The facts:
Title: My Neighbour Totoro
Producers: Studio Ghibli
Director and writer: Hayao Miyazaki
First released: in Japan by Toho on the 6th of April 1988
Series: My Neighbour Totoro (1 film)
Plot summary:
Satsuke a young schoolgirl and her sister Mei move to the country with their father while their mother recovers from an illness in a hospital in the area. When exploring the area with her sister Satsuke and Mei meet and befriend the local spirits in their country house and the forest.
What I like most:
What I like most are the beautiful landscapes. The never-ending green and deep lush forests. Light trickling in between the leaves, “the tunnel of trees”. From the beginning of this film, I was pulled in and wanted to live there.
What I like least:
What I like least about this is the fact that they moved there because their mum was sick. I understand that they needed a reason to move but it would have been nice if they all moved to the house at the start.
Interesting fact:
The design for the setting of the film was influenced by the area where Miyazaki lived. The forest in Tokorozawa was nicknamed Totoro Forest after the creature in the film and a statue of Totoro was put inside the Kurosuke House which looks like the one from the film.
Recommended age:
I would recommend this to kids aged 8+. With no violence or gore or bad language, this is a very kid-friendly film. Due to there being no antagonist this film is purely based on adventure and friendship, making it an awesome film to just relax and enjoy.
How to explain to your parents:
This is the story of Satsuke and Mei and how when they moved to the countryside with their dad due to their mother being ill, they made new friends and went on fun adventures.
Film/Tv crossover:
My Neighbour Totoro is part of a series with a second film called Mei and the Kittenbus, and a book with illustrations done by Hayao Miyazaki himself.
In Bibliography:
Miyazaki, H. 2022, ‘My Neighbour Totoro’, Crunchyroll [image] Available https://www.studioghibli.com.au/myneighbortotoro/, Accessed 9 October 2022.
AM-ZONE 