For years, My Neighbor Totoro 2 has been one of those sequel rumours that simply refuses to disappear. Totoro became one of Studio Ghibli’s most recognisable characters, yet the 1988 classic has remained completely self-contained.
Now, fresh comments from Ghibli executives offer the clearest answer yet. The studio is not considering a feature-length My Neighbor Totoro 2 or similar sequel projects, even as its next theatrical film remains a mystery.
Franchises Choosing a Different Path: Not every beloved series treats sequels as inevitable, and other studios are being just as deliberate about their next steps. Our story on VIZ Media Teases Major New NARUTO Project Ahead of Birthday Panel at NYCC 2026: “The Start of Something Big?” covers a franchise building anticipation in its own careful way.
Is My Neighbor Totoro 2 Happening? Studio Ghibli Says No
The latest update comes from a Bloomberg Businessweek feature published on August 13–14, 2026, examining Studio Ghibli’s uncertain future as co-founder Hayao Miyazaki reaches 85 and the studio undergoes leadership changes.
According to the report, Ghibli executives Goro Miyazaki and Kenichi Yoda said sequelization simply is not an appealing direction for the studio.
“Sequelization just isn’t appealing to them, the Ghibli executives say; they aren’t considering My Neighbor Totoro 2 or anything similar.”
That position fits Ghibli’s decades-long creative identity. Instead of building interconnected franchises, the studio has generally treated each feature as an individual work.
Castle in the Sky, Kiki’s Delivery Service, Porco Rosso, Princess Mononoke, Spirited Away, Howl’s Moving Castle, Ponyo, The Wind Rises and The Boy and the Heron were all developed as standalone stories.
And there is another reason Goro Miyazaki gave for avoiding sequels: making animated films is brutally demanding.
“When you make a film, it’s not like a fun, happy, exciting process. It’s very laborious, it’s very tedious.”
Milestones Without a Sequel Formula: Ghibli’s standalone approach stands in contrast to how many franchises mark their biggest moments, often through anniversaries and merchandise rather than direct follow-ups. Our piece on Pokémon 30th Anniversary Custom T-Shirts Are Live — How to Design and Buy Yours Now shows what that celebration looks like elsewhere.
The Surprising Truth: Hayao Miyazaki Once Considered Totoro 2
Here is where things get interesting.
Ghibli may not be considering My Neighbor Totoro 2 now, but the idea has actually existed inside Hayao Miyazaki’s creative process.
Miyazaki previously considered a sequel to Ponyo before abandoning the idea and moving toward The Wind Rises. More surprisingly, during the early planning stages of The Boy and the Heron, he briefly considered returning to the world of Totoro.
A 2016 memo contained a proposed concept described as:
“very peaceful. Something like My Neighbor Totoro.”
The memo even raised the possibility:
“My Neighbor Totoro 2? It’s a possibility.”
Ultimately, Miyazaki went in a completely different direction. The darker wartime story eventually became The Boy and the Heron, released in 2023 and later winning the Academy Award for Best Animated Feature.
So the dream was considered — it just never became a feature film.
Anniversaries That Do Get Celebrated: Where a Totoro sequel stayed a private memo, other beloved titles are marking their milestones with dedicated theatrical events. Our coverage of Mob Psycho 100 10th Anniversary Theatrical Experience Announced for July 20 details how that celebration is coming together.
What About Mei and the Kittenbus? The Official Totoro Follow-Up
Fans have not been completely left without another trip into Totoro’s world.
Mei and the Kittenbus (Mei to Konekobasu) is an approximately 13–14-minute short written and directed by Hayao Miyazaki around 2002–2003.
The story brings back Mei, who encounters Kittenbus, the offspring of the Catbus, alongside other cat-themed vehicles. Chika Sakamoto returns as Mei, while Miyazaki voices Granny Cat and Totoro.
But there is a catch.
The short has primarily been shown at the Ghibli Museum in Mitaka and Ghibli Park, with rare international screenings including Cannes in 2024 and limited charity events in the United States. It has never received a wide commercial or home-video release.
So, technically, there is more Totoro — just not the big-screen sequel fans have been waiting for.
New Stories Getting Their First Look: While Mei and the Kittenbus remains a rare, hard-to-catch treat, plenty of other new anime are making their earliest footage widely available to fans. Our story on The Bugle Call: Song of War Teaser Just Dropped and It Looks Insane breaks down one such reveal generating buzz right now.
Why Studio Ghibli Refuses the Franchise-Sequel Formula
The answer goes deeper than Totoro.
Modern animation is packed with sequels, spin-offs, streaming series, merchandise lines and expanded universes. Ghibli has largely resisted that formula.
Hayao Miyazaki told Bloomberg that much contemporary animation operates around a commercial system involving manga adaptations, television series and music partnerships. Ghibli, he said, has never followed that model.
New CEO Kenichi Yoda appears determined to protect that philosophy rather than turn Ghibli into a conventional entertainment corporation.
“Ghibli is not a place that works hard to maintain a company — I think it is a place to make art.”
He added:
“When I’m often asked about this outside, I say what matters is that nothing changes.”
Yoda became Ghibli’s president and CEO on June 22, 2026, after previously working at Nippon TV and serving as the companies’ primary liaison.
Sequels Fans Are Actually Getting: Ghibli’s resistance to the franchise model makes for an interesting contrast with series that lean fully into ongoing installments. Our report on Wistoria: Wand and Sword Season 3 Officially Announced — Release Window and What to Expect covers exactly that kind of continuation.
Studio Ghibli’s Next Movie Is Still a Mystery
This is arguably the bigger question.
Ghibli historically produced feature films at roughly two-year intervals, despite animation taking three to five years and the studio operating with a relatively small workforce. That pace has slowed significantly.
More than two and a half years after The Boy and the Heron, no new theatrical feature had been announced at the time of Bloomberg’s reporting.
The Boy and the Heron itself became a major global success, earning more than $290 million worldwide and winning the Oscar for Best Animated Feature.
Yet Ghibli’s next movie remains unknown.
And apparently, that uncertainty is intentional.
| Official detail | Information |
| My Neighbor Totoro | Released in Japan in 1988 |
| The Boy and the Heron | Released in 2023 |
| Kenichi Yoda | Became Ghibli CEO on June 22, 2026 |
| Current Totoro 2 status | Not being considered as a feature-length sequel |
| Official follow-up | Mei and the Kittenbus |
| Ghibli Park | Opened in Aichi in 2022 |
| Hayao Miyazaki | 85 and still working at the studio |
Confirmed Dates for Anticipated Returns: Where Ghibli’s next film has no timeline at all, other long-awaited returns have already locked in a premiere. Our story on Sakamoto Days Season 2 Gets Official Teaser Trailer and January 2027 Netflix Premiere Date covers one such confirmed comeback.
Hayao Miyazaki Is Still Working — And Only He Knows What It Is
Despite being 85, Miyazaki remains central to Ghibli’s future.
Yoda said Miyazaki continues coming into the studio every day and is working privately on an undisclosed project that began after The Boy and the Heron.
“He comes to the studio every day. Only he knows exactly what he’s working on.”
That mystery is very Ghibli.
Goro Miyazaki has directed Tales from Earthsea, From Up on Poppy Hill and Earwig and the Witch, as well as the 15-minute short A Night in the Valley of the Witches, which debuted at a single Ghibli Park theatre in July 2026.
Goro has frequently been discussed as a possible successor, but he has resisted becoming the studio’s sole leader.
Ghibli Is Building Its Future Without Totoro 2
The studio is hardly standing still.
Ghibli Park opened in Aichi in 2022, while travelling exhibitions have appeared in China, South Korea, Singapore and Los Angeles. The studio has also expanded into stage productions of Spirited Away, Princess Mononoke and My Neighbor Totoro.
Its museum in Mitaka remains another important part of the Ghibli ecosystem, while Donguri Republic stores, merchandise and international licensing keep the studio’s characters visible worldwide.
Ghibli also continues working with major partners. Nippon TV holds a 42.3% stake in Studio Ghibli, while GKIDS handles US theatrical distribution and Toho distributes Ghibli films in Japan.
Toho CEO Hiroyasu Matsuoka summed up the relationship bluntly:
“We, of course, await and welcome if Ghibli is producing any new project, but we cannot ask them, we cannot control; we basically await.”
GKIDS president David Jesteadt likewise said that pushing Ghibli toward live-action remakes is not something the studio or its partners are interested in.
Roadmaps Other Franchises Are Already Sharing: Ghibli’s lack of a master plan is a deliberate choice, but not every studio is staying quiet about what’s ahead. Our roundup of Naruto Is Making A Massive Comeback In 2027: Every Confirmed Project lays out a franchise doing the opposite.
What Happens to My Neighbor Totoro Now?
For now, Totoro remains exactly what made the character so special: a self-contained symbol of childhood, family, nature and fleeting magical experiences.
There is no unresolved story demanding another chapter. Satsuki and Mei’s countryside adventure does not need a cinematic continuation, and Ghibli’s philosophy has never been built around squeezing every successful character into another instalment.
Even the studio’s approach to AI is more nuanced than some fans might expect. Goro said Ghibli was essentially AI agnostic, noting that fans have long created amateur works inspired by manga, anime and games. He said the issue could become problematic if people began making substantial amounts of money from such work.
Meanwhile, Ghibli’s future remains deliberately unpredictable. Toshio Suzuki has reportedly described the studio’s lack of a long-term master plan as one of its strengths.
And that may be the most important takeaway.
There is currently no My Neighbor Totoro 2. There is no announced replacement franchise. There is not even a confirmed next theatrical Ghibli film.
There is simply a legendary animation studio waiting for the next idea worth spending years bringing to life — while an 85-year-old Hayao Miyazaki quietly continues working on something that, for now, only he fully understands.
Disclaimer
This article is based on a thorough review of the supplied source material, including the Bloomberg Businessweek feature “Studio Ghibli’s Deepest Secret Is What Comes Next” by Sohee Kim and Felix Gillette, published August 13–14, 2026 depending on timezone, as well as the supplied coverage from ComicBook.com, CBR, FandomWire, /Film, Wikipedia and ScreenRant. The article reports Studio Ghibli executives’ position at the time of the Bloomberg reporting. Their comments mean that the studio was not considering My Neighbor Totoro 2 or similar feature-length sequels at that time; they do not establish that Ghibli can never make a sequel in the future. Details about Hayao Miyazaki’s undisclosed project and other future Ghibli productions remain unknown. No information beyond the supplied source material has been invented or inferred.
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Image Credit:
- Featured Image: Studio Ghibli
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