A new take on a beloved Studio Ghibli anime film.

In December last year, Studio Ghibli’s 1988 anime classic My Neighbor Totoro finally made its way to China, where a digitally remastered version of the film premiered on December 14, becoming the first Studio Ghibli film to have a theatrical release in the country.

While news of the film’s premiere made ripples throughout the anime-loving community, what became even more of a talking point was the beautiful new poster commissioned by the local marketing team to commemorate the new release.

▼ Mei walks through the grey-and-white tufts of fur on Totoro’s rounded tummy.

Now it’s time for Ghibli’s 2001 anime film Spirited Away to make its official debut in China on 21 June, and to celebrate, a number of gorgeous new posters have been released.

Chinese artist Zao Dao, who illustrated the Totoro promotional poster, is at the helm again, this time creating three different designs that have us looking at the movie from new angles.

There’s a glorious image of the main character Chihiro riding on the back of Haku, in his dragon form.

▼ The flying dragon illustration comes in two colours: blue and purple.

Then there’s a stunning poster that pays homage to both Sen and Chihiro, which is particularly apt, given that the original Japanese title for Spirited Away is Sen to Chihiro no Kamikakushi, which translates to “The spiriting away of Sen and Chihiro“. Here, the film’s cast of characters, including Chihiro’s alter-ego Sen, can be seen looking down lovingly on Chihiro, as she struggles to retain her sense of self and return to her parents from the world of Spirited Away.

Rounding off the poster collection is this artwork, which, like the Totoro poster, presents us with a bird’s-eye-view, this time of Chihiro running along the submerged railway tracks, shoes in hand, during her trip to Zeniba’s house. Accompanying her on the journey is the hopping lantern, seen by her side, and No Face, whose ethereal presence is pictured in the water. Looking closely, you can see the dragon figure of Haku leading the way.

The posters for the Chinese release of the movie are very different to the ones used in other parts of the world, with the artist capturing all the quiet magic from the film.

People around the world have fallen in love with the beautiful posters, which present the characters in a way we’ve never seen them before. And with local Chinese media confirming that three more Studio Ghibli films are scheduled for release in China–namely Castle in the Sky, Princess Mononoke, Howl’s Moving Castle and The Wind Rises–we can’t wait to see more of our favourite Ghibli characters on new posters coming our way soon.

Source: Hachima Kikou
Featured image: Twitter/@Haru_Miya
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