Legendary Japanese animators Studio Ghibli will receive an honorary Palme d'Or at the Cannes Film Festival in May, organisers announced Wednesday. 

The Oscar-winning studio, co-founded by Hayao Miyazaki 40 years ago, is beloved worldwide for its masterpieces like "Spirited Away", "My Neighbour Totoro" and "Howl's Moving Castle". 

It will mark the first that that Cannes gives an award to a collective, rather than an individual. 

Miyazaki makes few public appearances and his long-time collaborator Isao Takahata died in 2018. 

The other founder, producer Toshio Suzuki, said he was "truly honoured and delighted" to be receiving the award. 

Ghibli's "characters populate our imaginations with prolific, colourful universes and sensitive, engaging narrations," said the Cannes organisers in a statement.  

"With Ghibli, Japanese animation stands as one of the great adventures of cinephilia, between tradition and modernity," they added.

Miyazaki, 83, has announced his retirement more than once, but was back in cinemas last year with "The Boy and the Heron", which won the Oscar for best animated film last month, his second after "Spirited Away" in 2003. 

It was already announced that another huge figure in cinematic storytelling, George Lucas, creator of "Star Wars", would also receive an honorary Palme at this year's festival, which runs from 14 to 25 May.