We adore anything that embodies the atmosphere of Studio Ghibli. If given the chance, we’d happily reside within each Hayao Miyazaki film, even the ones that induce fear. Living in Isao Takahata’s works might be a different story altogether, as we might choose to decline that offer. Nevertheless, our curiosity has always been piqued by what a true-to-life version of a Miyazaki movie would look like. Fortunately, we now have two stage productions to help us envision this. At the moment, both Spirited Away and My Neighbor Totoro are being staged. Although Totoro has been playing in London’s West End since 2022, we’ve only just received our first glimpse of the grand stage show version of him.
In simpler terms, the image we found on Polygon closely matches our real-life expectation of the big character, which we assume is around 10 feet tall given the size of the actors playing the young sisters. The character, much like in the original anime, sports a blank expression and a leaf on his head for protection from rain. Overall, it’s both charming and peculiar how accurately the producers have recreated the iconic style of Studio Ghibli’s Miyazaki in reality. You can check out the original trailer for the show below.
The stage production of “My Neighbor Totoro” hails from the Royal Shakespeare Company and Executive Producer Joe Hisaishi, who also composed the original music. Collaborating with Improbable and Nippon TV, it has been adapted by Tom Morton-Smith (known for the stage version of “Oppenheimer,” not the movie). Directed by Phelim McDermott, this show will run at London’s Gillian Lynne Theatre on Drury Lane until next March. If you happen to be in London, why not check out what Totoro has been up to?
Kyle Anderson, a senior editor at TopMob, oversees a weekly exploration into pop culture through the podcast Laser Focus. You’ll find his movie and television critiques on this platform. Connect with him on Letterboxd.
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2025-08-08 02:02