Your Neighbor Totoro
- Details
- Published on Wednesday, 01 February 2012 23:25
- Written by Matt Robinson
MFA brings anime magic to Boston
Though only five of their features have been released in the U.S., the talented team at Studio Ghibli have been producing some of the most wondrous animated features the world has ever seen for decades. Among the most popular and well known of these are Hayao Miyazaki’s My Neighbor Totoro, Spirited Away, and Howl’s Moving Castle. In addition to these, the MFA will offer such rare Miyazaki treasures as Only Yesterday and Ocean Waves, as well as a trio of titles by Miyazaki collaborator Isao Takahata.
“We are thrilled to be among the first venues in the US to present…[ this] 25-year retrospective look at one of the world’s most important animation studios,” says Carter Long, the Katharine Stone White Curator of Film and Video at the MFA.
When asked how the museum scored the series, Long explains, “We work regularly with GKids distribution in New York to bring premium quality animated features to Boston, and when GKIDS acquired the rights to screen newly struck 35mm prints of these incredible films here in the US, we were eager to present them at the MFA.” Nearly all of the films will be screened in new 35mm prints. While many have English subtitles, the February 4 screening of My Neighbor Totoro and the February 12 screening of The Cat Returns will be in English. As such, almost anyone will be able to enjoy the films.
“This series will appeal to filmgoers of all ages,” Long suggests, “whether they are dedicated anime fans or are new to the form.”
And whether you have a secret stash of anime graphic novels at home or do not know Totoro from Toto, Long says that you will also be able to learn something from the series. “This series provides a rare opportunity for even the most diehard Miyazaki and Takahata fans to rediscover these amazing works of ,” he says. “ If your only experience watching these films has been on a television or computer, you will be blown away by their majesty on the big screen!”
