My Neighbor Totoro

Hayao Miyazaki is one of the masters of film, without question. His storytelling contains such vibrancy, such energy, such life. And his attention to detail is second to none, with exciting characters filled with colours and layers. Miyazaki became known in the West with the release of Princess Mononoke by Miramax. Spirited Away soon followed, scooping an Academy Award. My Neighbor Totoro had its original release in the United States on VHS under the name My Friend Totoro. In 2006, Disney re-released the film with an all new dub cast and a beautiful remastering. For the purposes of this review, I took a look at the Disney re-release.

One of the most striking things about this 1988 Miyazaki film is its beautiful animation and tender characters. Unlike many North American animation films, there is no villain or evil character to throw a monkeywrench in the plans of the good character. There are no fight scenes, no bad parents, no frightening monsters, no standard trappings. Instead, My Neighbor Totoro is a film that exists on a different version of our planet. It exists, perhaps, in the world as we would like it.

The visual enchantment of Miyazaki’s film goes without saying. He utilizes watercolours to fill the screen, engaging the viewer in his lovingly crafted visions without forcing a splashy or obnoxious set of sequences or characters. Instead, My Neighbor Totoro is remarkable in its gentleness of spirit and in its ease of motion.

The film tells the story of two sisters, Satsuki and Mei. In the new Disney dub, the two girls are voiced eloquently and sweetly by Dakota and Elle Fanning. Their dynamic is perfect. The sisters have moved into a house with their father and discover that the home is inhabited by tiny soot sprites, magical little creatures that are only seen when moving out of the light into dark places. The girls become comfortable in the new house with their father and, as a result, the soot sprites leave.

One day, Mei decides she is going to “run some errands.” The younger of the two sisters, she takes off to play in the forest. She follows her instincts (and some magical creatures) to the hollow of a large tree and finds a large creature sleeping. Unfazed, Mei crawls atop the creature and discovers that it is “Totoro.” With the mother of the two girls sick, Totoro becomes the embodiment of her presence and provides an escape.

My Neighbor Totoro is about fantasy, wonder, nature, and beauty. The girls experience Totoro as a gentle creature because it is one. There is nobody for Totoro to fight, no clash of the anime titans to engage in, and no moments of sensationalistic trash to provide distraction. Instead, Miyazaki has created a tender creature who allows the children an opportunity to deal with the illness of their mother and gather strength. It is magical.

It is compelling to note the differences between American and Japanese animation and, indeed, American and Japanese storytelling. My Neighbor Totoro never once degrades itself into the clichés. It never forces itself into corners, instead choosing fluid movements. Sequences expose this fluidity. Think, for instance, of the idea of gender. Here is a film inhabited by two girls, not one boy and a girl. And the father is a gentle, kind man…not an ogre or an abusive presence to escape. Indeed, every character is heroic.

My Neighbor Totoro is awe-inspiring, beautiful, tender, emotional, enchanting, engaging, compelling, and even a little bit sad. It is another masterpiece from the master, a delicate and elegant film that has rightly become one of the world’s most dearly loved family films. If you have not yet experienced My Neighbor Totoro, gather your children and watch it.

Trailer: