- My Neighbor Totoro sequel will be screened at Ghibli Park’s Cinema Orion
- To access the venue inside the park, separate tickets will be required.
- Backed by Ghibli fandom, the Park has drawn more than a million visitors since its opening in 2022.
Ghibli Studio's widely appreciated short sequel to My Neighbor Totoro (1988) will return to Ghibli Park in Japan. According to the official Ghibli Park website, the sequel is one of ten short films that will be shown in Ghibli's Cinema Orion around late 2025 and early 2026.
Ghibli's Cinema Orion is a modest 170-seat theater located within Ghibli Park's Grand Warehouse exhibition area. Apart from the My Neighbor Totoro sequel, The Day I Bought a Star (2006) will also be screened.
As per the official schedule, The Day I Bought a Star will be shown from Dec 17, 2025, to Saturday, Jan 31, 2026. Whereas, My Neighbor Totoro’s sequel, which is titled Mei and the Kittenbus (2002), will be screened from Feb 1, 2026, to Feb 28th, 2026. The film also goes by the name Mei and the Baby Cat Bus.
While Totoro’s story is well known, The Day I Bought a Star is unlike other Ghibli films. It is based on an idea by surrealist artist Naohisa Inoue, who had earlier worked on Whisper of the Heart (1995). The short film follows a boy named Nona through the mythical land of Iblard. He then arrives in a desolate area, where he meets a mysterious woman named Nina, and settles in a hut by her farm. One day, he exchanges veggies for star seeds and decides to grow them
Rare Ghibli Films To Go Public
Ghibli's short films were initially developed for special screenings at the Studio Ghibli Museum in Mitaka, Japan. But over time, the museum has relaxed its control over the movies, making it possible for many more people to witness the artistry and majesty of these works.
Mei and the Kittenbus, features young Mei Kusakabe who encounters a quirky Kittenbus or, Catbus, and embarks on a surreal trip into the forest alongside the iconic being and other enchanting creatures. Hayao Miyazaki directed and wrote this 13 to 14-minute short film, while Joe Hisaishi composed its music.
Bookings for park visits for the screening event will open on December 10, 2025, and January 10, 2026, at 2 pm JST through official Ghibli Park ticketing channels. Cinema Orion requires a separate ticket that grants access to the park's Grand Warehouse area. This is due to the park's tiered admission structure, which provides segmented entry, meaning that a single ticket will not grant complete access to the entire park.
Step Inside Ghibli’s Winter Wonderland
Ghibli Park, located in Nagakute, Aichi, Japan, consists of five themed areas inspired by Studio Ghibli films and has attracted visitors since its debut in late 2022. As per Aichi Prefecture data, the opening of Ghibli Park resulted in a significant increase in visitor numbers at Expo 2005 Aichi Commemorative Park. From November 2022 to October 2023, the total number of visitors reached around 2.61 million.
The park also hosts 3D displays based on films such as Spirited Away (2001), Castle in the Sky (1986), The Secret World of Arrietty (2010), and The Boy and the Heron (2023). In addition, it also has a children's play area. For admirers who have been patient all this time, the winter screenings at Ghibli Park provide a unique opportunity to witness these short films without any restriction, albeit for a limited time. The short run, nevertheless, emphasizes how seldom the films have been shown outside of certain venues. Apart from that, it also captures the enduring appeal of Studio Ghibli's meticulously built fantasy realms.
