Pokemon Let’s Go Eevee and Pokemon Let’s Go Pikachu, the latest entries in the timeless series, was just released last week, and of the more adorable new additions to the games is the ability to ride on your Pokemon pals.
As some people have noticed, doing so with a Snorlax in particular results in a surprising shout-out to none other than everybody’s favorite neighbor, Totoro, itself!
なんとwwww#ピカブイ pic.twitter.com/N1KRYopXNL
— ようた (@fct1205) November 16, 2018
As spotted by user @fct1205 on Twitter, riding on top of a Snorlax has you and your partner Pokemon clinging to its belly while it runs along. This is reminiscent of the Studio Ghibli’s My Neighbor Totoro, in which the similarly sized Totoro carries others on its belly.
Set in postwar rural Japan, My Neighbor Totoro is the story of two sisters, who chance upon friendly spirits in the woods. When the film was released in 1988, it earned only $5 million at the Japanese box office but eventually became a fan favorite over the years, fetching more than $250 million from home entertainment releases and more than $1 billion from merchandise sales.
Are there any other Studio Ghibli references you’ve spotted in Pokemon and elsewhere?