Jim Henson's Creature Shop has partnered with the Royal Shakespeare Company to create life-sized puppets for the stage adaptation of Hayao Miyazaki's 1988 animated classic, My Neighbor Totoro.

Jim Henson's Creature Shop, an animatronics and visual effects studio based in LA, is part of the Jim Henson Company, which is responsible for The Muppets and Sesame Street. Jim Henson's Creature Shop will be responsible for constructing the creature known as Totoro, as well as the flying cat bus, which whisked sisters Satsuki and Mei into the sky and across the Japanese countryside. When asked how My Neighbor Totoro would make the cat bus "fly" on stage, Phelim McDermott, co-artistic director of theater company Improbable and director of the production, did not reveal any secrets. "It's theater magic," he told Deadline.

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https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O1KvWZIpw_c

"We know all too well the importance of maintaining the visual style and personality of beloved characters," said Peter Brooke, creative supervisor of Jim Henson’s Creature Shop, in a statement regarding My Neighbor Totoro. "Whether an audience member is a longtime fan of this iconic story, or new to Miyazaki’s fantastical world, they will be simply amazed when they see these magical creatures live on stage in a whole new way in My Neighbour Totoro."

Totoro Comes to London

My Neighbor Totoro will run for 15 weeks at the Barbican in London from Oct. 8 to Jan. 21, 2023. Tickets are currently on sale, with the possibility of the production moving from the Barbican to the West End. The stage adaptation of the Studio Ghibli film was announced in April. Currently, My Neighbor Totoro has people working on it in studios from London, Stratford-Upon-Avon, Los Angeles and Tokyo.

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The show will feature the film's score composed by Joe Hisaishi, who is also serving as an executive producer, including additional songs not included in the original movie. The puppets are based on the designs created by UK puppeteer Basil Twist and Melvyn Millar of Significant Object puppet studio will create additional puppets as well. "That Totoro, people know that image, his proportions, his expressions, they know it," said Twist. "So it has to be right."

To bring My Neighbor Totoro to life, the RSC has also partnered with Studio Ghibli, in collaboration with Improbable and Nippon TV's Live Events operation. The creative team is comprised of playwright Tom Morton-Smith, production designer Tom Pye, costume designer Kimie Nakano, lighting by Jessica Hung Han Yun, associate director Ailion Contant, and movement by You-ri Yamanaka.

Tickets for My Neighbor Totoro are now available for purchase and the play will begin its 15-week run on Oct. 8.

Source: Deadline