My Neighbor Totoro

“My Neighbor Totoro,” released in 1988, is one of the best animated movies ever. What makes a good animated movie? It mainly comes down to incredible visuals, a detailed world, and great characters. So many Disney films check these off the list. JediJondee46 stated in their review, “Studio Ghibli films go beyond these and give a gentle pace unlike the quick jumps of Disney and Pixar films. It is a swing on a summer’s day not a race car slam with characters.” Writer and director Hayao Miyazaki is brilliant not only embodying children’s worlds and characters, but also in how they feel. If you ever think what it was like to be a kid and would like to relive that time, then you have to see “My Neighbor Totoro.” The other side of Studio Ghibli films is that they sometimes have strong themes and scary moments that are one part of fairy tales that Disney doesn’t show, but they are still a part of the wonder that is everywhere in the films.

It is slow paced in the Japanese countryside with a father, his two daughters, going to the village of Matsugo. Tatsuo Kusakabe (Tim Daly, the man who was the voice of Superman/Clark Kent in “Superman: The Animated Series”) comforts his daughters, Satsuki (Dakota Fanning) and Mei (Dakota’s real life sister, Elle Fanning). I agree with JediJondee46 when they say, “The voice cast is incredible, you can see the sister bond working with the Elle and Dakota, it is far superior than the sisters in Frozen. The scene where Mei is frustrated about her mother’s condition, angry, insulted by her sister and then just makes mewling sounds before crying. Great voice work!” They encounter a boy, Kanta, voiced by Paul Butcher, who sees Satsuki and is embarrassed. JediJondee46 said, “This reminds me so much of the meet cute at the end of Inside Out, “Girl! Girl! Girl!””

Tatsuo is excited about the new house. It looks rundown and Satsuko moves one of the weak posts for a trellis. He sends Satsuki to find the stairs and she opens up a room that has “soot spirites” called susuwatari in the original version. JediJondee46 described them as, “They are basically black bristles with goggly eyes. I love the girls screaming to try to scare off the soot sprites.” This fantasy side is the magical realism of the Studio Ghibli world. Mei and Satsuki love finding acorns around the house. Tatsuo loves the idea that the house may have some magical creatures. Mei is scared by the appearance of their neighbor, Granny, voiced by Pat Carroll. She knows everything about the magical things around the house. Granny was the caretaker of it before it was bought and brings what is needed to a house without a mother.

Mei gets used to Granny and she looks for acorns all alone. They are being collected by two forest spirits, Blue and White Totoro. Mei follows them to a path that is under a massive camphor tree. She ends up inside the giant Totoro, voiced by Frank Welker. JediJondee46 said, “He roars at wakening, blasting Mei, but she doesn’t have fear which I think is a powerful lesson for young ones.” They can see that scary animals may look scary, but can understand them as animals, not scary. Slowly, we are sucked into Totoro’s world, he likes Mei and Satsuki, and there is a beautifully bizarre scene where they are waiting for a bus in the rain. Totoro is just standing there with a leaf on his head.

They give him their father’s umbrella and he calls for the Catbus, voiced by Frank Welker. The Catbus is one of the most fun drawings in animation. A wide-eyed cat face, several legs, bus back and tail. Totoro gives them a gift of acorns covered in bamboo leaf which they later plant in their garden. Again, if kids get excited about planting a garden or later eating fresh vegetables, this is the best thing in an animated movie. We sadly find out that their mother, Yasuko, voiced by Lea Salonga, is in the hospital. Her condition is preventing her from returning home and this makes Mei and Satsuki sad. There is no need to worry though “And you’ll be with To-to-ro, Totoro! To-to-ro, Totoro!”

You shouldn’t have been even reading this review, if you haven’t seen this movie. It’s one of my all time favorite Studio Ghibli films. If there is anyone out there that says this is their favorite Studio Ghibli children’s film or favorite Studio Ghibli film, I completely understand. This is one of those “feel good” movies that leaves you with a great feeling once you have watched it. Definitely check this one out with the whole family, everyone will absolutely love this, I promise you.

Tomorrow will reveal to everyone how I first came to know of “Studio Ghibli.” That’s right, I will look at the first “Studio Ghibli” film that I saw as a child, which was a mistake that I made because I don’t think that “Studio Ghibli” films are meant to be seen by Elementary School children. Reason why I say that is because they will not be able to understand and grasp what the child characters are going through. All of that will be explained in tomorrow’s entry of “Studio Ghibli Month.”