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'The Simpsons' celebrates the works of anime legend Miyazaki in Studio Ghibli skit

'The Simpsons' celebrates the works of anime legend Miyazaki in Studio Ghibli skit

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Now in its 25th season — with a 26th on the way — The Simpsons has taken to producing elaborate homages to other works of entertainment. In October, the show's creators recruited Guillermo del Toro to put together a lengthy Halloween-themed intro sequence that toasted classic horror films and referenced the director's own work. Now The Simpsons has created a similar tribute to the films of Studio Ghibli's Hayao Miyazaki.

Miyazaki bid farewell to film-making last September after the Japanese release of Studio Ghibli's The Wind Rises. The director and animator is best known for his work creating anime as iconic and well-loved as My Neighbor Totoro and Spirited Away, and the short Simpsons segment above — part of forthcoming episode "Married to the Blob" — is packed with references to his 11 movies. Highlights include Otto's stint as a Simpsons-ized Catbus, and Patti and Selma riding broomsticks borrowed from Kiki's Delivery Service. You'll be able to see the whole episode and pick out additional nods to the esteemed director and his influential animation studio this coming Sunday on FOX.