A Japanese city wants to preserve the forest that inspired a popular cartoon My neighbor Totorothanks to a crowdfunding campaign backed by Studio Ghibli, a spokesperson announced Tuesday.
The town of Tokorozawa, located about thirty kilometers northwest of Tokyo, plans to acquire this 3.5-hectare forest for about ¥2.6 billion (€18.3 million). “This area is one of the places where director (Hayao) Miyazaki got inspiration for Totoro while walking.In a conversation with “France Press”, the spokesperson of Tokorozawa stated, adding that the city wants to turn this forest, which has about 7,000 trees, into a nature reserve. Totoro, the spirit of the forest and star of the 1988 animated film, a huge chubby gray creature, is one of Studio Ghibli’s most popular characters, spawning many other animated successes such as: The spirit is gone Where? Princess Mononoke.
For a donation of ¥25,000 (€175), participants in the campaign aimed at Japanese audiences will receive five printed sets of drawings made by the animation studio. Initially, 1,000 lots will be available, and more may be added later, the spokesperson said. Donations are expected to make up only a small portion of the money needed to acquire the forest, but the city hopes to raise awareness and support for its preservation through this campaign.
Source: Le Figaro
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