My Neighbor Totoro (Two-Disc
Special Edition) starring Tim Daly,
Dakota Fanning, Elle Fanning, Lea
Salonga
Another Miyazaki Masterpiece
My Neighbor Totoro is that rare delight, a family film that appeals to
children and adults alike. While their mother is in the hospital, 10-year-old
Satsuki and 4-year-old Mei move into an old-fashioned house in the
country with their professor father. At the foot of an enormous camphor
tree, Mei discovers the nest of King Totoro, a giant forest spirit who
resembles an enormous bunny rabbit. Mei and Satsuki learn that Totoro
makes the trees grow, and when he flies over the countryside or roars in
his thunderous voice, the winds blow. Totoro becomes the protector of the
two sisters, watching over them when they wait for their father, and
carrying them over the forests on an enchanted journey. When the children
worry about their mother, Totoro sends them to visit her via a Catbus, a
magical, multilegged creature with a grin the Cheshire Cat might envy.
Unlike many cartoon children, Satsuki and Mei are neither smart-alecky
nor cloyingly saccharine. They are credible kids: bright, energetic, silly,
helpful, and occasionally impatient. Filmmaker Hayao Miyazaki makes the
viewer believe the two sisters love each other in a way no American
feature has ever achieved. My Neighbor Totoro is enormously popular in
Japan, and some of the character merchandise has begun to appear in
America. The film has also inspired a Japanese environmental group to
buy a Totoro Forest preserve in the Saitama Prefecture, where Miyazakis
film is set. --Charles Solomon
Nobody captures the magic of childhood and bottles it into movie form
quite like Hayao Miyazaki -- and one steller example of this is "My
Neighbor Totoro," an enchanting little film about two little girls who
encounter strange, wondrous things in the woods. There's not much actual
plot, but the journey is the truly lovely part, and the lush animation and
weird creatures (catbus! CATBUS!) finish off the perfection.
Satsuki and her toddler sister Mei move to the countryside with their father,
so they can be close to the hospital where their mother is being treated
(apparently for tuberculosis). The girls are immediately taken under the
wing of an old lady, and discover that the countryside is filled with strange
and magical creatures -- especially little balls of soot that dance through
uncleaned rooms in their house.
What's more, while waiting for a bus Satsuki ends up standing next to a
giant grinning bunny-creature -- whom Mei learns is called Totoro -- who
boards a giant leaping cat-bus. The girls soon befriend the trio of Totoro,
who take them on magical adventures involving giant fast-growing trees,
flying with umbrellas, and riding in the cat-bus. But after the girls learn that
their mother has become ill and can't visit, Mei vanishes without a trace --
and Satsuki may need Totoro's help to find her.
"My Neighbor Totoro" is sort of a fantasy slice-of-life story -- it's basically a
few days in the life of two chipper little girls, who happen to be living in a
Japanese countryside filled with genial spirits and magical happenings.
There's no real plot at the center of it, but such is Miyazaki's skill that you
never really care. You just want to see if things will turn out all right in the
short term, and revel in the innocence of being little kids in the countryside.
To that end, Miyazaki spins up a magical little world -- houses are filled
with bug-eyed sootballs, a tunnel in the bushes may lead to a Totoro's lair,
and a vegetable garden can sprout into a vast towering tree. It's all painted
in lush, vibrant colors and great detail, and Miyazaki does a good job
emphasizing the little moments of everyday life (Mei showing up at
Satsuki's school) and interweaving them with the more fantastical stuff
(Totoro flying across windswept fields with an umbrella).
But he never forgets that real life has its bumps in the road -- there's a
genuinely touching subplot in which the girls hear that their mother is ill
again, and there's a genuine sense of fear. It's not too harsh (it's a kid's
movie, after all), but it taps into a very primal fear that every little kid has.
The characters are all rather simple, but they're still quite likable, with
upbeat personalities and loud laughter. Satsuki is particular is a realistic
kid, staying positive most of the time but occasionally blowing up at Mei or
crying out of fear that her mother will die. The only character I didn't
understand was the boy in the cap, who seems troubled and shy, but who
is never fully explored.
While it's more obviously aimed at kids than many of Miyazaki's movies,
"My Neighbor Totoro" is an enchanting little story with a warm heart, and
Hayao Miyazaki perfectly captures the innocence of childhood. Plus, it has
a big, furry, grinning bus.
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