and money flying via Anchorage. If I came back with nothing to show for it, people would say: ‘You went all the way to Sweden, and this is all you got!? You’re good for nothing!’ So I had to get some results.” Working on the assumption that Pippi was still going to happen, Miyazaki threw himself into designs, character studies and observations.”

Miyazaki has said.

“I took photos, too, but it is important to just observe,” Miyazaki remembers. “Just being there was so exciting, to discover that Europe was completely different from what I’d expected. When you are pumped with adrenalin, the density of a day gets very high. All sorts of things come into perspective. Wherever you go, whatever you see, it’s all interesting.”

While several concept pieces were created, Lindgren ultimately declined to grant them permission for the project to proceed. To be fair, anime had yet to gain popularity in Sweden—it wouldn’t take hold there until the mid-1990s.

Now, as Pippi Longstocking approaches her 80th anniversary in 2025, the beloved character remains a global icon, with over 165 million books sold and countless adaptations spanning film, television, and animation. One can only imagine the magic Miyazaki might have woven into her world—a lost masterpiece that never came to be.

Though the film never came to be, the studio did release a concept book The Phantom Pippi Longstocking (幻の「長くつ下のピッピ」) was released in 2014 through .

There will be more Pippi Celebrations including a review of The Phantom Pippi Longstocking coming soon so…

Stay Tuned!