My Neighbor Totoro: - All Aboard For one of the Most Imaginative Films Ever!

When I first saw the anime film, My Neighbor Totoro, I was pretty impressed. It was a very cool movie and it made me feel like a kid again. I did find it to be vastly overrated though. Recently however, I have purchased said film. I sat down and watched it three times back to back when I first bought it, and needless to say, that was only the beginning. Did I have a change of heart, is Totoro not overrated? Read on to find out.

My Neighbor Totoro is the lighthearted story of a family who is making a big move into the countryside, unfortunately though, the children's mother is sick in the hospital and unable to join them right away. Either way, their father is very loving and tries his best to help them adjust to their new lives.

One day the youngest of the two girls, Mei, stumbles upon a furry woodland creature wandering around near their house. Though curiosity killed the cat, she gives chase even after it disappears into the woods. While in the forest Mei stumbles upon a huge and looming furry creature that looks like a very impressionable raccoon to me. Upon returning later to this spot with her father and sister Mei cannot find Totoro. Mei is quickly convinced that Totoro is a spirit of the forest and that she was quite lucky for having seen it. One thing's for sure, she hasn't seen the last of Totoro.

Totoro makes every scene which features him an absolute treat. Though the character may be rather looming, and have a mouthful of grinding teeth, it's really surprising to see how the character was handled. Sure he may look intimidating and even scary at times, but his gentle nature is overwhelming. The first few times he shows up you have no idea what he's going to do, but thanks to the masterful storytelling, it feels almost as if you get to know it (and it's rather colorful friends) throughout the course of the movie.

My Neighbor Totoro is easily one of the most genuinely funny films I've ever seen. Rather than rely on lesser forms of humor, such as slapstick, Totoro takes a very subtle, yet effective approach. The awkwardness of his first encounters with the girls is somehow one of the most effective elements of the movie in this regard. Several scenes involving interactions amongst the family alone make me laugh nearly every time, and I can't even begin to explain it. Heck, even the shape of Mei's head brings a smile to my face just about every time I see it.

This entry is quite different from the rest of Ghibli's catalog of masterpieces. It's easily one of the most lighthearted films I've seen, and lacks the noticeable commentary that commonly cloud up Miyazaki's other efforts. This is one made to focus on the love of family, and of course, imagination. I can't think of anything else that I've ever seen that reeks so much of being a labor of love. It's a rather pleasant stench.

It's rather difficult pinpointing exactly who wouldn't like this movie. That's a rather bold statement I know, but it's the truth. Though it's first and foremost aimed at children, the storytelling is so masterful that My Neighbor Totoro is timeless and can be enjoyed by anyone who has even a single measure of imagination. It's as if Miyzaki made several of the film's layers for different audiences so it feels almost as if the films grows with you. That sounds really weird I know, but I can't think of any other way to describe it.

Sometimes I wonder if Miyazaki has the imagination of a child. My Neighbor Totoro takes all the doubt away. From the burly, furry Totoro, to the leery Cat Bus (yes, you heard right) everything is on a level of imagination that I've never seen. The film has a big heart and is one of the most pure and loveable pieces of cinema that I've ever seen. Now I see why Totoro went on to later become Studio Ghibli's mascot of sorts.

If I had to come up with a single nitpick here than I would point you in the direction of the pacing. Totoro doesn't even rear his head until a third the way through the movie, and even then, he only shows up a couple times after that. There's more than enough to carry along the story during the many Totoro-less sections of the movie. As I mentioned earlier, half the charm of the film is in the family and their interactions with one another. This takes away any potentially boring part and makes it a fun film through and through.

My Neighbor Totoro is a breathtakingly beautiful animated film. I absolutely love the animation in each of Miyazaki's films, and this is no exception. With My Neighbor Totoro, the master animator put most of the work into the backgrounds. There are so many subtle, yet masterfully drawn details that you won't be able to catch them all in the first, second, third, or even fourth viewing. On top of that, the film is very colorful and always a treat to look at. The character designs aren't nearly as detailed as the rest of the movie, but this is typical for anime films.

Disney hired a splendid cast to do the English dub. Dakota Fanning and her little sister, Elle Fanning respectively voice Satsuki and Mei. It's interesting that Disney casted children to voice the two little girls, and it shows that they put an honest effort into it. The two voice actresses do an awesome job playing the characters. Besides those two, Tim Daly is another standout. He plays the father character incredibly well. There's a certain 'warmth' that resonates through his voice, and he is the perfect person for this role. Overall, I actually recommend the English dub over the Japanese one in this case because it was so well done.

Final Recommendation
Easily one of Studio Ghibli's greatest films, but that's not going far enough. My Neighbor Totoro trumps every single one of Disney's own family movies, ever. It's a timeless classic, and unlike a lot of other animated features, it can be entertain those of any age. I can't recommend this one enough.