Studio Ghibli to Screen My Neighbor Totoro Sequel
My Neighbor Totoro's sequel, Mei And The Kittenbus, will be screening in Japan later this year.
Studio Ghibli has rarely revisited its legendary films with sequels, as most of the legendary anime studio's stories are "one and dones". In a surprising twist, in the early 2000s, Ghibli had made a short segment that acted as a sequel to one of their biggest animated films, My Neighbor Totoro. The segment has never found its way to any streaming service or theater, and while it doesn't seem as though Mei And The Catbus will be hitting North America, Ghibli has revealed that the sequel will be coming to its amusement park this year.
The My Neighbor Totoro sequel originally arrived in 2002 and while it might only be thirteen minutes long, it was directed by Hayao Miyazaki and looks of the same quality as many of Ghibli's hit movies. Initially, the sequel was mostly aired at the Studio Ghibli museum, never finding its way to theaters in North America or streaming services like MAX, where a number of Ghibli's films are held. An official description of the short segment, for those who are unfamiliar with the sequel, reads as such, "A Kittenbus puppy, the cat-shaped bus that is one of the protagonists of My Neighbor Totoro, becomes a great friend of little Mei and with her has an incredible night adventure in the forest."
My Neighbor Kittenbus
Studio Ghibli's amusement park, which recreates some of the magical locales from its various films, has a screening room that will air Mei And The Kittenbus beginning this November. Unfortunately, the sequel's run will be a limited one as it is planned to depart the screening room once next month comes to a close. At present, Ghibli has yet to announce if the segment will ever find its way to streaming services, or North America in general, so this might be your only shot for some time.
Studio Ghibli has been making quite a few headlines thanks to its latest film, The Boy And The Heron. Set to arrive in North American theaters this December, the film was originally billed as the last from legendary creator Hayao Miyazaki. Surprisingly, Miyazaki changed his mind and reports have been released that he is already beginning to work on his next project.
Which Ghibli movies do you think deserve a sequel? Feel free to let us know in the comments or hit me up directly @EVComedy to talk all things comics, anime, and the world of Ghibli.