My Neighbor Totoro is one of my 3 favourite Hayao Miyazaki films. The other two are Spirited Away and Howl’s Moving Castle.
MNT has the simplest storyline one could ever think of. Yet, the loving treatment of the story and the gentle, unhurried pace of the film make this a wonderful classic. It is timeless and ageless in its appeal while easily transcending barriers of culture and language. It plays with your emotions, having you laughing at one minute, tearing up like a sentimental fool at the other, staring in child-like wonder at the characters’ adventures and generally basking in its warm glow of goodwill towards all.
10 year old Satsuki and 4 year old Mei move into a new house with their father. While cleaning up, they come across ‘soot sprites’ that run away. The granny next-door teases the girls’ imagination by explaining that they mean no harm and once an empty house is occupied and filled with laughter, the soot sprites will leave for good.
The girls discover more wonders around their new house. Wide-eyed, impish Mei finds a rabbit-like creature making off with acorns and chases it into a secret opening in a nearby hedge. As she travels deeper into the woods she stumbles onto a monster, albeit furry and cuddly. She is not intimidated by its size or roars and falls asleep on its belly. Satsuki finds Mei fast asleep on a bed of grass when she runs into the opening in the hedge. When they try to explain this to their father, the opening has disappeared. He clarifies that the giant creature is Totoro – the Guardian Spirit of the Woods.
Totoro has the power to make the woods come alive. He breathes life into seeds. The wind in the countryside is simply the result of his friend – the Catbus – rushing here and there transporting magical creatures. Totoro and his woodland friends are unseen to the adult eye but keep popping up at will to entertain the girls.
Older sister Satsuki is a responsible child. She looks after her sister, handles household chores and cooks for the family early in the morning before leaving for school. The girls’ mother is in a hospital far away, being treated for some unspecified ailment. She is expected to visit them over a weekend but a phone call from the doctor leads the girls to misunderstand that she is dying instead. Satsuki is mighty upset and Mei runs away to meet her mother at the hospital, taking along an ear of corn. Satsuki is beside herself in worry over Mei’s disappearance and desperately appeals to Totoro to help find her sister.
Totoro summons the Catbus and they set off to find Mei. Once they do, they all travel to the hospital and perch up on a tree near the girls’ mother’s room. Their father is soothing her fears that their daughters would be upset at her absence. She feels differently, explaining that little children are vulnerable and easily frightened by the very idea of loss. When he opens up the window to let in some fresh air, he finds the ear of corn outside.
The movie is enveloped by the charm of rural idyll. Houses are large and comfortable. Wide, open fields beckon the children to race around. The nearby woods are full of wondrous flora and fauna. The adults are perfectly content to have the kids run all over the countryside and discover its delights. They are even amused at and accepting of the children’s claims to have frolicked with sprites and fairies.
I firmly believe that unless magic and fantasy are integral to the storyline, animation serves little purpose and doesn't add to the movie experience. For this reason I was underwhelmed by Studio Ghibli’s ‘Whisper of the heart’. Totoro however has truckloads of these ingredients although they are simply accepted by all characters as completely normal occurences and not necessarily threatening or shocking.
While I wouldn’t travel to a theatre to watch it, it’s a wonderful film for a lazy afternoon or a Sunday night and sensibly spaced repeat viewings won’t hurt either.
While we are at it, I want my own life-size Totoro stuffed toy for my repeat viewing.
Highly recommended.
