Of all theStudio Ghiblifilms,My Neighbor Totorois far and away the most beloved, and that’s really saying something given the catalog of films they have to choose from. The poster forMy Neighbor Totoro, however, contains a mystery in the form of a character who never appears in the actual film, although you may not have realized it.
The poster forMy Neighbor Totorofeatures Totorostanding next to a young girl at what appears to be a bus stop in the woods, as he shields himself from rain with a large leaf and the young girl holds an umbrella. One might assume that this young girl is actually Satsuki or Mei, one of the two girls who act as the main characters of the movie, but that’s actually not the case upon closer examination. Mei has brown hair in pigtails, while the girl on the poster has black hair, more similar to Satsuki’s. However, Satsuki’s hair is short, and she’s much taller than the poster girl. So, who is she?
My Neighbor Totoro’s Mystery Character is From an Early Draft
The Movie Poster Was Designed Before the Film Was Completed
Totorowas actually in the works for far longer than one might assume. Despite being released in 1988, Hayao Miyazaki actually began working on it as early as the 1970s. In these earliest iterations, the movie didn’t star a pair of sisters, but rather focused on one five-year-old girl who looked like a mix between Satsuki and Mei, while having the personality of Satsuki. As the idea came together and Miyazaki began pitching it, however, he decided it was better to have two girls instead of one, and created Satsuki and Mei, modifying the original design into Mei.
During the design of the poster, it was considered at one point to have both girls alongside Totoro, as one might expect. However, certain issues which haven’t been elaborated upon kept the Ghibli team from creating a new poster, and thus older artwork depicting the original protagonist at the rainy bus stop was used. The rainy bus stop was actually intended to be the scene where the protagonist would meet Totoro for the first time, but that scene ultimately became a daytime, clear weather scene, with Mei napping on Totoro’s belly.
My Neighbor Totoro’s Poster is One of the Most Iconic of All Time
The Totoro Poster, Accurate or Not, Has Become One of Ghilbi’s Most Recognized Images
The fact that the poster doesn’t actually feature the girls from the movie hasn’t done anything to dampen fans' reception of it.TheMy Neighbor Totoroposter is absolutely iconic, and the image of the girl and Totoro at the rainy bus stop has been made into all kinds of merchandise, from shirts to lunchboxes and everything in between. Regardless of whether the poster actually depicts a scene from the movie, it gets the vibe of the movie across very well, and that has resonated with fans around the globe.
There’s just something magical about the juxtaposition of the mundane (a bus stop, an umbrella) withthe utterly imaginative Totoro right next to it, whimsically hiding under a too-small leaf. It’s no wonder that Totoro would go on to become the mascot for Ghibli as a whole, as that description is a perfect visual for their style.My Neighbor Totorois a testament to the power of a good movie poster, and it’s a shame that more posters like it aren’t produced today.
