As they enter the venue, visitors will be greeted by a giant statue of Totoro, the beloved fantastical creature from the 1988 movie My Neighbor Totoro. Clutching a red umbrella much like the traditional Chinese oilpaper umbrella in one of its paws, the statue stands 6 meters tall, making it the largest of its kind in the world.
"Totoro has become a symbol of Japan, and the umbrella is a sign of China. We hope this design conveys our wish to enhance cultural exchange between China and Japan," says Motohiro Konoe, founder of Tsukuru Inc., which cooperated with Unlimited Art, the art brand of Chinese ticketing platform Damai, to organize the exhibit under the authorization of Studio Ghibli.
Konoe says it was finalized in a mere four months, even though an event of this scale typically requires seven months. The expedited timeline was chosen so that the exhibition could open simultaneously with the screening of The Boy and the Heron, which was originally scheduled for release on the Chinese mainland during the summer, he adds.
Konoe also says that the exhibition has been curated to appeal to the preferences of Chinese visitors, and incorporates many immersive elements.
The entrance to the exhibition hall is a tunnel made of fake printed "stones", that is filled with a sense of mystery. As visitors arrive, they can see the poster for the 1984 movie Nausicaa of the Valley of the Wind apparently suspended in midair, as if by magic. Set in a post-nuclear futuristic world, the film was one of the first to pave the way for Studio Ghibli's global fame.
