Details of plot for veteran director Hayao Miyazaki’s first feature for 10 years had been kept largely secret

Fans of the celebrated director Hayao Miyazaki queued outside cinemas in Japan early Friday morning to be the first to see the Oscar-winning animator’s first feature film for a decade – and had no idea what to expect.

Speculation about How Do You Live? had been building for months, not least because it is expected to be the last by the 82-year-old, who spent five years making the film after reversing a decision to retire.