Our class is continuing our analysis of Studio Ghibli films. The next film we are learning about is My Neighbor Totoro, which was made in 1988. This movie is animated by hand, which means that every movement of each character is hand-drawn. These movies can take up to 6+ years to make! According to an interview with an animator at Studio Ghibli: “We are still hand-drawing everything, but it takes us more time to complete a film because we’re drawing more frames,” he explains. “The current film that Hayao Miyazaki (from Studio Ghibli) is working on, we have 60 animators, but we are only able to come up with one minute of animation in a month. That means 12 months a year, you get 12 minutes worth of movie. Actually, we’ve been working on this film for three years, so that means we have 36 minutes completed so far. We’re hoping it will finish in the next three years.”
Below is the English trailer for My Neighbour Totoro:
Some discussion questions to chat about at home:
-Do you prefer animated, CGI, or live-action movies? Why?
-What folktales or fairytales did you hear as a child (ex: the Little Mermaid, forest spirits)?
-Have you ever watched any movies from Studio Ghibli?
My 21 month old granddaughter and me have been watching “My Neighbor Tottoro” everyday for a week. Julia loves to see the animated figures while I study the drawings, coloring, shadows and perspective. This story, Ponyo and others by Studio Gihbli are true treasures for the animation world, children and children at heart. Thank you, Mr. Hayao Mayazaki for making your visions real.