Reuters caught up famed animation director Hayao Miyazaki in Venice where his new feature film, Ponyo on the Cliff by the Sea, is about to premier during the annual film festival. The new film, inspired by the original The Little Mermaid fairytale, has already becoming another blockbuster hit in Japan. Among the quotes from the interview, Miyazaki talks about his preference of pencil over the more and more common use of computers these days.

“I think animation is something that needs the pencil, needs man’s drawing hand, and that is why I decided to do this work in this way,” the silver haired, notoriously shy director told reporters after a press screening.

“Currently computer graphics are of course used a great deal and, as I’ve said before, this use can at times be excessive,” he added, speaking through an interpreter. “I will continue to use my pencil as long as I can.”