My Neighbour Totoro

Hayao Miyazaki, Japan, 1988, 86 minutes

Long before Spirited Away made Hayao Miyazaki a household name worldwide by winning an Academy Award in 2003, he had already achieved a kind of underground cult status due to his earlier films, but mainly due to this one, My Neighbour Totoro. A must-see for any fan of Miyazaki’s work, this epitomises his style, from the charming and colourful artwork to the gentle underlying message about the importance of family and the environment that can be found in most of his films.

Partially autobiographical, the film begins with a family of two young girls, Satsuki and Mei, and their father moving to the country, to be nearer the hospital where the mother is. The two sisters are thrilled with their new house and waste no time in exploring the countryside around it, discovering and befriending the magical ‘spirit of the trees’, the totoros, who manage to be criminally adorable yet still slightly strange and unnerving.

This film should not be underestimated and is by no means just for children. In fact, while it disguises itself as a harmless, magical adventure (the multi-limbed Catbus is particularly imaginative and awesome) it also deals with some pretty heavy stuff, pulling no punches when showing how the sisters handle their mother’s illness. However, at the end of the day, it is one of the most honest and sweetest films in existence, guaranteed to put a smile on your face.

Review by Sorcha Ni Chroinin
Written for EUFS Programme Autumn 2007