Mei and the Kittenbus

Mei and the Kittenbus(めいとこねこバス,  Mei to Konekobasu) is a 13-minute animated film written and directed by Hayao Miyazaki and produced by Studio Ghibli and premiered on October 2002. It is the sequel to the 1988 film "My Neighbor Totoro" and is currently shown exclusively at the Saturn Theater, located at the basement of the Ghibli Museum in Mitaka, Tokyo. It has been considered the museum's most popular short film.

The film tells the lighthearted story of Mei and her adventures with the Kittenbus, a child version of the Catbus. Totoro also makes a return appearance. As the sequel to a beloved classic, Miyazaki stated, “This piece was made specially for children.”

This was possibly the last film of Hitoshi Takagi, the voice of Totoro, before his death and is the only direct sequel made to any Ghibli film. Joe Hisaishi returned to score the project.

Plot
All is well at Mei's home. Two months have passed after her mother returned from the hospital. Mei goes outside to a little stone hill and watches the skies. When she eats a Japanese caramel cube candy, a mini whirlwind suddenly comes spinning her dress. The whirlwind chases after Mei and she runs back into the house where she manages to trap the whirlwind. It turns out to be a Kittenbus. The Kittenbus is scared and tries to escape the room at first, but bonds with Mei after she gives him a caramel cube to eat with her. The Catbus shows up, and Mei opens a window to let the Kittenbus follow the catbus into the air.

Later that night, the Kittenbus takes Mei for a ride. Along the way, they spot the catbus, the kittenbus' father, which is filled with spirits like Totoro. Another catbus pulls up beside them, and soon a variety of cat vehicles appear, such as a cat-train, all filled with Totoro-like spirits. The Catbuses drop their passengers off, and the Kittenbus drops Mei off with them. The spirits move apart to reveal Totoro, who is very happy to see her.

Mei hops onto his chest and he takes her to a giant, ancient Cat Liner that is being boarded by the spirits. The Kittenbus appears on his head and Mei asks the Kittenbus, "Is this your grandma?" in which the kittenbus meows back. Mei introduces herself as the Kittenbus' friend, and proceeds to feed her a caramel cube. A few minutes are taken to eat the caramel candy where she almost chokes, but is ultimately happy after swallowing. She gives Mei a lick and she licks her back. The giant cat liner leaves while Totoro stays behind. Mei and the Kittenbus follow them for a while, then return to Mei's house.

Characters

 * Mei Kusakabe
 * Totoro
 * Catbus
 * Kittenbus
 * Tatsuo Kusakabe (cameo)
 * Satsuki Kusakabe (cameo)
 * Susuwatari (only background)

Production
In 1999, following the release of Isao Takahata's "My Neighbors the Yamada", rumors circulated that Hayao Miyazaki was considering making a sequel to "My Neighbor Totoro".

Following the success of "Spirited Away" and the opening of the Ghibli Museum, Hayao Miyazaki began storyboard work for this film. The story would be set two months following the events of "My Neighbor Totoro" and star Mei. Miyazaki himself teased the appearance of the Kittenbus prior to its release. Like the recent "Spirited Away", the film shares themes of characters passing to a realm of gods and spirits, notably an area populated by Totoro-like spirits. The film also introduces "Nekobaa-chan", a large Cat Liner who was described as a "grandma".

A total of about 15,000 animation drawings were necessary to complete the entire 13-minutes short. Chika Sakamoto, who was aged 50 at the time, reprised her role as Mei some fourteen years after the original. She jokingly said, "I've grown up since then." Hitoshi Takagi, the original voice of Totoro, also reprised his role one last time. According to Noriko Hidaka, the actress who played Satsuki, "The voice of Nekobus and the voice of Totoro, who helps Satsuki and Mei in the beginning are the same voice actor." It is the third animated short film exclusively made for the museum, following "The Whale Hunt and "Koro's Big Day Out".

Music

 * Music: Joe Hisaishi

Cast

 * Chika Sakamoto - Mei Kusakabe
 * Hayao Miyazaki - Kittenbus
 * Hitoshi Takagi - Totoro
 * Naoko Matsui - Catbus

Release
Currently, there has been no DVD commercial release for this film.

The most recent showing in the Ghibli Museum was from November 1 to November 30, 2017.

Trivia

 * The film also saw the involvement of Hiromasa Yonebayashi, who would later direct "The Secret World of Arrietty", "When Marnie Was There" and "Mary and the Witch's Flower".