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Plot
The narrative centers on two sisters named Satsuke and Mei who, together with their father, relocate to a small village in the Matsu no Go region in order to be nearer to their dying mother. The little sisters explore a new world of trees, rivers, rice fields, and vegetable gardens while waiting for her to be released from the hospital. This new environment is very different from modern Japanese cities. The characters experience an initial, understandable apprehension, but eventually learn to love and respect what nature brings and offers. They have a mini-adventure every day to keep them entertained as they wait for their mother to be discharged from the hospital. Nanny, a kind village elder who helps the kids out when their father is gone on business, and Kanta, their grandson, are also there to keep them company. The fantastical animals and spirits that live in the houses and woodlands will become friends with Satsuke and Mei as well. The little girls will make a lot of new friends along the road, who will be there for them in their most hard times, from the nerds of the dark to Totoro. A straightforward but stirring tale that will enthrall both young and old.
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See why this animated movie is among the greatest in cinematic history by reading the rest of the review.
Why you should watch it?
In his return to the 1950s with his timeless fairy tale My Neighbor Totoro, Miyazaki weaves together legend, reality, and ingenuity to produce scenes that are drenched in visual poetry. This movie is an elegy to nature, rural life, and the Shinto gods who live among the natural spirits who protect it. Natural dualities in concepts like illusion and reality, birth and death, children and parents, and astonishment and suffering serve as the foundation for this movie.
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Thanks to the assistance of creatives like Kazuo Oga, Miyazaki has produced a work about nature and its importance of preservation, whose settings and colors are exquisite watercolors that provide a clear, clean picture.
Miyazaki has created an idyll, the most melancholic and nostalgic, in which these new neighbors, both imagined and real, prevent the two girls from growing up too quickly. My Neighbor Totoro is a movie full of exquisitely observed minutiae. The father figure, for example, is a remarkable presence, since he is sensible, diplomatic, and believes in the tales of these unusual creatures. He also accepts everything his two daughters tell as fact rather than fantasy.
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Miyazaki is aware of the value of imagination and the fact that it is far from being a childish dream. Children, parents, and anybody else can benefit from watching My Neighbor Totoro because it serves as a powerful example of how the world ought to be. A movie without danger, clichéd forest scenes, bloodshed, bad guys, or monsters. A simple lesson is being suggested by the film My Neighbor Totoro, which is that the wonder of imagination is the best experience one could hope for. The film is full of human comedy, a little bit sad, a little bit terrifying, surprising, like life itself.
The world should, or at least does, coexist with nature in the world of the Japanese director; in this case, nature is not a frontier that needs to be protected or cleansed but rather a thriving, mystic, and mysterious container that serves as the home of fantastical creatures and adventures that can be fantasized about.
The meeting with the extraordinary is depicted in "My Neighbor Totoro" with the clarity of an instant classic; in Miyazaki, it doesn't exist in a parallel universe; rather, it moves and behaves right in front of our eyes; all we need to do is be able to understand it. This is how the work's most intense and magical scenes unflod, such Totoro's discovery following the tunnel of trees, Totoro sprouting a sequoia in a matter of seconds, and the voyage on the Nekobus (a cat-bus).
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These are not childlike fantasies or dreamy visions; rather, the "wonderful" beings are as real as the other characters are, and they continue to exist via the children's innocent gaze because, in addition to being able to see them, they also desire to see them.
Sutzuki and Mei exclaim, "It was just a dream...but it wasn't a dream!" after realizing the longed-for shoots were all that remained of the redwood tree that had grown over night owing to Totoro. The theorem contains what one wants to see. Miyazaki's vivid imagination is both a source of amazement and practical assistance in overcoming obstacles; in reality, it will be Totoro and the Nekobus that enable Mei to be located and reach her mother's hospital without delay. The antechamber to a growth that we do not then desire to follow—we prefer to envision it—is knowledge of the new and lovely world.
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Conclusion
In conclusion, My Neighbor Totoro is more than just an animated movie for kids. It's a wonderful poetry that combines the innocence and carefreeness of a child with something as pure as nature. The wonderful music by Joe Hisaishi enhances the rich, warm colors of the Japanese countryside, adding to the tension and sophistication of the picture. Along with the natural world, the characters in this feature film are superbly depicted and defined. You can't help but grow close to Satsuke, Mei, and Totoro. In conclusion, a movie that must be rewatched if you haven't seen it already or that is always worth a second look.
Rating
My personal vote is:
10.0/10.0
This is a classical must watch from the anime genre, I absolutely loved it and is a wonderful movie that's impossible to forget.
In recent years, I gotta say my favorita anime movie is Your Name, I wonder if you have seen it?
Hi, first of all thanks for the comment... and as a matter of fact I have watched "Your Name" and loved it... I found the story really original, especially the concept of the different time line in which the two main characters are experiencing their body shifts. which i found a really cool idea
I also enjoyed watching "A silent voice" which is a little bit more sad and dramatic but still very enjoyable (although I think is not at the same level as Your Name), have you watched it?
Yep I also saw A Silent Voice, and it was cool as well. This type of anime is something I am very fond of.
Your reviews are so much fun to read! Thanks for sharing this! :)
Thanks @lezra 😊. This is a movie we can watch together maybe 😉
I really loved this movie and I'm really glad with the happy ending, since I watch this movie from the first time I wanted a Totoro in my life. Nice Review!
ahhaha everyone wants a Totoro in theyir lives 😊... thanks for the comment
This movie has long caught my attention, I just haven't had the opportunity or willingness to watch it and enjoy every detail, now with your post, I'm going to put it on the list of pending, no matter how old it is, always this kind of animations keep their essence.
A big hug. 😀
Thanks for your comment, I am happy to hear that my post convinced you into watching this animation movie, I am sure you will not regret it... Let me know if you like it or not 😉
Just a wonderful film that doesn't go the route you think that it is going to. I didn't see this movie until it had been released for many years but I am really happy that I decided to see it that fateful day!
thanks for you comment 😊
This is phenomenal animation, after read your review, I ready to watch.
Thnks for the comment 😊
A great work of this genre, these classics from more than a decade ago if I saw them as a child and they fascinated me. I still remember it, although I have not seen it again.
I think you should watch it again then 😊. The true beauty of the movies from Miyazaki is that they have different layers of meanings. They are directed to both children and adults, and I am sure that if you watch it now that you are not a child anymore, you will come to understand meanings and messages that were not so obvious before. I think that this is amazing and this is why I admire so much the Japanese genius.
Have a nice weekend.
This seems super interesting. With that being said, I am going to watch it.
Thanks for the comment
You're welcome (^_^)
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