Anime Eiga Review: My Neighbor Totoro

Film Synopsis

The Kusakabe family has just moved into their new house in the countryside. Its two daughters, Satsuki (voiced by Noriko Hidaka) and her younger sister Mei (voiced by Chika Sakamoto), fall instantly in love with the place and waste no time in making it their home.

Life in a rural community is quiet and peaceful. The whimsical charm of the nearby forest sits as a watchful guardian; looking over the land’s laid back atmosphere.

While out playing one day, Mei comes across a small rabbit-like creature running around the yard. Curiosity getting the best of the small child, she gleefully follows the animal into the bush. 

The path soon leads to an opening in the trunk of a gigantic camphor tree. Exploring a little further, Mei heads inside and runs into the large, sleepy spirit of the forest. With a giant, groggy yawn and an innocent stare, Mei believes to heard the kind and friendly creature call itself Totoro (voiced by Hitoshi Takagi).

From then on, the Kusakabe sisters look to the gentle Totoro for comfort and a bit of fun. This ensures every day will always be a playful and exciting one.

Film Positives

We’ve all heard of Disney magic. Well you can be sure there's something equally as powerful known as Ghibli magic. My Neighbor Totoro solidified this, and Miyazaki is its undeniable master.

Left to Right: Satsuki and Mei

Before moving on, we need to address the giant white elephant in the room. This was originally released as a double feature. What film, could possibly best accompany this happy, magical adventure; Grave of the Fireflies of course. I feel there's a significant jump in tone here. Then again, you'll be needing Totoro to pick up your spirits after sitting through Fireflies.

This is the perfect movie to relax to, making you long for those lazy summer days.

Atmosphere

There's no epic journey, no diabolical villains, no evil plots of conquest or strife. This film has the absolute bare bones when it comes to conflict. There are no bad guys, there are no good guys. There’s only a family living in their small village, with just a little hint of whimsy.

There are plenty of other movies I can turn to if I want action and tension. However, I go to Totoro when I simply want to feel good and when I want to smile a big goofy smile. Any person of any age can enjoy this story and probably for the same reasons.

Totoro

I mean just look at him. Do you not just want to give him the biggest hug in the world?

Every time I watch this film, I get a little giddy as Totoro’s introduction gets closer. There's always a sense of envy towards Satsuki and Mei because they get to cuddle up next to the big guy.

I honestly don’t know what my favorite scene with Totoro is. There’s of course the one where he first appears, which is him at his most comforting. Then there’s the iconic bus stop scene where he's at his silliest and perhaps most lovable. Yet if I absolutely had to choose, it would be when he's dancing around the garden of acorn seeds Satsuki and Mei planned.

Other than this being one of the most adorable moments in the film, this one scene is the perfect demonstration of a storyteller knowing exactly what they want to achieve. I saw this film for the first time in university, but I was still left in a state of childlike awe after watching it.

There's a reason Totoro has become as recognizable as Winnie the Pooh in Japan and is the face of Studio Ghibli.

The Music

The soundtrack is composed by the legendary Joe Hisaishi. The pairing of Mr. Miyazaki and Mr. Hisaishi is something truly special; and one we are going to see several more times over the course of this month.

The music in this film is phenomenal; rivaling Disney at its best. Although it would mean giving up experiencing Totoro’s visual beauty, this is a movie that can be enjoyed through audio alone.

Referring back to the garden scene, it was the music that made it my favorite part of the movie; and there are a lot of good ones fighting for that recognition.

Film Negatives

Do I really have something negative to say about this movie; no, not at all. I’m more than happy to jump on this band wagon. However, I can’t help but feel a little underwhelmed by the overall length of the film.

My Neighbor Totoro is less then ninety minutes, and you will notice it. We get in and out real quick. Is this a problem; not in the slightest. The entire story could be an hour or less for all I care. If it’s able to say all it needs to say, length is of little consequence. That being said, are the events of the plot the only things that could have been done, there really wasn’t any more?

Why wasn’t Totoro more involved? In fact, now that I think about it, and it pains me to say this, Totoro could almost have been taken out of the whole thing. Sure he does all this amazing magical stuff and that’s the whole point of the movie. Yet when an actual problem did occur, he didn’t do a whole lot.

We all know the true hero of this film, Catbus; always Catbus. Totoro simply called him and didn’t do anything else. Then for the last ten minutes, which is actually quite a significant amount of time given the entire length, Totoro doesn't make another significant appearance.

What I’m trying to say is for a movie called My Neighbor Totoro, the title character isn’t around all that much and almost everyone else seems to be doing all the work. But I think I’m going to have to stop right there. This is sounding like a clear cut case of “be careful what you wish for”. Sure I could want all of the things I just mentioned, but what would I be risking?

What’s here is already more than enough and it's a little irresponsible not to mention selfish on my part to say I could use a bit more. My Neighbor Totoro is great the way it is and it doesn’t need someone like me trying to nitpick the small details.

Final Thoughts

I’ve seen this movie quite a few times and I’m probably going to see it a lot more in the future. Thus going into this review, I already had a pretty good idea of what I was going to say.

My Neighbor Totoro doesn’t need high speed, edge of your seat action. It doesn’t need intensity or drama. All it needs is the big, huggable rabbit with the derpy face. Also having one of the most memorable movie soundtracks in existence is a nice bonus as well.

If you want to get an idea of what exactly Studio Ghibli is, this is a must see.

Ghibli Month will continue tomorrow with 1989’s Kiki’s Delivery Service.

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