Studio Ghibli's My Neighbor Totoro Sequel Set To Be Screened For Global Audiences First Time Ever; Deets

Four rare Studio Ghibli movies are set to be screened for an international audience for the first time at this year’s Cannes Film Festival, including a My Neighbor Totoro sequel.

By Gargi Chatterjee

Published on May 21, 2024 | 09:02 AM IST | 70.4K

My Neighbor Totoro Sequel To Be Screened For Global Audiences For The First Time

Mei and the Baby Cat Bus (PC: Studio Ghibli, Hayao Miyazaki)

In this Article

Mei and the Baby Cat Bus is the sequel to a beloved Ghibli classic
Studio Ghibli set to receive Honorary Palme d’Or

Studio Ghibli has gifted fans across the world with several amazing magical movies filled with childlike wonder and whimsical fantasy. The blend of real and fantastical is done so well in Ghibli films that they have become a favorite of many fans across the globe.

These fans would be happy to know that Studio Ghibli is receiving a special award at this year’s Cannes Film Festival. Alongside this great news, it was also announced that four extremely rare Ghibli movies that have only been screened at the Ghibli Museum in Mitaka, other than the My Neighbor Totoro sequel Mei and the Baby Cat Bus (aka Mei and the Kittenbus), which was shown to a small Pixar staff back in 2002.

Mei and the Baby Cat Bus is the sequel to a beloved Ghibli classic

Even though most Ghibli movies are great for a younger audience, none of them quite capture the wondrous whimsy of childhood as the 1998 classic My Neighbor Totoro. Mei and the Baby Cat Bus is the sequel to this and follows the character of Mei, a little girl who was one of the protagonists of the original movie.

The short movie shows Mei eating caramel on a really windy day when a whirlwind starts to chase her. It turns out to be a Kittenbus, which also appeared in My Neighbor Totoro. After giving her caramel to the Kittenbus, Mei is able to befriend it and gets on board to go on a fantastical nighttime adventure filled with other Catbuses, ghosts, and other mystical entities.

Studio Ghibli set to receive Honorary Palme d’Or

This year, Studio Ghibli will be receiving the illustrious Honorary Palme d’Or award at the Cannes Film Festival. It would mark the first time a group has won the award rather than an individual. Ghibli is set to receive this year’s award alongside Meryl Streep and Star Wars director George Lucas. Goro Miyazaki, who is Hayao Miyazaki’s son and the overseer of Ghibli Park will be receiving this award.

The news comes only a few months after Ghibli’s most recent release The Boy and the Heron won the Academy Award, which marks Hayao Miyazaki’s second time winning this illustrious award, with the first being Spirited Away. Other than Mei and the Baby Cat Bus, three other rare Ghibli gems will also be shown to an international audience for the first time at this year’s Cannes. These films are House Hunting, Boro the Caterpillar, and Mr. Dough and the Egg Princess. Hayao Miyazaki is the creator of all these movies with Oscar winning Joe Hisaishi responsible for their music.

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