Key Takeaways
- Del Toro’s favorite Studio Ghibli movie is My Neighbor Totoro, praising Miyazaki for his “painfully beautiful” storytelling.
- Del Toro has had an impactful collaboration with video game designer Hideo Kojima, working on Death Stranding.
- Del Toro is directing Frankenstein with an all-star cast.
Known for bridging the gap between horror and fantasy, director Guillermo Del Toro reveals which Studio Ghibli movie is by far his favorite and says that not only is the iconic film “painfully beautiful”, but something that not a lot of filmmakers can produce. A filmmaker, author, and artist, Guillermo Del Toro‘s ability to master and blend themes like fairy tales, gothicism, and horror so skillfully into his movies has led him to become one of the most beloved and talented creators ever. His desire to mix monsters with religious imagery has seen him produce incredible works, which include Pan’s Labyrinth, Shape of Water, and Hellboy.
Not only is Del Toro highly respected in the movie business, but also in the video games industry. Hideo Kojima, a Japanese video game designer and the mastermind behind the Metal Game Solid franchise, once credited Del Toro for “saving” his career and encouraging him to continue his various game development projects. Kojima and Guillermo Del Toro have had a working relationship since the embryonic stages of P.T. and the canceled Silent Hills game. Although they both never brought the horror title into the light, where it still lies in the murky shadows, they were able to team up on Kojima’s Death Stranding game, with Del Toro lending his likeness to the character of Deadman, along with The Walking Dead‘s Norman Reedus as the main protagonist.
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Guillermo Del Toro Names His Favorite Studio Ghibli Movie
In an article by Far Out, Guillermo Del Toro stated that his most beloved Studio Ghibli movie is Miyazaki’s My Neighbor Totoro. Del Toro notes that Studio Ghibli movies “have such a recognizable seal”, but that he thought that starting with My Neighbor Totoro was his top pick “because Miyazaki shows you something impossibly and painfully beautiful. This is something that very few filmmakers do”. Del Toro’s admiration for Hayao Miyazaki’s works may come down to the Japanese animators’ ability to mix darker themes and narratives into a light-hearted overcoat, something that Del Toro does very well too, and possibly even where he could have received inspiration from when creating his previous films.
Del Toro had a successful run with his film Pacific Rim in 2013 and announced that he would return to direct a sequel with a script that he had been co-writing with Zak Penn. Unfortunately, that never happened as the production company on the first film was sold to a Chinese conglomerate for a massive $3.5 billion. To celebrate the movie’s 10th anniversary last year, Del Toro opened up about why the sequel, called Uprising, wasn’t directed by him and instead, he stayed on as the producer.
As for now, the self-confessed workaholic is directing the American Gothic science fiction horror film, Frankenstein, which will star Oscar Isaac, Jacob Elordi, Mia Goth, Lars Mikkelsen, and other well-known actors. The adaptation of the classic Mary Shelley novel will get a theatrical run, although some were confused since Netflix is producing the movie. However, just like many of his previous productions, Del Toro’s movies deserve nothing more than the big screen treatment.
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Source:Far Out