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MY NEIGHBOR TOTORO
Miyazaki, director
1988

(of 5)


MY NEIGHBOR TOTORO is a light hearted tale of two children and their father moving into a new home. With their mother in the hospital, life is somewhat difficult for these children. As they explore their new world, however, the notice strange things around every corner. First they discover the soot balls, small black balls with eyes. Then the younger child, Mei, discovers an odd little rabbit sort of creature that leads her to the home of Totoro, a great creature of immense size with an even more immense mouth. MY NEIGHBORO TOTORO is a recounting of what it is like to live next door to such a creature, and the odd happenings that come about from this.

Moving at a somewhat slow pace throughout the whole film, MY NEIGHBOR gives you an appreciation for the small things in life, like the growth of a tree, as well as the great things in life, like the imagination (wait until you see the cat-bus!). Every now and then there seems to be a glimpse of Alice in Wonderland, especially when Mei wakes up from what may or may not have been a fantastical dream, and the cat-bus looks an awful lot like the Cheshire Cat. It is a cute anime, and the scene at the bus stop is quite memorable. MY NEIGHBOR TOTORO is highly recommended for kids as well as adults.

Small note: don't be surprised if you suddenly crave soup; the children look an awful lot like the Campbell's Soup kids. :)


Copyright TLM 2000