Have you ever watched the Japanese animated film My Neighbor Totoro? Produced by Studio Ghibli and directed by Hayao Miyazaki, the film is regarded as a classic by many around the world. With its beloved characters, heartfelt themes, and enchanting story, My Neighbor Totoro has cemented itself as a must-watch among anime lovers.
Drawing from this mystical and wonderful animated film is Ian Padgham, a France-based Californian video creator. In a recent post on his Instagram account @origiful, Padgham published a video of the character Catbus from My Neighbor Totoro but as a train. In the video, the Cat Train can be seen on a busy Tokyo train platform amongst commuters.
Unfortunately, the Cat Train is not real. That means My Neighbor Totoro fans will not be able to actually ride the Cat Train during their trip to Tokyo, Japan.
Behind The Lens
So you may be wondering, how exactly was this video made? Is it artificial intelligence? According to Padgham, it was the magic of 3D animation technology.
“It is all 3D animation that I make by mixing real video with 3D models that I place in the scene,” explains Padgham. “I don’t use AI for my videos but I expect that AI will be capable of producing this kind of effect in the not too distant future. Hope that helped!”
His Past Works
Padgham has also recently worked with clients such as JACQUEMUS. For JACQUEMUS, Padgham created a video of enormous bus-sized handbags driving down the roads of Paris.
“My videos have been seen hundreds of millions of times and I’ve won fancy awards,” reads Padgham’s website. Thanks to his Cat Train video going viral, it’s safe to say that the internet is enamoured with Padgham’s works.
All images in this article are courtesy of Ian Padgham.
