My Neighbor Totoro is one of the most characteristic works of Studio Ghibli. It is a heartwarming movie about two sisters, Satsuki and Mei, who become friends with a magical creature. It is one of the most popular works of Hayao Miyazaki, and Totoro is also the mascot for Studio Ghibli.
For years, fans of Ghibli movies have fawned over Totoro. Almost every Ghibli fan has Totoro merchandise, which just shows how much everyone unanimously loves the mystical animal. But the clever creator of the movie has his own (slightly terrifying) opinion of the fuzzy creature.
Hayao Miyazaki spins a terrifying tale of My Neighbor Totoro
Kenji Itoso was appointed under Hayao Miyazaki as an apprentice in 1988. He later contributed to iconic anime like Attack on Titan, Yu-Gi-Oh!, Fire Force, and more. In an Oricon interview, Itoso reminisced about a group interview that he had with Hayao Miyazaki.
In the interview, one of the female applicants talked about how she loved My Neighbor Totoro and even collected its merchandise. To which Miyazaki replied:
Oh really? I’m glad you said that, but I don’t think Totoro is cute. It’s a frightening creature. It’s a carnivore, and the only reason it didn’t eat Satsuki and Mei is because it wasn’t hungry.
Miyazaki then asked the other applicants about their thoughts on Totoro, and the interviewees soundly accepted this logic. This opens up a terrifying scenario that Satsuiki and Mei were actually close to danger plenty of times throughout the movie and were somehow saved simply because the large predator wasn’t hungry. But is the teddy-bear-like Totoro really a carnivorous animal who was seconds away from devouring the children?
Miyazaki’s clever way of picking staff members
Itoso was the last interviewee to answer the question. Luckily, he had remembered that Totoro actually had molars which were more characteristic of herbivores. They were developed to chew on grass and not flesh. Thus, Itoso piped up:
He can’t be a carnivore! There’s no way he could eat Satsuki and Mei! He’s a herbivore, right?
Miyazaki was impressed by his reply, and Itoso was the only one who passed the interview. Miyazaki later explained that it was important for people in the entertainment field to think for themselves rather than accepting anything said by others. This was the Ghibli director’s clever way of vetting applicants.
Itoso has always respected the legendary Ghibli director, as his way of doing things was earnest and unique. Needless to say, Miyazaki has directed and created many more films for the studio, each one being appreciated for their visuals, plot, metaphors, and overall quality. It is no surprise that the genius has received two Oscars already.
My Neighbor Totoro is available to watch on Max.
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