Reading Anime 006: My Neighbor Totoro (1988) by Hazao Miyazaki

As with Pom Poko, I fell in love with this movie immediately. It is a story about two sisters who move with their father into a new house. Their mother is in the hospital for reasons unknown, and this clearly is the issue of the film. The movie is about the imagination and how it helps children to cope with the sometimes harsh realities of life.

At first, they think the house is haunted -- and it is, by soot gremlins. And acorns mysteriously appear throughout the house. Their father indulges them in this -- he's an archeology professor, who, while he dotes on his children, must also leave them alone sometimes because of his work.

One afternoon, the 4-year-old Mei wanders off and discovers a hidden grove occupied by the sleeping Totoro. She tells her father and sister Satsuki about the discovery -- and at first, they don't believe her. Later while Satsuki waits in the rain with her sister at the bus stop, she sees for herself Totoro. Both girls then see the Cat Bus appear and whisk Totoro away again.

My favorite character is Mei. She is pure child. She echoes and imitates her older sister, and she wants to be involved in everything going on! (I believe she is meant to be our favorite.) An aspect I love about this film is that this is an identifiably Japanese family and setting, yet is still emotionally intelligible to a Western audience -- because they feel like they could be any family. Their story is rather ordinary, but still very poignant. (As I said, I can relate to this film because reminds me of similar circumstances in my life growing up.) The animation is identifiably as the Studio Ghibli house style, but there is a Seussian aspect to its depiction of Totoro and friends.

Clearly in this movie, the creatures depicted are to be taken as imaginary in nature. But Totoro, the soot gremlins, and the Cat Bus are real to Satsuki and Mei -- and that's what really matters. The film helps us to see how they are necessary and healthy for the children to believe in. It indulges us and them in the imaginary world, granting it an authenticity and emotional depth that is very satisfying.

Highly recommended.