"My Neigbor Totoro"
"My Neighbor Totoro" is a Japanese animated film that was directed and written by Hayao Miyazaki, and released in 1988. This film portrays the story of Tatsuo Kusakabe, a university professor; his two daughters, Mei and Satsuki, and their mother, Yasuko. The story starts out with Tatsuo, Mei, and Satsuko moving into an old house to be closer to the mother that is hospitalized and recovering from a chronic cold. While exploring their new home, Mei and Satsuki discover that there are "dust bunny" like spirits that inhabit the house. The dust bunnies are revealed to be spirits that tend to make their home in uninhabited old houses that soon move on once new owners move in. Mei is later seen playing outside the house where she witnesses a set of ears wandering through the field. She chases the creature throughout the field and into a pathway hidden in the bushes. At the end of the pathway she runs into a massive version of the creature she was pursuing, the titular character Totoro. Mei ends up falling asleep on top of Totoro, and when she wakes up he is gone and Satsuki has come to find her. Afterwards Mei tries to tell her father and sister about Totoro and show them his tree, but to no avail.
One dark, rainy, and desolate night Satsuki and Mei waited at a bus stop for their father to return from work. As Mei falls asleep, Satsuki finally gets her chance to see Totoro for herself. She noticed he only had a small leaf to hide from the rain, and gave him her father's umbrella. In return he gave her a small pouch of enchanted nuts and seeds. Shortly before their father's bus arrived, a giant cat multi legged (a lot more than four) shaped bus appeared to pick up Totoro and dash away through the country-side. After the sisters planted the seeds, they witness Totoro and his comrades doing a dance to help the seeds grow. The girls joined in and together they made a massive tree grow and flew to the top of it on Totoro's magical top. Upon waking up the next morning, the extravagent tree has disappeared, but the seeds have sprouted.
Upon learning that something serious might have happened to their mother, Satsuki yells at Mei to stay with Nanny while she calls her father. Mei, believing that healthy food will make her mother better again, decides to take an ear of corn to the hospital on foot. Mei's disappearance has everyone panicked and looking for her, but Totoro and the Catbus assist Satsuki in finding Mei and dropping off the ear of corn at the hospital windowsill where their parents are sitting and smiling comfortably.
Although I felt the film dragged on longer than necessary, I enjoyed it and would probably watch it again with some younger family members of mine. I liked that we got to the movie with all of the original voices intact (albeit with subtitles), I hate watching Japanese animation that has the english voices "dubbed" over. I like that it is a simple family film that manages to create drama and suspense without the use of a villain, fighting, or conflict between the characters. The Kusakabe family just wants to protect each other and enjoy each others' company.
"My Neighbor Totoro" is a Japanese animated film that was directed and written by Hayao Miyazaki, and released in 1988. This film portrays the story of Tatsuo Kusakabe, a university professor; his two daughters, Mei and Satsuki, and their mother, Yasuko. The story starts out with Tatsuo, Mei, and Satsuko moving into an old house to be closer to the mother that is hospitalized and recovering from a chronic cold. While exploring their new home, Mei and Satsuki discover that there are "dust bunny" like spirits that inhabit the house. The dust bunnies are revealed to be spirits that tend to make their home in uninhabited old houses that soon move on once new owners move in. Mei is later seen playing outside the house where she witnesses a set of ears wandering through the field. She chases the creature throughout the field and into a pathway hidden in the bushes. At the end of the pathway she runs into a massive version of the creature she was pursuing, the titular character Totoro. Mei ends up falling asleep on top of Totoro, and when she wakes up he is gone and Satsuki has come to find her. Afterwards Mei tries to tell her father and sister about Totoro and show them his tree, but to no avail.
One dark, rainy, and desolate night Satsuki and Mei waited at a bus stop for their father to return from work. As Mei falls asleep, Satsuki finally gets her chance to see Totoro for herself. She noticed he only had a small leaf to hide from the rain, and gave him her father's umbrella. In return he gave her a small pouch of enchanted nuts and seeds. Shortly before their father's bus arrived, a giant cat multi legged (a lot more than four) shaped bus appeared to pick up Totoro and dash away through the country-side. After the sisters planted the seeds, they witness Totoro and his comrades doing a dance to help the seeds grow. The girls joined in and together they made a massive tree grow and flew to the top of it on Totoro's magical top. Upon waking up the next morning, the extravagent tree has disappeared, but the seeds have sprouted.
Upon learning that something serious might have happened to their mother, Satsuki yells at Mei to stay with Nanny while she calls her father. Mei, believing that healthy food will make her mother better again, decides to take an ear of corn to the hospital on foot. Mei's disappearance has everyone panicked and looking for her, but Totoro and the Catbus assist Satsuki in finding Mei and dropping off the ear of corn at the hospital windowsill where their parents are sitting and smiling comfortably.
Although I felt the film dragged on longer than necessary, I enjoyed it and would probably watch it again with some younger family members of mine. I liked that we got to the movie with all of the original voices intact (albeit with subtitles), I hate watching Japanese animation that has the english voices "dubbed" over. I like that it is a simple family film that manages to create drama and suspense without the use of a villain, fighting, or conflict between the characters. The Kusakabe family just wants to protect each other and enjoy each others' company.
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