(Photo credit: Studio Ghibli)
For fans of My Neighbor Totoro, you can now experience the world of that wonderful film inside Minecraft.
Totoro was a brilliant 1988 anime film created by Studio Ghibli and is a charming coming of age tale. Dealing with a family that has recently moved to the Japanese countryside, they encounter somewhat mystical and entirely benevolent creatures. There’s also a giant catbus, so there’s also that to consider.
The movie was also both a critical and commercial hit and the titular character of Totoro now adorns Studio Ghibli’s cinematic titles as a consequence.
Considering the nature of the movie, Totoro hasn’t had much in the way of video game game adaptations over the years. Minecraft then just feels like a wonderful fit for this, as it is ideally suited for a more sandbox feel and just allows you to wander around a world and explore it at your own leisure.
This recreation is also part of a much bigger fan based project called Ghibli World undertaken by Alan Becker and friends, which also features other recreations from equally famous Studio Ghibli films within Minecraft.
The trailer for this new Totoro recreation (shown below) displays how much effort has gone into this endeavor, as it’s clear that the Minecraft version of the world is surprisingly close to the film’s. Right down to Totoro waiting at the bus stop (shown above).
The more observant of you will also notice that this recreation is not using the standard Minecraft texture pack, instead it is using Sonic Ether’s Unbelievable Shaders and they do do rather lovely job too.
If you are at all interested in seeing the world of Totoro in Minecraft for yourself then the server address is “mc.sourceblockmc.com”.