Last year's news that Studio Ghibli mastermind and all around amazing person Hayao Miyazaki was retiring hit us all pretty hard here at Kotaku. If you're like us—i.e., still grieving in between bouts of playing Ni No Kuni—then I suggest you feast your eyes on these charming pixellated recreations of iconic moments from …
Would it be a better world if Hayao Miyazaki classics like My Neighbour Totoro or Princess Mononoke were drawn and told in the style of Dragon Ball Z or Sailor Moon? I don't think so, but it'd be a much funnier alternate reality.
I don't ever recall having the desire to nuzzle a bus. Maybe the Catbus from My Neighbor Totoro? This brand new "Duffy Bus" from Tokyo Disney Resort certainly invites snuggles. Come here, bus. How about a hug?
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Remember when famed animator Hayao Miyazaki retired? No, not that time. When he retired this past September. Well, don't be surprised if he comes out of retirement. Studio Ghibli's Isao Takahata won't be.
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One of the most memorable scenes in My Neighbor Totoro is the one at the bus stop. Wouldn't it be great to visit a real Totoro bus stop? Good news. You can.
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If you've seen the Studio Ghibli anime, you are certainly familiar with Totoro. Did you know there are several trees in Japan that resemble the iconic character?
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And not just any old noodles, but with soba (buckwheat) noodles. But why make Totoro out of noodles?
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Have a cat? Like My Neighbor Totoro? Want to turn your pet into the titular character? Here's how:
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Did you know that you can make art by using tea? If you're Dara Gold, artist and illustrator from Toronto, you can use tea stains to make pretty awesome art, too.
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Digital artist Little Miss Paintbrush drew and transformed all the major Studio Ghibli characters into the most charming form possible. They look spectacular together.
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My Neighbor Totoro. Howl's Moving Castle. Princess Mononoke. These aren't only classics, they are stunning. Studio Ghibli is responsible for some of the most loved and best looking films in the past few decades. It's no accident why.
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Totoro, what have they done to you? This... this isn't right. You're supposed to be soft and cuddly. I'm supposed to want to bounce on your belly. Instead, Laughing Squid found THIS:
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Creative types sculpted nude torsos, sea creatures, and of course numerous manga, anime, and video game characters. …
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I don't know how they got this cat to sit still long enough to get the costume on, let alone how many scratches and hisses they took as a result, but it doesn't matter. For their heroics, we get to see a cat dressed as...a catbus.
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For Halloween, college student Melanie wanted to be Totoro. So she and her mom decided to make a Totoro costume. Hours and hours of hard work later, the costume was finished, totally cute, and screams "sleep on my belly!".
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What's better than Japanese toys? Japanese toy stores. And one of the best Japanese toy stores is Kiddyland.
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Discovered at Shiro-Hige's Cream Puff Factory in Tokyo, these Totoro cream puffs look like something out of a Ghibli movie. They also look like something I want to gobble up.
