Why is Totoro the mascot of Studio Ghibli?

Fans of Studio Ghibli would be hard-pressed to find a more memorable character than the studio's official mascot, Totoro. The timeless classic, Totoro/My Neighbor Totoro, alludes to the relationship between Shintoism and nature, represented in Totoro, the spirit of the forest.

Why is the Ghibli logo Totoro?

In 1991 Hayao Miyazaki remade the logo. It was a blue background with the character Totoro from the film My Neighbor Totoro Another creature is also seen on his head. The Japanese characters “スタジオジブリ作品” are seen on the bottom right, and underneath that is “STUDIO GHIBLI” in Futura, with a line above it.

What is the Studio Ghibli mascot?

Its mascot and most recognizable symbol is a character named Totoro, a giant catlike spirit from the 1988 anime film My Neighbor Totoro.

Is Totoro and Spirited Away connected?

There is no concrete evidence that all the films exist in the same world, though minor characters do cross over. For example, the soot sprites who appear in the first act of My Neighbor Totoro, later appear in Spirited Away.

Is Totoro a mascot?

Totoro is the mascot for Studio Ghibli, which was founded by Hayao Miyazaki. He was featured in one of Miyazaki's films, My neighbor Totoro, which was a huge hit. His main audience is towards anyone who enjoys Miyazaki's films.

Studio Ghibli Analysis: My Neighbour Totoro

Is Totoro a god of death?

The dark side supports that Mei dies when she gets lost, and Satsuki, not being able to live with this, opens the death's door in order to reunite with her. Totoro is a Death God who came in order to take them. By the end of the film both girls are dead and, sadly, their mom will join them soon.

Why is Totoro named Totoro?

Totoro actually comes from Mei mispronouncing Tororu, which means troll in Japanese. This comes from a book Mei had read, which turns out to be the traditional Norwegian troll story Billy Goats Gruff, as can be seen in the end sequence which contains mother and that book.

Why do all Ghibli characters look the same?

Without any interest in a computer-generated template, Studio Ghibli uses the same face character designs over and over. There are four main points: Studio Ghibli doesn't do this because they are lazy, cutting corners in the production process, or not creative enough.

Is Studio Ghibli shutting down?

Whispers of the imminent demise of highly influential Japanese animation production company Studio Ghibli have now been validated, with the studio's general manager, Toshio Suzuki, announcing on Japanese television this morning that the studio will officially shut down and use its scaled back human resources to manage ...

What is the longest Studio Ghibli movie?

The Tale of Princess Kaguya (dir. Isao Takahata) = 2 hrs.

What animal is Totoro based off of?

A well-known cartoon character around the globe, Totoro, is an adorable chinchilla in Hayao Miyazaki's animated movie "My Neighbor Totoro". In the movie, Totoro is a gentle, gray and giant rat; however, in reality, the chinchilla is a furry little creature that you can hold in one palm.

What Totoro means?

Totoro exists as a metaphor to explain some of the mysteries of the world through the eyes of a child. Totoro, the king of the forest. Totoro is far and away the film's most interesting — and adorable — device: he is nature personified in a giant, fuzzy, cat/rabbit-like Snorlax.

What is Ghibli named after?

Ghibli was given its name by Hayao Miyazaki from the Italian word ghibli, meaning a hot desert wind. His goal was to “blow a new wind through the anime industry,” and he did just that.

Why is Totoro so popular?

The lovable features of the characters are a major reason for the popularity of the film. Totoro and his friends are furry and look like stuffed animals. Totoro, or Big Totoro (Oh Totoro), is the main advertising icon for Studio Ghibli, and products featuring Totoro are popular among both children and adults.

Is My Neighbor Totoro hand drawn?

The Japanese company Studio Ghibli is legendary for its hand-drawn animation, including the classics “My Neighbor Totoro,” “Princess Mononoke,” “Howl's Moving Castle” and the Oscar-winning “Spirited Away.” All of those films were directed by the studio's co-founder, Hayao Miyazaki — but it's his son, Goro Miyazaki, who ...

Is Studio Ghibli owned by Disney?

For example, certain Studio Ghibli films were distributed by Disney internationally but never owned by the company. Also, Miramax, an independently operating unit of the Walt Disney Studios, also purchased US rights to foreign animated movies.

Is Miyazaki retired?

Miyazaki, 80, retired from Studio Ghibli in 2013, after having directed 11 featured in 34 years.

What are the black balls in Totoro?

The Soot Sprites (すすワタリ, Susuwatari, lit. "Travelling Soot" a.k.a. "Mak-kuro Kurosuke") are spirits that appear in the films My Neighbor Totoro and Spirited Away. They are small, round balls made from the soot that dwells in old and abandoned houses and leave black dirt in their wake.

Are Castle in the Sky and Howl's Moving Castle connected?

Unsourced material may be challenged and removed. Castle in the Air is a young adult fantasy novel written by Diana Wynne Jones and first published in 1990. The novel is a sequel to Howl's Moving Castle and is set in the same fantasy world, though it follows the adventures of Abdullah rather than Sophie Hatter.

What do the acorns mean in Totoro?

They're seeds for trees, and food for animals. Miyazaki doesn't tell us that, but we know it, and so do Satsuki and Mei. The acorns lead to the soot sprites. They're NOT natural objects, at least not in the REAL world. They're creatures of fantasy, the first ones we see in the film.

Is My Neighbor Totoro inspired by Alice in Wonderland?

12 Inspired by Alice in Wonderland

For one, young Mei first encounters the chibi-totoro, or the small white Totoro spirit, just as Alice began to follow the white rabbit. Soon after, Alice ended up traveling down the rabbit hole into wonderland, similar to Mei falling down the inside of the camphor tree.

Is Totoro a God?

The legend goes as follows: Totoro is the God of Death, and anyone who can see him is either dead or close to dying. The affirmation is strong enough on its own. We know Miyazaki looooves metaphors, and Studio Ghibli seems to have a weak spot for gods and spirits.