Movie Review – My Neighbor Totoro

My Neighbor Totoro (1988) – A family moves to rural Japan so they can be close to their ailing mother.  The girls, Satsuki and Mei, begin to explore their new world and discover that some amazing creatures live in the wood that borders their home.

Wow.  Where to even begin with this movie?  It is the work of legendary Japanese animator Hiyao Miyazaki and the renowned Studio Ghibli (rumors have flown around the studio following Miyazaki’s retirement last year.  It appears that the future for the Studio Ghibli may still to be determined).  Eight of the fifteen most successful Japanese anime movies of all time are from Studio Ghibli.  This is a prime example of why they have succeeded so well.

If you’ve always wondered about the word “anime” it’s actually pretty simple.  In Japan it is a shortened form of the word for “animation”.  So any kind of animated movie is anime.  For the rest of the world it has come to mean “Japanese animation”.  Nothing really complex.

I was amazed from the first seconds of the movie itself with the incredible beauty of the animation.  Growing up in the ’60s I watched a lot of animation where it was obvious that the background got as little attention as possible.  The exact opposite is on display here.  The backgrounds alone are worth watching.  Wonderfully detailed, beautifully colored, they are truly art.  It works to create a visual world that want to step into so you can be surrounded by that beauty.

Equally stunning is the perfectly captured movement and character of the two little girls at the center of the story.  They move and react like real children, not movie children.  From her joyful idolization of her big sister, to her sleepy grumpiness and mangling the Japanese word for “troll” from tororo to the title’s totoro, Mei is a charming and delightful little girl.  Satsuki stands straddling the border between being a little girl and growing up.  She takes her role as big sister very seriously but is still open to the wonder of meeting the spirits of the wood.

When the totoro enter the story it brings with it a sense of wonder and whimsy that avoids becoming saccharine or overblown.  Miyazaki manages the balance absolutely fabulously.

I could go on and on and on about this moving.  It was utterly engrossing.  I was totally charmed.  That’s the word for this movie.  Wonderful for children and adults alike.  Bring your sense of wonder and be ready to be charmed.

Rating – ***** Highest Recommendation