My Neighbor Totoro is a 1988 Japanese animated fantasy film written and directed by Hayao Miyazaki and animated by Studio Ghibli for Tokuma Shoten. It stars the voices of Noriko Hidaka, Chika Sakamoto and Hitoshi Takagi, and focuses on two young sisters and their interactions with friendly wood spirits in postwar rural Japan.
Theatrical release poster
Satsuki and Mei's house [ja] at the Expo 2005 site
Closeup view of Satsuki and Mei's house
Eoperipatus totoro – a velvet worm from Vietnam
Hayao Miyazaki is a Japanese animator, filmmaker, and manga artist. A founder of Studio Ghibli, he has attained international acclaim as a masterful storyteller and creator of Japanese animated feature films, and is widely regarded as one of the most accomplished filmmakers in the history of animation.
Miyazaki in 2012
Miyazaki first worked with Isao Takahata (pictured) in 1964, spawning a lifelong collaboration and friendship.
Miyazaki opened his own personal studio in 1984, named Nibariki.
Miyazaki at the 2009 San Diego Comic-Con