Studio Ghibli movies are famous for being beautifully made and incredibly detailed, thanks in large part to the genius of Hayao Miyazaki and the hard work of the animation studio's staff. Each scene is made up of cells so diligently crafted that they could be put on the walls of any art gallery in the world.
In fact, there's so much to see in the movies that viewers are bound to miss certain things on a first watch, including some hidden Easter eggs that are scattered across the studio's many titles. The studio likes to include allusions to other movies as a bit of fun, and some are harder to spot than others.
10 Whisper Of The Heart: There's A Totoro Book In The Library
The scene in which this Easter egg can be found occurs in the library, where Shizuku has gone to find a book as part of her plan to read 20 books during the summer. She picks out a book from one of the shelves, and beneath that, a blue book with "Totoro" written on its spine can be seen. The scene only lasts for a few seconds, and the book doesn't exactly stand out against the others, so this Easter egg might even have bypassed the attention of those who have seen the movie numerous times.
9 Kiki's Delivery Service: A Young Hayao Miyazaki Crowds Around A Television
A character who looks very much like a young Hayao Miyazaki can be seen in Kiki's Delivery Service. The scene where he can be found is the one in which a group of people is crowding around a TV in a shop window, and the Miyazaki lookalike is in the top right of the screen. The style of the glasses, the shirt, and the thick eyebrows are all a bit too similar to Miyazaki for this to be a coincidence.
8 Howl's Moving Castle: Pazu From Laputa: Castle In The Sky Lookalike Runs Along The Street
In Howl's Moving Castle, a character dressed in the same clothes as Pazu from Laputa: Castle In The Sky can be seen running along the street. Is it the same character or just a coincidence? The boy can be seen running along and looking at Grandma Sophie as she's coming out of The Great Wizard Jenkins's shop. Judging from the color and style of the boy's clothing, it would be a pretty big coincidence.
7 Spirited Away: A Cushion Is Embroidered With Jiji From Kiki's Delivery Service
When Chihiro is running away from Yubaba and the Kashira (the three green heads that roll around on the floor), she runs into Yubaba's infant son Boh's playroom. On the floor are a number of toys and cushions, and one of these cushions is embroidered with Jiji from Kiki's Delivery Service, which viewers may not notice on a first watch.
Chihiro jumps into a pile of cushions to hide from Yubaba, only to find Boh, who wants her to stay in his room and play with him forever. It's only when she says she's covered in germs that she manages to escape.
6 Kiki's Delivery Service: Mei & Mini Totoro Are Painted On A Cardboard House
The Easter egg here is in the first few minutes of the movie, when Kiki is packing for her trip to Koriko City. In Kiki's room, there's a little house made out of cardboard on the bookshelf that can be seen when Kiki grabs a tin. It's just a short clip so it's not easy to see at first glance, but the two iconic characters in the windows are Mei and Mini Totoro from My Neighbor Totoro.
5 Whisper Of The Heart: Mini & Medium Totoro And Jiji The Cat Are In A Doll Workshop
In the scene where a boy is working in a doll workshop, a mini Totoro, medium Totoro, and Jiji the Cat from Kiki's Delivery Service can just about be seen. The Boy is making a statue of Baron Humbert von Gikkingen, the dapper cat statue who comes alive with magic. This particular Easter egg will have passed a lot of people by on a first watch, given how short the scene is and how small the dolls are.
4 From Up On Poppy Hill: A "Ghibli" Sign Is On The Side Of A Ship
This one can be found near the end of the 2011 film From Up On Poppy Hill. A "Ghibli" sign can be seen on the side of the ship that Umi and Shun go to to find out about Shun's deceased father, whom he'd only seen in an old photograph featuring three men. The ship's captain is one of the men in the photograph, and he tells Umi and Shun the story of the three men.
3 Kiki's Delivery Service: "Studio Ghibli" Is Painted On The Side Of A Bus
When Kiki first arrives in Koriko, she takes a maiden flight around the city. As she flies under a bridge she nearly collides with a bus, sending her spiraling and into the path of oncoming traffic. On the side of the bus, the words "Studio Ghibli" are written, although it's hard to see as the bus goes past very quickly. Kiki manages to recover and lands safely on the streets of her new home.
2 Whisper Of The Heart: "Porco Rosso" Is Engraved In A Grandfather Clock
Twenty-five minutes into the movie, shortly after Shizuku discovers the antique shop, the shop's owner Shiro Nishi shows her a special grandfather clock that he'd just finished restoring. As he turns the key to wind it up, the words "Porco Rosso" can be seen engraved in the clock face, referring to the Ghibli movie released 3 years prior to Whisper of the Heart.
The clock works, and a set of doors opens up to reveal a scene with dwarves working in a mine, and when the clock strikes 12, the king of the dwarves appears behind the hour of VIII, and up above, a sheep transforms into a fairy. The two are fated to remain apart, so at 12:00, the king emerges to get a peek of the fairy before he returns underground, and she turns back into a sheep.
1 Spirited Away: There's An Homage To The Totoro Umbrella Scene
This Easter egg can be seen around 30 minutes into the movie, when Chihiro is getting acclimatized to the bathhouse and rides the elevator with the Radish Spirit. Although it's a fairly long scene, it may only be on a second viewing that viewers realize that it's very similar to the iconic umbrella scene in My Neighbor Totoro, when Satsuki and Totoro are waiting for the Catbus in the rain, with both featuring a large creature giving a sideways look at a little girl.