My Neighbor TotoroWithout fantasy, life can be pretty unbearable. When Satsuki and Mei's mother is hospitalized for reasons never made fully clear, their father takes them to live in the countryside near the hospital, where they acclimate as enthusiastically as they can to the new and friendly environs. As they explore the oft-proclaimed "haunted house", they experience the wonders of the woods in many forms, especially the magically cuddly woodland spirits ruled by the massive Totoro, who appears simultaneously warm and intimidating...but mostly warm. Through Totoro, Mei and Satsuki begin to cope with their drastic change in lifestyle.
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My Neighbor Totoro is an animated film of fantasy and nostalgia. It is, arguably, the most iconic work written and directed by Japanese anime auteur, Hayao Miyazaki; the Totoro is even prominently featured in the logo for Studio Ghibli, through which many of the most beloved of anime films have been released. Superficially, My Neighbor Totoro is a child's film, but this simple designation does not do justice to the elegance of the work. While the film is not only appropriate for children, it is appreciable by adults because of its authenticity and wisdom. My Neighbor Totoro is told almost exclusively through the perspective of children--understood to be Mei and Satsuki--and their new life. It is never said where their life was before the transition, but one suspects that it was far different, due to their relative unfamiliarity at the country life. And the reason for the move is revealed in time, when they visit their ailing mother, who never appears unhealthy but requires medical monitoring. No child recalls their mother in the hospital looking sick. No child recalls their father appearing worried at the possibility that things will not improve; that is to say, when the parents guard their children from the worry and angst they feel. Only from the perspective of these children do the attitudes of adults make sense. But children are not oblivious to the suffering--they simply channel the mysterious emotions in a different way. Mei and Satsuki are overly enthusiastic to open up their new home to the cleansing air outside, and dispel the "dustbunnies" lurking behind the nooks and crannies of the decrepit house. When Mei is alone, she wanders into the woods to pursue a miniature Totoro, which appears transparent at first...until her spurred imagination imbues it with life. Later, when the pair anxiously await their father at the bus stop--and he is running worryingly late--Satsuki also visualizes the Totoro her sister spoke of, pulling her into the fantastic escape from reality and the fear she felt. All is well with the Totoro, and they are safe and happy. It is a good place for children to be, and what they should feel.
One of the great charms of Miyazaki's masterpiece is how authentic Mei and Satsuki are; they feel like real children. I know a pair of young girls who would be right around the age of these sisters, and I can say that they are absolutely genuine in their behavior and personalities. Miyazaki does not attempt to exploit these children by introducing unlikely scenarios--that is discounting giant cat-buses and the like--and the biggest climax comes from Mei going missing one night, forcing a worried search for the the young girl. The circumstances of Mei's disappearance comes from the news that her mother is not well enough to come visit due to a cold, and her understanding is that vegetables (like her precious ear of corn she clings to) can save her mother. The way Mei clings to the ear of corn tells volumes of the real fears she has, ones that can never be fully assuaged even with the power of her fantastic imagination and/or the magic of the forest. Mei and Satsuki are made to feel welcome in the village, watched by an elderly woman called "Nanny" while the father is at work. Even the young boy, Kanta--who has a crush on Satsuki, but like all boys hides it by treating her distantly--shows kindness when he leaves his umbrella with them on a stormy afternoon. Even though My Neighbor Totoro conceals the anxiety of the children at the welfare of their mother, it is a film which is virtually guileless and without cynicism. Mei's encounter with Totoro in the woods is as if she has stumbled across a gigantic teddy bear. She cuddles into his fur, and stares awestruck into his massive, yawning gullet. Even the aforementioned "cat-bus", which might look alarming in its nigh-hallucinatory appearance, beams a welcoming smile and strives to aid Satsuki without any conditions in her search for her younger sister. The world of My Neighbor Totoro is the world from the point of view of an innocent, the kind of world we all wish it could be, even if it has to have situations where someone we love is coping with an illness. It is the kind of fantasy world we wish we lived in, young or old.
Recommended for: Fans of a charming and sweet tale of adolescence and fantasy, which is neither condescending nor exclusive to children. It is one of the few family films which is genuinely appropriate for all ages, and a source for entertainment for all as well.
One of the great charms of Miyazaki's masterpiece is how authentic Mei and Satsuki are; they feel like real children. I know a pair of young girls who would be right around the age of these sisters, and I can say that they are absolutely genuine in their behavior and personalities. Miyazaki does not attempt to exploit these children by introducing unlikely scenarios--that is discounting giant cat-buses and the like--and the biggest climax comes from Mei going missing one night, forcing a worried search for the the young girl. The circumstances of Mei's disappearance comes from the news that her mother is not well enough to come visit due to a cold, and her understanding is that vegetables (like her precious ear of corn she clings to) can save her mother. The way Mei clings to the ear of corn tells volumes of the real fears she has, ones that can never be fully assuaged even with the power of her fantastic imagination and/or the magic of the forest. Mei and Satsuki are made to feel welcome in the village, watched by an elderly woman called "Nanny" while the father is at work. Even the young boy, Kanta--who has a crush on Satsuki, but like all boys hides it by treating her distantly--shows kindness when he leaves his umbrella with them on a stormy afternoon. Even though My Neighbor Totoro conceals the anxiety of the children at the welfare of their mother, it is a film which is virtually guileless and without cynicism. Mei's encounter with Totoro in the woods is as if she has stumbled across a gigantic teddy bear. She cuddles into his fur, and stares awestruck into his massive, yawning gullet. Even the aforementioned "cat-bus", which might look alarming in its nigh-hallucinatory appearance, beams a welcoming smile and strives to aid Satsuki without any conditions in her search for her younger sister. The world of My Neighbor Totoro is the world from the point of view of an innocent, the kind of world we all wish it could be, even if it has to have situations where someone we love is coping with an illness. It is the kind of fantasy world we wish we lived in, young or old.
Recommended for: Fans of a charming and sweet tale of adolescence and fantasy, which is neither condescending nor exclusive to children. It is one of the few family films which is genuinely appropriate for all ages, and a source for entertainment for all as well.