Anime Nerds United: Movie Mondays: My Neighbour Totoro (1988)

Konichiwa!

So, this is a new feature that I have decided to do as part of my blog. Movie Mondays is when every Monday I review an anime film. That's basically it. And, as a follow-up to the article on Studio Ghibli, I have decided to start with My Neighbour Totoro, arguably Ghibli's first really successful film.

Film: My Neighbour Totoro
Year: 1988
Director: Hayao Miyazaki
Screenplay: Hayao Miyazaki
Music: Joe Hisaishi
Studio: Studio Ghibli
Genre: Fantasy
Running Time: 86 minutes

This is a movie that all Ghibli fans love. It's praised for it's characters, it's story, the overall presentation, etc... Basically this is a flawless movie from the eyes of practically every Hayao Miyazaki fan I've met. Roger Ebert listed it as one of his Great Movies, with 4 stars out of 4 given. What do I think of My Neighbour Totoro? Well, I think it's a great family film. And you will find out why if you get on my Catbus and read the rest of my review.

Story: 10/10
The overall story of this film is a melancholic trip through the lives of a small family who have recently moved to the countryside in Japan circa 1958. The mother is in a hospital, extremely ill with a disease unknown to the viewer. The two girls, Satsuki and Mei, discover that forest spirits exist and interact with the great spirit of the forest, whom Mei decides to call Totoro after he emits a series of roars she interprets as his name. And the whole movie is basically little instances where the girls play with the spirits and await the return of their mother. The story of the film works because it is made up more of moments rather than overarching story. One minute the girls could be playing with Totoro, the next they could be waiting for their father to return from work. If there was one word that could describe the story of My Neighbour Totoro, it would be "life". What we the viewers experience are the lives of two girls at a particularly difficult time, which is fascinating because not many other films try to do that. This film not only functions on the concept of life but also on emotions - again, something very few films try and are successful at. Comparisons between this film and the early Disney films such as Snow White (1939), Fantasia (1940) and Bambi (1942) can be easily made, as they are all films that at basic levels function solely on emotion. The story of My Neighbour Totoro is one of emotion and childhood and it has rarely been done as well since.

Characters: 10/10
Of all the characters in Miyazaki and Ghibli's roster, I don't think they come as iconic as this. Every anime fan knows what the Totoro and Catbus are. In toy stores in Japan, you can find little Ghibli toys and the Totoro and Catbus are the most sold. The logo of Studio Ghibli features Totoro! Of course, the characters in Howl's Moving Castle and Spirited Away are just as famous as the ones in My Neighbour Totoro but, from a personal viewpoint, I see these characters as the definitive Ghibli creations. Of course, Totoro and Catbus are the most-loved but I have to also praise Satsuki and Mei. Mei, in my opinion, is a perfect representation of a little girl. She's cheeky, she's pouty, she likes to explore and play and do all of the things that little girls do and she's actually much more clever than her age tells us she is. Satsuki is also a good archetype of an older sister, as she is always concerned about where her sister is and what she is doing. As for the rest of the characters, they are not as important as these four but are still wonderful in their own right. The granny and the boy Kanta are both realistic interpretations of their ages, as is Satsuki and Mei's father, who is a typical hard-working dad. Overall, I find the characters to be wonderful creations and probably the most definitive cast of all the Studio Ghibli films.

Animation & Sound: 10/10
The animation is typical Miyazaki: hand-drawn and beautifully rendered. But the although the animation is top notch, it's the sound that is the best part of this film. The effects used that mimic the sounds of the country are very accurate and it almost feels as though you yourself are being sucked into that world with just how good the sound design is. The score is fantastic, as it always is when Miyazaki works with Joe Hisaishi and both dubs are very well-acted, although the Japanese version typically flows better. However, props to Dakota Fanning for her role as Satsuki. You could watch this movie in either language and it will be as good any way.

Overall Enjoyment: 8/10
Although this is an excellent movie, this is the most childish of Miyazaki's movies. The majority of Miyazaki's movies have been meant for both adults and children but this is a movie that I typically think is meant for kids. I do love this film, just not as much as other works like Princess Mononoke (1997) or Nausicäa of the Valley of the Wind (1985). But I could easily sit down and watch this movie for an afternoon. Plus the running time's quite short and is perfectly paced.

Final Verdict: 9.5/10 with

With that rating, are you even surprised that I am telling you that you should buy it? The film and all of the Studio Ghibli works are currently licensed by The Walt Disney Company, where you can find this and all of their films on DVD and Blu-Ray. For other recommendations, I point you to Howl's Moving Castle, another of Miyazaki's Fantasy masterpieces, and Wolf Children, a Mamoru Hosoda film that is similar in setting, characters and themes. Between these two you should find something to your liking.