Sunday, June 7, 2020

The Ghibli Novice: My Neighbor Totoro

1988 brought one of Studio Ghibli's classic titles: My Neighbor Totoro. This was their second film after the studio was founded.

The film opens with a small family moving into a new country home. It's near to a hospital where the mother is currently staying, recovering from a severe illness.

Almost immediately, they spot some strange and wonderful things happening at their home with soot spirits appearing to the two daughters, Satsuki and Mei.

Mei explores the forest near their home and finds a large furry creature who makes a roar that sounds like "Totoro," and she takes this to be his name. However, she's unable to show her family Totoro or his home later.

Later, Satsuki meets Totoro while she and Mei are waiting for a bus and after she offers him an umbrella to shield him from the rain, he smiles and dances and boards the "catbus," which is an animal that appears to be a giant cat with twelve legs that operates as a bus.

Later, Mei decides to take some vegetables to her mother and gets lost, making Satsuki and the neighbors worry about her. Perhaps it's a job for Totoro, but can Satsuki find him?

My Neighbor Totoro is one of those movies that demands to be visually appreciated. While there's a good bit of dialogue, the parts that are its best are the ones that don't need any. It's a very sweet film about finding the magic in nature and two sisters growing together.

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