Hayao Miyazaki’s Tonari no Totoro (My Neighbor Totoro) 1988

If you, like me , have been slow to pick up on the splendors of anime art and films, let me give you a suggestion for one that would be great for the whole family. And, as an added treat, this review will be the shortest I have written in over two years! Everyone should be HAPPY!
****
I have seen many of the recent anime movies, and even reviewed a few.
(Princess Mononoke)
http://www.epinions.com/mvie-review-922-43A44A66-3A473749-prod3

(Grave of the Fireflies)
http://www.epinions.com/content_97416154756

Lately though, under the advisement of a person who knows far more about the genre than I do, I have been watching some of the original classics. I still have many to watch. This movie, in English, MY NEIGHBOR TOTORO, is really the beginning of the story that would lead Miyazaki to create the Oscar Winning movie SPIRITED AWAY .

Of all of the Miyazaki movies I have seen, this is the easiest to digest, understand and apply. The story is simple, the characters are wonderful, and it features the art (and imagination) of a great artist, Hayao Miyazaki. It is a film for everyone. Granniemose watched it enthralled (never sleeping) laughing at every well conceived plot turn. I have watched it n now at least 4 times, and I could watch it any time without ever getting bored. If your young ones like it, you can let them watch it without supervision for content.

The movie was created in 1988, and it came from the same studio (Ghibli) as GRAVE OF THE FIREFLIES . The movies were releaed to theaters in Japan as a double feature. GRAVE OF THE FIREFLIES is possibly the saddest movie of all time. This movie, although it has moments of action, adventure and anxiety, is essentially a happy film, lighter and less dframatic, with the gentle conservationist message that is characteristic of Miyazaki. Putting them together seems ill advised now. Takahata, who created GRAVE OF THE FIREFLIES, claims that if they (the audience) saw Miyazaki’s film first, they would leave in the middle of the sadder movie. But if the order were reversed, the audience stayed the course, happily absorbing the peaceful serenity that this film exudes.

The DVD edition I have was about 14 dollars, but there are no happy extras or commentaries. It doers not even have the original Japanese version included. You can only hear the dubbed English version. That I consider to be a major flaw, but at least you will not have to read subtitles.
Just the movie, with the artwork and the music are enough to make this a great deal anyway.

The ANIMATION has two features that make it distinctive. It is of course, the cell type animation, not digital. (Ghibli just recently released their first all digital animation film) . The characters are able to stretch their otherwise pretty ordinary physical bodies into some nicely exaggerated emotional expressions. - And second, Miyazaki paints his landscapes so beautifully , showing such love for the things of beauty in nature, that it makes the magic of the world of spirits, to which we are being introduced , seem plausible. There has never been anything that comes close to this in Western animation that I can remember.

The MUSIC by Jo Hisaishi is very bright, light and includes the kind of songs that kids could easily sing along, if they are encouraged. This composer has worked on many anime films, and many mainstream films. You can’t help but be impressed by the diversity of his offerings. Even the end credits, which will materialize into the characters of the piece, are singing and dancing to this music, as am I!

As in all the other anime movies I love, especially by Miyazaki, the characters are very well written, and very well visualized. They come to life before your eyes, including imperfections and habits, and they look and act exactly as old as they are supposed to be. Although the movie shows habits and customs that are cultural to the Japanese people, we will all recognize the older sister/younger sister relationship, a young father who has to take care of his family while the mother is ill, and , if you are lucky, the friendly helpful neighbors. There is even a young boy, Kanta, who has an obvious crush on the older sister , but is painfully shy, and makes faces at her instead, not knowing how to talk to girls.
You get a unique view into the daily life of a different culture, as a kind of bonus. We meet the family, but it doesn’t take long for mysterious supernatural beings to materialize. We start with a great tree, older than the ages, the source and center of the power of the spirits in the forest. Then we have mischievous “dust bunnies” which create dust in houses where no one lives. (I think they are in my house now!) And finally, we get to meet the big fuzzy Totoro himself, as Miyazaki takes us by the hand and leads us into his magical world.


THE PLOT

Mei is 5 years old, her sister Satsuki is about 10. They run and play together, as they arrive at a dilapidated house in the country, with all their household goods on a truck. We find that the family of two children and a father has moved to the Country home , because the mother is in a hospital. (TB?) It will be a healthier environment for her when she is allowed to come home.

As the girls meet their neighbors and discover the dust sprites, we find that little Mei has a stubborn streak, and in the way of little sisters, with sometimes bullying older sisters, she sometimes does things she is not supposed to do. One day, she goes out to cut flowers, and follows a mysterious little transparent creature deeper in the forest, and comes nose to nose with a giant furry creature sleeping, who she names “Totoro”. The older sister was at school, but in a great show of love for her little sister, she believes the little one, and wants to meet the totoro herself. When the girls are waiting at the bus stop with an umbrella for their father, Satsuki gets her chance. She offers Totoro her extra umbrella to keep the rain off, and it is clear that he treasures the gift.

Time passes, and the girls are looking forward to Mom coming home for a weekend if she is better. A telegram comes, and mother has taken a turn for the worse. The girls are frantic with worry, and Mei decides to take off to see Momma in the hospital , which s at least 3 hours away. The older sister searches for her , frantic, and all the neighbors join in. As it approaches night time, Satsuki goes to the forest and calls Totoro to help her find Mei. Then the adventure gets even more interesting-but you won’t hear any more about it from me!


THE CAST OR CHARACTERS

This is fully dubbed so the Japanese cast credits are probably irrelevant. The performance is better than usual for dubbed characters though. “Mei” is attributed to Cheryl Chase, who also does Amanda Pickles on SOUTH PARK. Let me tell you about the characters.

Satsuki-is the older sister I remember being. Smart, funny, sensitive, but in the way of older sisters, sometimes also mean and hurtful and very bossy. She is, however, very much a little hero by the end of the movie, and unlike a lot of American movies, she remains a child in body and spirit until the end.

Mei-is the second sister, who is bright funny, cute, and stubborn. Her laughing makes you want to laugh, and her crying will make you frown in sympathy. Her running away triggers a REAL memory for me when my sister , also 5 years old, disappeared one night to go “see a fire” a few blocks away, and I went on my bike all over the city to find her. I didn’t have a Totoro to help me though, although since a neighbor brought her back, perhaps I did!

Tatsuo Kusakabe-is the kids father, who is a great dad, holding many cares of his own, including a hard job in a research department of the university, and worry about the sick mother. A very likable and real character

Yasuko Kusakabe is the children’s mother, who remains connected, although there is not phone to the new house, and it is three hours away. She longs to return home. We are never told why she was in the hospital. I would suspect TB, but It could be the big C or Emotional Illness, I guess...although I seriously doubt the latter.

Nanny (Nana) is the older grandmother type neighbor who helps take care of the house, and sometimes watches the children. She is the dispenser of useful wisdom, the ancient teacher, more traditional in Japan than the US, (not to our credit)

Kanta - the boy, grandson of Nana, and Satsuki’s age. He is a universal boy starting to like this girl but pretending that he doesn’t. I like the fact that he is included as part of the story.

TOTOTRO-will have to rmain a mystery until you see the film yourself!

FINAL RECOMMENDATION-

There is nothing stopping anyone from full enjoyment of this delightful, gentle movie. The message about the power and magic of nature may be subtle, but it is a message that will open the eyes of all children, no matter how old we are. .




It is only 87 minutes long, and it is never ever boring. If you want a classic that will be loved by all generations, pick this one up. You won’t be sorry.