My Neighbour Totoro Highly recommended

Director
Hayao Miyazaki
Production
Studio Ghibli
Country of origin
Japan
Format
Film
Running time
86 mins
Year
1988

My Neighbour Totoro

By John Huxley
19th Mar 06

Writing about Ghibli films always gives me an eerie sense of deja vu. Despite my better intentions, I always end up talking about the same old things...namely how gosh-darn good everything is. The stories, the characters, the animation, the atmosphere, the imagination...it can get pretty tiring praising everything all the time. Why can’t they make something rubbish for a change? Unfortunately 1988's My Neighbour Totoro isn’t going to be that film, as it’s arguably amongst the finest the studio have ever produced. Sigh...here we go again...

My Neighbour Totoro follows the Kusakabe family as they settle down in their new house out in the peace and quiet of the Japanese countryside. Mr. Kusakabe is a caring father who’s busy work takes him away from his two lively daughters Satsuki and Mei, so he entrusts them to a kindly neighbour while he’s at work. This is a family unit disrupted, however, as their sickly mother remains bed-ridden in a nearby hospital. Hoping that she’ll make a quick recovery and come visit them sometime soon, Satsuki and Mei fill their time exploring their new home and its beautiful surroundings.

This is where the two sisters first come across the strange and wonderful creatures that inhabit the neighbouring forest and its grand camphor tree. Mei, following a trail of nuts left behind by a creature that resembles a cute round, blue bunny rabbit, eventually reaches the home of the sleeping giant, Totoro.. Despite his intimidating size, Tororo soon reveals himself to be a friendly, gentle creature; happily letting the excitable Mei climb on top of his belly as he rests.

Yet when Mei returns home some time later, she finds that neither her father nor her sister are really taking her claims seriously. It’s not until Satsuki meets the Totoro’s for herself does she understand that these creatures really do live in the forest. And it’s only with the friendly assistance of the Totoros and their bizarre cat bus (more on that one later...) that she’ll be able to overcome these difficult times as her family struggles to cope with the absence of their mother.

Despite the unbearably adorable Totoros featuring prominently in much of the publicity and even the title of the film itself, My Neighbour Totoro focusses mostly on the two sisters, Mei and Satsuki. From the very opening scene of the film in which the pair excitably poke their heads out of a packed moving van to watch the scenery fly by, we’re inducted into their world of wonderment and innocence. Even the most mundane of tasks feels like an exciting adventure when viewed through the eyes of the 5 year old Mei and Satsuki, 6 years her senior.

To all intents and purpose, presenting such a gentle story from a child’s perspective works to fantastic effect. Yet featuring such young protagonists so prominently throughout the film does lead to a few unwanted side effects, particularly in the audio department. The level of screeching and wailing, especially during the early part of the film, borders on unbearable. Thankfully for my eardrums things do quieten down a little when the Totoros enter the picture (like giving a toy to a toddler, they shut up...) and the irritating audio is soon forgotten as you find yourself becoming increasingly endeared towards both Mei and her older sister.

This is thanks in part to the relationship that’s built up between the two sisters as the film progresses. From the get-go it’s obvious they share a certain affinity and friendship as they happily play together, but as various challenges are thrown their way we come to fully appreciate their strength of character. Despite the age gap, Satsuki is unusually caring towards her younger sister, even unembarrassed to embrace her in front of a whole school of kids her own age. And while Mei may depend on her older sister for support, she does her best to put a brave face on the situation which is quite impressive for a girl of her age. For a film that features such young children in such prominent roles, My Neighbour Totoro is proof that they needn’t be a detriment. Far from it, Mei and Satsuki are one of the main reasons My Neighbour Totoro works so well.

That’s not discounting the impact of the Totoros, of course. Although their role in the film is only comparatively minor, their presence gives it a unique flavour that’s not easily forgotten. Without even uttering a word throughout the duration of the movie, the Totoros distinctive design and expressive mannerisms manage to capture the audience with every second of film they grace. One scene in particular springs to mind, in which Satsuki meets the larger Totoro while waiting at a bus stop. Standing in the pouring rain with a blank expression on his face, Satsuki spies that the Totoro is using nothing but a leaf to shield himself from the downpour. Feeling sympathetic, she hands him her umbrella which is received with a certain amount of bemusement. Eventually the Totoro figures out the practical use of this foreign object and shows his appreciation with a child-like glee, bounding up and down to shake the rain from the trees and play with his new toy.

Okay, maybe my description doesn’t quite match the perfectly understated delivery of this particular scene, but you get the general idea. It’s really no surprise that Ghibli made use of these (now iconic) designs for their logos and mascot.

But the real star of the show, for my money at least, is the cat bus. In the world of the Totoros their method of public transportation is a giant tubby tabby that takes passengers aboard it’s fur-lined innards and bounds across the fields and roads with many legs that enable it to move with a grace that’s at odds with its ginormous size. Words can’t quite describe how strange and yet utterly charming this creature is. With its Cheshire Cat like grin and eyes that double up as headlamps, some might think that it borders on being a little too creepy but I’d say that all this just adds to the charm.

And it’s wonderfully imaginative characters such the cat bus that really make My Neighbour Totoro linger in your thoughts long after the final credits have rolled. As they’re suggested to be a product of the children’s imagination, their way of coping with the absence of their mother, we’re never quite sure if they’re real or not. But in the end it doesn’t matter, as we come to realise their importance to the children outweighs any debate about their existence.

Despite its gentle nature, My Neighbour Totoro does raise a few potentially grave issues which go on to provide the emotional content for the film. However, this being a film that was developed with a younger audience in mind, these subjects are never really fully explored. Although it would have been so simple to do so, we’re never told the nature or the extent of their mother’s illness. This may seem odd, but in doing so it helps us to better understand the situation from Mei’s viewpoint as she can’t fully comprehend the reason for her mother’s absence. And when she hides her disappointment, we come to appreciate her strength of character for such a young child.

My Neighbour Totoro may have been aimed towards a younger viewer than many later Ghibli productions, but like all good kids films its appeal stretches way beyond its target audience. In My Neighbour Totoro Miyazaki has created a carefully crated experience that takes into consideration the older viewer perhaps watching this with their children, and its gentle and often heart-warming tale is just as likely to effect either. For my money this is equally as essential family viewing as Pinocchio, Toy Story or any other kids film you care to mention. Essential viewing.

R2 DVD Notes

Features: Japanese and English audio, English subtitles, complete storyboards, original Japanese theatrical trailer, textless opening and closing credits, Studio Ghibli trailer reel

Release information: UK: Optimum Asia, out now

Notes: Again this is a relative feature-lite disc, as Optimum have saved the more substantial two-disc special editions for the newer Ghibli productions such as Howl’s Moving Castle. There are still a few trailers and the neat storyboard feature to play around with, though, so it’s not all bad. The disc itself is designed inline with their other Ghibli releases, so you’ll know what to expect here: minimal yet perfectly suited menus and a good quality transfer that does the original a good deal of justice. Maybe collectors were hoping for more, but for most this is more than satisfactory.

-- John Huxley 19th Mar 06

My Neighbour Totoro Images