Short Stop: Boro the Caterpillar is a shining Ghibli gem

I often count myself lucky to be alive at the same time as Hayao Miyazaki, arguably the greatest animation filmmaker of all time (and one of the greatest filmmakers, period). Like many Americans, my first brush with Miyazaki was Spirited Away. I don't remember how we came to watch it. I think my brother might have rented it from Blockbuster or something. But by the time Howl's Moving Castle came out, we were fans, and had our dad drive us an hour away to the nearest arthouse theater so we could see it on the big screen.

It's also very lucky, for all of us, that Miyazaki's work (and to a lesser extent, life) is so well-documented. Documentaries about him come out pretty regularly, often tackling the process of him working on a specific project. It's such a gift to see a master at work -- how he creates, toils, retires, un-retires, contemplates mortality, and all the rest. My favorite doc about him I've seen is The Kingdom of Dreams and Madness, which focuses on Studio Ghibli while Miyazaki was working on The Wind Rises and Isao Takahata -- his longtime creative partner, mentor, rival, friend, et. al. -- was making The Tale of Princess Kaguya, which would end up being his final film.

But it was another doc -- 2016's Never-Ending Man: Hayao Miyazaki -- that introduced me to the world of Miyazaki's short films. It documents the years following The Wind Rises' release, when Miyazaki retired (neither for the first or last time) but then came back to work on a new short film, Boro the Caterpillar. It's a great documentary that I think has become even more significant over the years. It shows Miyazaki working with new technology, rejecting AI, and getting the seeds of inspiration for The Boy and the Heron. 

After watching the doc, I became voracious in my desire to see Boro the Caterpillar. But the film, like all of Miyazaki's shorts, are only available to watch two places in the world, both in Japan: the Ghibli Museum in Mitaka and Ghibli Park in Nagakute. Each of these attractions show one short film each month, cycling through the catalogue. When we went to Japan in 2023, we visited both, and saw House Hunting at the museum and Koro's Big Day Out at the park. Both were great. But neither was Boro.

Last month, we went back to Japan, and this time, luck was on my side. We returned to the Ghibli Museum (which is easily one of my favorite tourist-y attractions in Japan -- it's magical) and Boro the Caterpillar was the short of the month. And, my god, what a short,

Boro the Caterpillar is, indeed, about a caterpillar named Boro who's a little late in his hatching, a little small, maybe running a bit behind in the world in general. I'm no fan of bugs, but man, I love this little guy. He has sky-rocketed up my list of favorite Ghibli characters. I bought the accompanying book from the museum's bookshop, as well as a magnet and a pin featuring his adorable visage. He's so cute!

The film is an exercise in joy: the joy of being alive, of discovering new things, of witnessing the beauty of the world. It isn't without the darker edge that Miyazaki is so skilled at finding, exposing, crafting. There are moments of danger, fear, all the things that help to add depth to the wonder of life. The giant flying bugs that swoop in, signalling danger for the caterpillar community, are genuinely terrifying, looking more like warplanes than bugs, or some sort of robotic winged soldiers. That scene is scary, but it's certainly the exception the the general rule of the film.

Which is cuteness and awe. I love the way that the film captures light, dew, energy. It's like everything ephemeral is given shape, substance. You can practically feel it, taste it as you watch. It's a really gorgeous work, a clever way of awakening our senses to a familiar world and making it feel so unfamiliar. An uncanny view of things that we wouldn't normally give another look, or another thought.

I think the best part of the film, though, is the sound. Japanese television celebrity Tamori did all of the sound for the film. There are no traditional sound effects. It's all him, grumbling, mumbling, popping, doing all the sounds himself. It makes every moment surprising, funny, weird, and joyful. It's so unexpected, because it feels so purposefully unpolished. Which ends up feeling exactly right, since the whole thing is about a newborn caterpillar venturing out into a strange (and exciting!) new world. (House Hunting is also very much about sound, but that one is focused on onomatopoeia. Also an easy recommendation.)

I don't know if these shorts will ever see the light of day outside of the two Ghibli destinations. Some of them have shown at festivals before. Maybe they could again someday. I don't know what I prefer, honestly. It's so much fun to make these pilgrimages, and seeing them in such special settings certainly adds to the experience. But also, so many people will never get to see any of these. Fewer, all of them. I hope I'll get to over many return trips to Japan in the future.

But, if you're ever trying to figure out when to go to Japan, and one of the options is a month where Boro the Caterpillar is a viewing option...I would say definitely go with that month.