The strong bond between Studio Ghibli and Pixar has never been a secret. Former head of Pixar John Lasseter has frequently expressed admiration for Ghibli co-founder and famed Japanese animator Hayao Miyazaki. He also worked as a producer on several English-subbed releases of Studio Ghibli films in the early 2000s.
— スタジオジブリ STUDIO GHIBLI (@JP_GHIBLI) May 13, 2021
A few years ago, Pixar even made an homage to Miyazaki in ‘Toy Story 3’, where the film featured a Totoro plush toy (not a character cameo). However, with the recent post Studio Ghibli shared on its Twitter account on May 13, fans are wondering if this could mean that a new collaboration is in the works.
The said image depicts an iconic scene from ‘My Neighbor Totoro’, where the friendly forest spirit is standing at a bus stop in the rain. In the place of sisters Satsuki and Mei, however, are Mike and Sulley from Pixar’s ‘Monsters Inc.’
ピクサーのスタッフから、宮崎さん宛てに送っていただいたメッセージボードです。
— スタジオジブリ STUDIO GHIBLI (@JP_GHIBLI) February 5, 2021
This is a message board sent to Miyazaki-san from Pixar staff. pic.twitter.com/Qh9x9zOkWu
Perhaps it’s wishful thinking – Studio Ghibli has reportedly had the original photo hanging on their wall for years – but the timing of the recent post seems fortuitous. Just five days after Studio Ghibli shared the image, Pixar released a trailer on its Twitter page for the upcoming ‘Monster’s Inc’ spin-off series ‘Monsters at Work’. If Totoro is to make another appearance in a Pixar production, it wouldn’t be hard to imagine Totoro making an appearance amongst the crowd of friendly beasts in Monstropolis.
With Pixar continuing to play an active role in the overseas distribution of Studio Ghibli films, it could just be that the local team wants to be vocal about their appreciation for Pixar. That said, in the wake of Studio Ghibli’s foray in 3D animation with ‘Aya and the Witch’, fans wouldn’t be off the mark for guessing that a Ghibli-Pixar collaboration is still in the cards.
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