My Neighbor Totorois considered one of the landmark anime films of the 20th century, and it’s arguably what putStudio Ghiblion the map. However, Totoro’s production was revealed to be shockingly lean, making it a miracle that the film was finished at all, much less on time.
My Neighbor Totorois a 1988 film that follows two young girls dealing with a difficult time in their lives as they encounter the magical and mysterious forest spirit Totoro. The movie is known for being extremely cozy and relaxing, a world of wonder that one can enter any time they wish, just by watching the film.
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The Film Relied Entirely on A Handful of Animators
According to Ghibli producer Toshio Suzuki,My Neighbor Totorowas animated entirely by a team of 8 individuals, an astonishingly small team of animators even for the time. Even more impressive is the fact that they were able to complete animation for the film in just 8 months, a blistering pace for animation.
Creating a movie with such a small team is something that would never happen today. The animators onTotorowere likely putting in massive amounts of overtime in order to get the movie done in such a short timeframe. Had there been any kind of emergency that removed even one animator, the film might not have recovered.
There are several reasons why such a small team wouldn’t be used today. The first is to avoid putting that kind of stress on the animators. Secondly, anime movies today tend to have a higher frame rate than anime movies of the past, necessitating more drawings per minute of film and increasing the workload beyond what a small team could handle.
The Boy and the Heron, for example, was said in that same article to have taken an entire month to produce just one minute of completed footage. That film was in production for over six years, and had a team of 60 animators working on one minute of footage each month.
My Neighbor Totoro’s Production Was Hasty
The Film Wasn’t Ghibli’s Only Priority
At the time thatMy Neighbor Totorowas being animated, Ghibli was working on another film as well: the infamously depressing yet hauntingly beautifulGrave of the Fireflies. With the studio’s focus split, there just weren’t enough employees to go around, leading to the small team ofTotoroanimators.
Of course, there was more to makingTotorothan just the animation.My Neighbor Totoromay have been released in 1988, but it got its start far earlier. As early as 1970, Miyazaki had sketched upthe monster Totoroand a proto-Mei, and he worked for years to develop this into a project that could get approved to be made.
In 1986, Miyazaki’s work on what would beMy Neighbor Totorohad begun, with him conceiving of the two sisters, Mei and Satsuki, who act as the lead protagonists of the film.Totoroapparently went through some wild changes in development, with the background featuring a war between Totoro and humans at one point.
Ultimately, though,My Neighbor Totoromay not have been made if it weren’t for the split focus. The two films were eventually released as a double feature, intended to sweeten the deal for schools that may want to have students viewGrave of the Firefliesfor educational purposes.
My Neighbor Totoro’s Short Production Didn’t Hurt Its Eventual Success
The Film Was Well Regarded, If Not Hugely Successful
The decision to haveGrave of the FirefliesandMy Neighbor Totoroas a double feature ended up being a bit of a double-edged sword, however.Grave of the Fireflieswas so incredibly depressingthat it discouraged families from going to seeTotoro, although merchandise of Totoro and the catbus reportedly sold well.
My Neighbor Totorowasn’t incredibly successful at the box office. The sales of merchandise are what really helped Ghibli regain its feet after taking on the difficult task of producing two movies at once. While both would eventually be recognized as fantastic films, critical reception at the time was surprisingly tame.
My Neighbor Totoro’s lack of conflict, beautiful art, and imaginative world made it a very soothing watch for young kids, and Totoro rapidly became a fan-favorite character.
In the years since, of course,My Neighbor Totorohas frequently been listed among the best movies of all time, and is often considered a near-perfect film for children. Its lack of conflict, beautiful art, and imaginative world made it a very soothing watch for young kids, and Totoro rapidly became a fan-favorite character.
Totoronot only became regarded as a classic, but the character ascended to such popularity that he was eventually adopted as Studio Ghibli’s mascot. Nowadays, Totoro is one of the most recognizable Japanese mascots, only matched by the likes of Mario.
My Neighbor Totoro Set the Stage for Ghibli’s Later Productions
Many Ghibli Movies Take After Totoro
In many ways,My Neighbor Totorolaid out the template for what a Ghibli movie should be and came to define the studio. Later movies likeSpirited Away,Ponyo, andKiki’s Delivery Servicetook the peaceful air ofTotoroand enhanced and refined it further, adding more fantastical elements to the mix as well.
Totororemains at the heart of a lot of Ghibli material, like their theme park in Japan. Fans from around the world have made the pilgrimage to the “Totoro Bus Stop” in Japan’s Oita prefecture, and even over 35 years later, the demand forTotoromerchandise is quite strong among both children and adult fans.
All told,My Neighbor Totoro’s production really was something of a miracle, as the story had to overcome many obstacles, dating all the way back to the 70s, to be made, and then was dependent on an extremely small team of very talented artists to hit the deadlines on time.
WithoutGrave of the Fireflies,Totoromight have never been made, and certainly not in the form that fans know it today. The successMy Neighbor Totorohad in the years after its release madeStudio Ghibliwhat it is, and that’s a true miracle.
