- Title: My Neighbor Totoro
- IMDb: link
Universally regarded as one of the best animated films of all time, 1988’s My Neighbor Totoro follows 10 year-old Satsuki Kusakabe (Noriko Hidaka | Dakota Fanning) and 4 year-old Mei Kusakabe (Chika Sakamoto | Elle Fanning) on an amazing adventure after the move to the countryside with their father Tatsuo (Shigesato Itoi | Tim Daly). Shortly after arriving, the girls discover their new home is different finding dust spites in the house. Mei later follows two more unusual characters through the woods where she encounters the slumbering Totoro who more fascinates the young girl than scares her.
Accepting magic in the world, as any film aimed at younger audiences should, Tatsuo and Satsuki believe Mei’s story even if it can’t be proven or she can’t find her way back to Totoro’s lair. Basing Mei on his own niece, Hayao Miyazaki set out to create a film that honored the fantastic and supernatural but was still strongly rooted in approachable and believable human emotions. The plot of Mei and Satsuki’s ailing mother is weaved into the story as is Mei’s late disappearance in which Satsuki calls on the forest spirits to help find her.
While the most notable of the creatures in the film, Totoro is hardly alone. The anamorphic Catbus proves to be one of the most odd conceptions I’ve ever seen brought to life that somehow fits perfectly into the world which Miyazaki has designed. While initially scary for Satsuki, the creature is immensely helpful in finding Mei. In this film the supernatural isn’t to be feared, but accepted and honored. The sense of wonder permeates the film but Miyazaki never loses the thread of the two sisters, perhaps best blending the two together at the bus stop one rainy night where the film delivers one of its most iconic moments.
My Neighbor Totoro is a magical today as it was more than 35 years ago. Miyazaki’s film, with it’s beautiful imagery, memorable characters, and jaunty score, was an immediate hit with both critics and audiences. It has been re-released several times in theaters and home video including the 2006 Disney English-dubbed version of the film.
Watch the trailer
