There is an article "Chatting in the Totoro Forest" in the dialogue, which is a dialogue between Miyazaki Hayao and Ryotaro Shiba.

Sima: I really often read your works (laughs). There is a big chinchilla and a small chinchilla in My Neighbor Totoro. They are all lovely. My neighbor totoro's stomach feels very bulging, and so does Mao Mao's. In my opinion, it is the essence of art to express the unique fluency of biology.

Gong: These are all my delusions. It's just my illusion. I have always had the illusion that there are many terrible monsters living in the vibrant forest. In fact, there are monsters in the movie I am shooting now. The content is about the story between human beings who cut down forests and the gods who fight together. The gods appear as monsters. It can be said that it is a more troublesome theme.

This article is probably like this, and there are other things about red pigs. ...

In the book, there is a passage at the beginning of My Neighbor Totoro's proposal:

Planning purpose

The planning purpose of the novella My Neighbor Totoro is to make a happy and warm movie. A movie that allows the audience to go home with joy and relaxation after watching it. Let couples cherish each other more, parents will deeply recall their childhood, and children will start exploring or trying to climb trees in the shrine because they want to see my neighbor totoro. I want to make such a movie.

All along, whenever the Japanese are asked, "What can Japan boast about to the world?" At that time, both adults and children would always answer "the beauty of nature and the four seasons", but now no one says so. We obviously live in Japan and are both Japanese, but we tend to avoid Japan as much as possible in the production of animated films.

Has Japan really become a broken country where dreams can no longer be found?

With the advent of the international era, only by making films with local characteristics can we gain international recognition. Since everyone knows this truth, why not try to make a happy and beautiful movie on the Japanese stage?

To answer this simple question, we must first find a new starting point and fresh discoveries. Moreover, it has nothing to do with nostalgia or homesickness. It must be a cheerful and lively entertainment film.

Things that have long been forgotten

Something that has not been noticed.

Something I thought I lost a long time ago.

However, I believe those things must still exist now, so I put forward My Neighbor Totoro's plan.

Miyazaki Hayao's original intention of animation, etc. You can see it between the lines of every article in About Animation, so I won't post it all. For details, I recommend going to Miyazaki Hayao Film Studio, where there are introductions.