I couldn’t help but point at the giant screen and whisper loudly “Totoro!”. My 3D glasses nearly fell off my face as my jaw dropped at the sight of two of my favourite animated characters on the same screen, Woody and Totoro together at last.

Toy Story 3 created a lot of buzz amongst animation enthusiasts and film lovers this year. Some people may find it peculiar for someone in her twenties to want to watch an animated film, but this film was special for me and many other people in my generation because our childhood heroes would appear on the big screen for one last time.

The film lived up to its expectations. It had a touching storyline and stunning animation, but what hit close to home, was the fact that a certain furry critter from Japan was sharing screen time with the big boys from Hollywood.

The large puffball was the star of My Neighbour Totoro (1988), a Studio Ghibli production. The company was one of the longest running animation studios in Japan.  For the last thirty years in Asia, Studio Ghibli has been well-known for its artistry and storytelling. As moviegoers in North America experienced childhood bliss from Disney classics, filmgoers in Asia experienced the same thrill from watching Studio Ghibli classics like, Laputa: The Castle in the Sky (1986) and Princess Mononoke (1997). By the nineties, the studio made its name in the European and North American market, but their films were only well-known amongst animation fanatics and filmmakers.  The break came in 2001 when Disney distributed Spirited Away (2001) in North America. Studio Ghibli’s popularity grew

when Spirited Away won the Academy Award for Best Animated Feature Film.  Since then, it has earned a prominent fan base in North America as well as an ongoing partnership with Disney in both dubbing and distribution.

For Studio Ghibli fans like myself, Totoro’s appearance in Toy Story 3 was a rare “Easter egg”.  An “Easter egg” in a Pixar film is a reference to other films hidden within the set design. It started from a tradition in Toy Story, where actual Easter eggs were hidden in the background. Later, characters from other Pixar films were placed onto the set. Totoro was the first reference to Japanese animation in a Pixar feature. According to John Lasseter, the founder of Pixar, it was a tribute to Studio Ghibli as a sign of personal friendship between the studio heads and partnership between the companies.

Totoro’s cameo came as a complete surprise to me, but those few seconds were enough to make me squeal.  Yes, I got a few awkward stares. Yes, my friends were a little embarrassed, but I was proud. I was proud to be an Asian living in North America.  Totoro became a validation of my identity.

Now, you may think I was over-reacting and yes I admit, I was a little over-excited at that moment, but Totoro’s cameo was more than a confirmation of Disney-Pixar and Studio Ghibli’s affiliation. It was a salute to the influence Japanese animation has on North American pop culture.  There was a time when Asian malls weren’t easy to find and when it was rare to find Anime in stores. My point is, friends, we have come a long way.

Today, Anime has found itself a large and highly profitable market in North America, but despite its integration into Western society, there has always been a line drawn between animation made in the East and animation made in the West.  What Totoro’s cameo suggests is that it is possible to blend the two cultures together. At the end of the day, Toy Story 3 is still a Disney-Pixar film, but it demonstrates how American and Japanese styles can function together to create a new exciting viewing experience. Hopefully the future will bring us more creative collaborations between Asian and Western countries, so that audiences can experience the joys of living in a transnational society.

Special thanks to: Beth Dennis

Image of Toy Story 3  belongs to Pixar Animation Studios.

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