When My Neighbour Totoro was released in Japan in 1988, the odds were stacked against it. Such was the lack of confidence in Hayao Miyazaki’s ‘50s-set story about two young girls and a giant forest spirit that the film had been tacked onto another Studio Ghibli film — the considerably darker _Grave Of The Fireflie_s — in a bid to win over financiers.
However the power of Totoro persisted, and today it’s one of the most celebrated animated films of all time. The giant tree-dweller — with its wiry whiskers and broad belly — is Studio Ghibli’s emblem, and a much-loved character to a legion of fans the world over. So how do you even begin to translate this house-sized hero from Miyazaki’s lush hand-drawn feature into a live space in a London theatre? It turns out this task, like launching the film, was not without its challenges…..
Gillian Lynne Theatre, London
