I’ve been watching The Simpsons ever since I was a kid and I’ve enjoyed Hayao Miyazaki’s movies for just as long. So you can imagine my delight at discovering this Simpsons tribute to the newly retired director of Studio Ghibli. The minute and a half long clip, uploaded to YouTube by the Fox Network, is merely a sneak peak at this Sunday’s upcoming episode, but the animators manage to flawlessly incorporate aspects of the two imaginary worlds of Matt Groening and Hayao Miyazaki in such a short amount of time.
It’s an almost melancholy tribute to Japan’s greatest animator with just a touch of Simpsons humor sprinkled throughout. Familiar characters from both sides are merged as one, which is sure to amuse fans of both animation studios.
▼ One of our favorite mash-ups has got to be Patty and Selma both as Kiki, Moe Szyslak as the scarecrow from Howl’s Moving Castle and Martin and his gang of nerdy Springfield Elementary students as tree spirits from Princess Mononoke.
We can’t think of a better tribute to the nearly 30-year-old Studio Ghibli by The Simpsons, an American classic that’s been delighting families for 25 seasons.
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