Studio Ghibli fans are always happy to see new projects from the acclaimed animation powerhouse, even when it happens to be a 2D-animated commercial for high-quality towels. The studio’s new short is actually the first commissioned ad for the Marushin company, which has been a licensing partner with Ghibli since 1994.
The spot is directed by Takeshi Honda, the studio’s prolific artist who worked as animation director on Hayao Miyazaki’s Oscar-winning feature The Boy and the Heron as well as the short Boro the Caterpillar. Honda, who has also worked on Neon Genesis Evangelion, Millennium Actress, Ghost in the Shell 2: Innocence and The Imaginary, used his own dog as inspiration for the commercial’s pitch pooch.
A small white dog is the star of the Marushin spot, which features the playful pooch chasing various objects, including Porco Rosso‘s red seaplane and the little car driven by Sosuke’s mother in Ponyo. The dog sits with bright yellow towel at its feet at the end of the short. According to Marushin, the idea for the short was first presented to Ghibli producer and president Toshio Suzuki, who came up with the commercial’s catchphrase, “When a dog faces west, its tail faces east; towels are Marushin.”
The spot’s music is by Hayato Kadono, an acclaimed pianist who has played with the NHK Symphony Orchestra, the Los Angeles Philharmonic and the Chicago Symphony Orchestra.
You can watch the lovely 2D-animated spot below:
This past week, fans were also treated to the first look at Basil Twist’s stunning artwork created for the London Royal Shakespeare Company’s production of My Neighbor Totoro. The iconic artwork features the bus stop scene where sisters Mei and Satsuki first meet the magical forest spirit during a rainstorm. The show’s executive producer Joe Hisaishi and the RSC (in partnership with Nippon TV and Improbably) released the image as the popular stage production continues its run at the Gillian Lynne Theatre through March of next year.
The Tom Morton-Smith adaptation of Miyazaki’s 1988 classic broke the Barbican’s single-day box office record and earned six Olivier Awards. The show is directed by Phelim McDermott and stars Victoria Chen as Mei and Ami Okumura Jones as Satsuki. This production also showcases Joe Hisaishi’s beloved score in new orchestrations and features hand-drawn title artwork by Studio Ghibli’s Toshio Suzuki.
Watch the trailer for the stage production below:
Sources: SoraNews24.com, Variety
