This superbly animated children's tale is directed by Hayao Miyazaki, one of Japan's most beloved animators. The story follows Satsuke and Mei, two young girls who find that their new country home is in a mystical forest inhabited by a menagerie of mystical creatures called Totoros. They befriend O Totoro, the biggest and eldest Totoro, who is also the king of the forest. As their girls' mother lies sick in the hospital, O Totoro brings the sisters on a magical adventure but also helps them to
understand the realities of life. Like most films released by Miyazaki's Studio Ghibli, this family-oriented feature has a powerful ecological theme. The English-language version of this film wasn't dubbed until many years later, explaining the presence of actors such as Dakota Fanning in the cast (who wasn't even born until 1994). ~ Jonathan E. Laxamana, Rovi
Obviously aimed at an international audience, the film evinces a disorienting combination of cultures that produces a nowhere land more confused than fascinating.
One of the best animated films ever made for families: it celebrates feminine sensitivity, the importance of the spirit world, respect for nature, and the pre-eminence of the spiritual practice of kindness.
The painted backgrounds are lush, realistic, and full of luxuriant foliage. The character animation, while stiff by Disney standards, is appropriate to the characters and expressive enough to bring them to life for the audience.
what Miyazaki has animated is an idyll, that most melancholic and nostalgic of genres, where landscapes vanish, innocence is lost and death is as much a part of nature as life.
How can I describe its inexplicable power? It is like how childhood memories feel, if you had a happy childhood — wide-eyed and blissful, matter-of-factly magical and entrancingly prosaic…
A sensibilidade ao retratar os personagens, a magia do universo concebido por Miyazaki e a qualidade impecável da animação fazem deste filme um clássico instantâneo.
Hayao Miyazaki's best film. The film's story beautifully combines slice-of-life with magical elements in a way that is seamless and delightfully original. Miyazaki manages to make the life and times of Satsuke and Mei(the two main characters) fascinating and joyful without relying on villains or conflicts. My
favorite scene in the film is the introduction of a cat-bus. The cat-bus is so crazy that it's just awesome. Like in most Miyazaki film's, this movie has an ecological theme, but it is done in a way that is both subtle and powerful without talking down to the audience. With beautifully crisp animation and an innocent story, "My Neighbor Totoro" is a great effort from Studio Ghibli that offers something for everyone.
The story is not as well developed as some of the other Myazaki films, but it is enchanting in it's own way.
I always enjoy going on these little journeys that the folks at Studio Ghibli put together.
Some are better then others, but they are always enjoyable.
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