(CNN) -- Watch a movie from acclaimed Japanese animators Studio Ghibli, and you might see a boy turn into a flying dragon, a deer morph into a monstrous god, or a fish transform into a young girl.

But with the retirement last year of Hayao Miyazaki, the studio's legendary co-founder, signs suggest the venerable and inimitable company is headed for a transformation of its own.

In a Japanese TV interview last Friday, Ghibli co-founder Toshio Suzuki said the firm needed to "think about its future," and would be "changing the way we make (animation)."

He also speculated that Miyazaki might "make something again," though it might be a no more than a short film for the Studio Ghibli museum.

Suzuki's comments followed his own remarks from early last week, when he said Studio Ghibli would take a "brief break," leading to panicked online speculation that the studio was about to close.

A Ghibli representative told CNN the speculation was untrue, saying "Studio Ghibli has decided nothing officially for the future of the studio."

Yet after concluding nearly three decades with Miyazaki at the helm, the fate of the company suddenly looks uncertain.

The secret to Ghibli's longevity

The studio has been producing hand-drawn animated films for decades, sticking to old-school, painstaking frame-by-frame methods even as other studios have long embraced computer-aided animation and CGI.

Every one of Studio Ghibli's hits -- from "My Neighbor Totoro" (1988) to "The Wind Rises" (2013) features a signature artistic style -- delicately rendered characters, exquisitely crafted environments, and an effortless sensation of movement.

Anime expert Helen McCarthy says Ghibli has been able to perfect its hand-drawn tradition because it has employed the same animators for a very long time -- unlike many other studios, which rely on per-project contracts and short-term piecework.

File: Hayao Miyazaki attends the opening of his film "Ponyo on the Cliff by the Sea" (2008).

"This means Ghibli can be sure of a consistent quality of artistry and craftsmanship," she said.

But as Ghibli's staff ages, the firm must figure out how to carry on with younger talent.

McCarthy says the Japanese studio has focused for decades on "the personal visions of two remarkable directors," Hayao Miyazaki and Isao Takahata -- both now in their 70s.

"(Studio Ghibli) is like a great violin, a Stradivarius maybe, in the hands of two great musicians. But when those musicians retire it has to be passed on to new players or else falls silent, because its structure is expensive to maintain."

What's next?

The big question: Can anybody succeed Hayao Miyazaki?

File: Studio Ghibli director Goro Miyazaki is the son of Hayao Miyazaki.

"Studio Ghibli has young creators, Goro Miyazaki and Hiromasa Yonebayashi," Studio Ghibli's representative told CNN. "They are continuing to work for the studio."

But the films of Goro Miyazaki, -- Hayao Miyazaki's 47-year-old son -- and Yonebayashi, 41, have yet to achieve anywhere the success of the elder Miyazaki's work.

Hayao Miyazaki's 2001 epic, "Spirited Away," grossed a record-breaking $274 million worldwide and took home the Academy Award for Best Animated Feature. In 2013, Miyazaki's swansong "The Wind Rises," made over $117 million.

By contrast, the studio's newest film, "When Marnie Was There," directed by Yonebayashi, is only expected to make $36 million. Goro Miyazaki's 2013 "From Up on Poppy Hill" made about $61 million.

That's why the studio must now perform a sober self re-evaluation after enjoying years of steady success.

Visitors at a Studio Ghibli exhibit in Hong Kong walk by a wall of artwork.

"We wanted to make a dream company," said Suzuki. "We were able to realize (that dream) to some extent and we're very happy about that. But now we're at a point where we've got to think about what we'll do next."

Should fans be worried? McCarthy says Ghibli's tradition of hand-drawn animation should survive, as long as audiences "accept the high costs and the demands it places on the workers involved."

"Art is viable as long as people are willing to make it and buy it."

沒有傳說中的導演宮崎駿，吉卜力工作室面臨著不確定的未來
由威爾弗雷德陳，美國有線電視新聞網
2014年8月11日 - 更新0023 GMT（0823 HKT）
檔案：傳奇導演宮崎駿是著名的電影如龍貓和千與千尋（右），在2003年贏得了奧斯卡最佳動畫長片。
檔案：傳奇導演宮崎駿是著名的電影如龍貓和千與千尋（右），在2003年贏得了奧斯卡最佳動畫長片。
新聞提要
吉卜力工作室聯合創始人：公司需要“思考它的未來”
傳奇導演宮崎駿的退休未來留下疑問
專家：吉卜力必須弄清楚如何進行與年輕人才
（CNN） -觀看 由著名的日本動畫工作室吉卜力的電影，你可能會看到一個男孩變成一個飛龍，鹿變身成為一個可怕的神，或者一條魚變身為一個年輕的女孩。
但隨著宮崎駿工作室的傳奇創始人之一的退休，去年跡象表明古老而獨特的公司走向了自己的轉型。
在日本電視採訪上週五，吉卜力共同創辦人鈴木敏夫表示，該公司需要“思考它的未來”，將是“改變我們做出（動畫）的方式。”
他還推測，宮崎會“做的東西了，”雖然它可能比一部短片的吉卜力博物館沒了。
（吉卜力）就像是一個偉大的小提琴......它必須被傳遞給新玩家或者保持沉默。
海倫·麥卡錫，動漫專家

鈴木的意見跟隨著自己的言論，從上週初，當他說吉卜力工作室將採取“短暫的休息”，導致驚慌失措網上炒的工作室即將關閉。
à吉卜力代表告訴美國有線電視新聞網的猜測是不真實的，他說：“吉卜力工作室決定沒有正式為工作室的未來。”
然而，結束了近三十年與宮崎掌舵之後，公司的命運突然變得不明朗。
該秘密Ghib 升一世的長壽
該工作室已經製作手繪動畫電影幾十年來，堅持老派，細緻的幀一幀的方法，甚至是其他工作室長期接受電腦輔助動畫和CGI。
的吉卜力工作室的命中每個人 - 從“龍貓”（1988）以“起風了”（2013年）設有簽名的藝術風格 - 細膩呈現人物，精工雕琢的環境，以及運動的輕鬆的感覺。
動漫專家海倫·麥卡錫說，吉卜力已經能夠完美的手工繪製的傳統，因為它已經採用了相同的動畫很長一段時間 - 不像許多其他的工作室，這依賴於每個項目的合同和短期計件。
檔案：宮崎駿出席他的電影開幕\
文件：宮崎駿出席了電影“波妞在懸崖的海”（2008）開幕。
“這意味著吉卜力可以肯定的藝術性和工藝的一貫品質，”她說。
但作為吉卜力的員工年齡的增長，企業必須弄清楚如何進行與年輕人才。
麥卡錫說，日本的工作室集中了幾十年的“兩個顯著導演的個人願景，”宮崎駿和高畑勳 - 無論是現在還是在70歲。
“（吉卜力工作室）就像是一個偉大的小提琴中，斯特拉迪瓦裡也許，在兩個偉大的音樂家的手中。但是，當這些音樂家退休這對新玩家要通過，否則保持沉默，因為它的結構維護費用昂貴。 “
下一步是什麼？
最大的問題：任何人都可以成功宮崎駿？
文件：吉卜力工作室導演宮崎吾朗是宮崎駿的兒子。
文件：吉卜力工作室導演宮崎吾朗是宮崎駿的兒子。
“吉卜力工作室有年輕的創作者，宮崎吾朗和弘正Yonebayashi，”吉卜力工作室的代表告訴CNN。“他們繼續努力，為工作室。”
但宮崎吾朗，的電影 - 宮崎駿的47歲的兒子 - 和Yonebayashi，41歲，還沒有達到任何地方長老宮崎駿的工作取得成功。
宮崎駿2001年的史詩，“千與千尋”票房破紀錄的2.74億美元世界各地，並捧回了奧斯卡最佳動畫長片。在2013年，宮崎駿的絕唱“的風刮起來，”取得了1.17億美元。
相比之下，工作室的最新電影，“當馬妮在那裡，”導演Yonebayashi，只有望使36000000美元。宮崎吾朗的2013“從上罌粟山”取得了約為6100萬美元。
這就是為什麼工作室享受多年的穩步成功後，現在必須執行一個清醒的自我重新評估。
遊客在吉卜力工作室的展覽在香港走了一堵牆藝術品。
遊客在吉卜力工作室的展覽在香港走了一堵牆藝術品。
“我們希望做一個夢想的公司，”鈴木說。“我們能夠實現（夢想），在一定程度上，我們感到非常高興，但現在我們在這裡，我們得想想我們會做下一個點。”
球迷應該擔心？麥卡錫說，手繪動畫的吉卜力的傳統應該生存下去，只要觀眾“接受較高的成本，它把所涉及的工人的需求。”
“藝術是可行的，只要有人願意做它，買它。”
CNN的小倉淳子促成了這一報告。