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Hayao Miyazaki, the legendary force behind Studio Ghibli, stood at a creative crossroads after stepping away from animation in 2013. Even though he was retired on paper, his imagination hadn’t slowed. However, after three years, in 2016, a quiet memo made its way through Ghibli’s halls, and it laid out two paths for a possible final film. One option was nostalgic and calm, while the other was raw, born from the chaos of conflict and change.
Believe it or not, one of those choices was a sequel to My Neighbor Totoro, the gentle classic from 1988 that still echoes in the hearts of fans worldwide. With its lush countryside and soft magic, that film introduced Totoro, the wide-eyed forest spirit who became Ghibli’s emblem. Totoro’s quiet scenes, like the rain-drenched bus stop moment, are etched into animation history. It was a film designed to linger, to be remembered not for action, but for atmosphere.
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And decades later, Miyazaki briefly entertained the idea of revisiting that world. A sequel in the form of Totoro 2! Just imagine the possibilities of Satsuki and Mei growing up and meeting old spirits in a changing Japan. Or a new child in the same sleepy village, discovering Totoro’s realm during a different kind of personal storm. Whatever form it might have taken, the idea clearly tugged at Miyazaki, though he never fleshed out the details in that memo.
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However, sequels come with a shadow. Studio Ghibli, for all its success, has never built a legacy on follow-ups, and there’s a reason their stories often stand alone. A misstep could have tarnished Totoro’s serene legacy, and perhaps Miyazaki knew the risk wasn’t worth it. Instead, he turned toward something new. The second concept from that memo, a story shaped by upheaval, morphed into The Boy and the Heron. A film born in a world already shifting under our feet. It was released after a global pandemic had reshaped daily life. In hindsight, it landed exactly when people needed it most. (via Screenrant)
Still, fans can’t help but daydream about what could’ve been. A Totoro sequel remains one of Ghibli’s great “what ifs.” Whether it would have soared or stumbled, we may never know. That door, once slightly ajar, seems firmly closed now.
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