Danica Davidson
August 2, 2022 
Pat Carroll, who played Granny in Disney’s My Neighbor Totoro English dub, passed away last week on July 30 at the age of 95. The cause of death was listed as pneumonia.
Her birth date was May 5, 1927, and over the years she lent her talents to both on-screen acting and voice-over. For her on-screen work, she could be seen on Laverne & Shirley, The Mary Tyler Moore Show, The Danny Thomas Show, and Caesar’s Hour, among others. Her work on Caesar’s Hour earned her an Emmy.
In voice work she provided the vocals for Ursula in Disney’s The Little Mermaid, then played Ursula’s crazy sister Morgana in The Little Mermaid II: Return of the Sea. This led to her voicing Ursula elsewhere, including in the Kingdom Hearts series, which is a collaboration between Square Enix and Disney. Her roles at Disney eventually led her to get the job of Granny in My Neighbor Totoro. And My Neighbor Totoro is of course one of the most popular and celebrated anime movies ever made.
GKIDS gave this description for My Neighbor Totoro:
“From the legendary Studio Ghibli, creators of Spirited Away and Ponyo, and Academy Award®-winning director Hayao Miyazaki, comes a classic tale of magic and adventure for the whole family.
When Satsuki and her sister Mei move with their father to a new home in the countryside, they find country life is not as simple as it seems. They soon discover that the house and nearby woods are full of strange and delightful creatures, including a gigantic but gentle forest spirit called Totoro, who can only be seen by children. Totoro and his friends introduce the girls to a series of adventures, including a ride aboard the extraordinary Cat Bus, in this all-ages animated masterpiece featuring the voices of Tim Daly, Lea Salonga, and real-life sisters Dakota and Elle Fanning, in early roles.”
Source: ANN
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Danica Davidson is the author of the bestselling Manga Art for Beginners with artist Melanie Westin, plus its sequel, Manga Art for Everyone, and the first-of-its-kind manga chalk book Chalk Art Manga, both illustrated by professional Japanese mangaka Rena Saiya. Check out her other comics and books at www.danicadavidson.com.
