Even if you’ve never seen My Neighbor Totoro, you would likely still recognize the тιтle character, who is a universally known face in the cultural zeitgeist. Behind the image of the cuddly creature is a painful and beautiful story about family and comfort, following wise-for-her-years Satsuki (Noriko Hidaka/Dakota Fanning) and cherubic Mei (Chika Sakamoto/Elle Fanning).
These two sisters have relocated to a countryside home with their father to be closer to the hospital where their sick mother is staying. Despite their optimistic, childlike outlook, Satsuki and Mei are struggling, but they receive some unexpected help from Totoro and his forest friends in what is still an essentially perfect movie.
My Neighbor Totoro Tells A Gut-Wrenching Family Story That Has Unrivaled, Buoyant Magic
Totoro Helps The Girls Grow & Smile During Difficult Times
My Neighbor Totoro masterfully blends indulgent whimsy with a deep sadness. If you go in knowing nothing about the story, Satsuki brightly saying that they are going to see their mother at the hospital is actually a brutal plot twist after an extended, cheerful introduction that never even hints at why the family has moved.
Sisters Dakota and Elle Fanning provided the voices of Satsuki and Mei for Disney’s 2005 English-dubbed re-release of My Neighbor Totoro.
This could have merely been a kids’ adventure movie in a cozy rural environment for the sake of it, where the girls befriend some cute forest beings and save them from a generic evil. But My Neighbor Totoro‘s actual conflict hits much harder, depicting a realistically terrifying situation where extended sequences of pure joy and fun don’t solve everything.
Satsuki is a natural with her younger sister; we see from the opening scenes that the two girls just click in their playtime shenanigans. All the while, Satsuki is clearly stepping up in their mother’s absence while their father works. She packs all the lunches and possibly keeps her hair short because it’s easier to manage, then styles Mei’s hair herself.
Satsuki has her own life. She is shown to be social with neighborhood kids and thoughtfully content at school. Yet Mei sporadically gets upset with everything going on and only wants Satsuki if she can’t have either of her parents. Through some awkward, heartrending scenes, the movie illustrates how it’s starting to weigh on Satsuki.
Totoro nurtures the girls’ hope and imagination, and the tiny seeds he plants have a tangible positive impact on the family.
Mei’s scenes alone with Totoro and the other creatures are characterized by a thrilling sense of discovery, such as when she comes upon Totoro’s den for the first time. But Satsuki first sees Totoro at the bus stop; My Neighbor Totoro‘s poster is one of the most iconic in film history, and it captures the utter simplicity of this movie’s pathos.
The bus stop venture is Satsuki in a worrying situation that feels exactly like something a child who means well could find herself in while trying to help. And Totoro shows up. That’s all Satsuki really needs is someone to stand by her in the rain and not let her walk the line between sister and mother alone.
Mei needs a cuddly friend just to make her smile, and Satsuki needs someone to come to her rescue when she feels she has failed Mei, while reminding her she is a child too. But with his more magical displays, Totoro nurtures the girls’ hope and imagination, and the tiny seeds he plants have a tangible positive impact on the family.
My Neighbor Totoro Is Still Gorgeous & Has Some Of Studio Ghibli’s Best Designs
Totoro Is True Artistry & The Designs Primed The Characters To Be Known Worldwide
Suffice it to say, animation has come a long way since the early days of Studio Ghibli, and I will easily get lost in a stylized 3D picture, which is why it astounds me even more that My Neighbor Totoro‘s 2D watercolor style still has a tantamount effect on me.
My Neighbor Totoro’s delicate, enchanting, welcoming, and gently foreboding world is animation the likes of which you will only find in a Ghibli movie.
My Neighbor Totoro‘s delicate, enchanting, welcoming, and gently foreboding world is animation the likes of which you will only find in a Ghibli movie, with renderings that may be technically simple (like the glistening of running water, or the flurried movement of the soot sprites) but are still otherworldly in their execution.
My Neighbor Totoro also still boasts some of the best creature designs in any Ghibli movie, a combination of concepts from Japanese folklore and original imaginings. There’s a reason that basically everyone on the planet will recognize Totoro, and that the soot sprites are synonymous with Studio Ghibli (My Neighbor Totoro being their first appearance in one of the studio’s movies).
Upon this rewatch, the sound design also really stood out to me in its effectiveness in circling through a few recurring bits to navigate the narrative’s ups and downs. From mysterious silence to chipper marching tunes to the swelling main theme that conveys Totoro’s enigmatic presence, this is a bona fide soundtrack masterpiece in its accessibility.
