DAKOTA > FILMS > MY NEIGHBOUR TOTORO

» Movie Details
Release Date:
Director: Hayao Miyazaki
Writer: Cindy Davis Hewitt
Starring: Dakota Fanning, Elle Fanning, Timothy Daly, Lea Salonga, Pat Carroll
Tag Line: Not Available
Genre: Animation, Adventure, Family, Fantasy
Runtime: 86 Minutes
MPAA Rating: G for General audience
Studio: Walt Disney Video
Box Office: Not Available
DVD Release: March 7th, 2006
Official Website: Not Available
Trailer: Check here
Quotes: Not Available

» Synopsis
Departing from the action-oriented plots of his previous films (NAUSICAÄ OF THE VALLEY OF THE WIND and LAPUTA, CASTLE IN THE SKY), Japan's most beloved animator, Hayao Miyazaki, provides a slower-paced, stunningly realistic portrayal of life in the countryside. My Neighbor Totoro is a stunning animated treat full of magical adventure for the whole family. A bright young girl named Satsuki and 4-year-old Mei move into an old-fashioned house in the country with their professor father. Their Mother has been rehabilitating at a nearby hospital and the move was made so that they could be closer to her, as well as to provide a better environment for her once she is allowed to go home.

To their delight, they discover that their neighbor is a giant forest spirit who resembles an enormous bunny rabbit called Totoro, who can only be seen through the eyes of a child. Mei and Satsuki learn that Totoro makes the trees grow, and when he flies over the countryside or roars in his thunderous voice, the winds blow.

Totoro becomes the protector of the two sisters, watching over them when they wait for their father, and carrying them over the forests on an enchanted journey. When the children worry about their mother, Totoro sends them to visit her via a Catbus, a magical, multilegged creature with a grin the Cheshire Cat might envy. Through an act of kindness, their new friend helps to unite their family and teaches them the power of trust and imagination.

Unlike many cartoon children, Satsuki and Mei are neither smart-alecky nor cloyingly saccharine. They are credible kids: bright, energetic, silly, helpful, and occasionally impatient. Filmmaker Hayao Miyazaki makes the viewer believe the two sisters love each other in a way no American feature has ever achieved.

The film evokes both the terrors and wonders that children can experience unbeknownst to adults--a feeling the young Miyazaki knew only too well after his mother was hospitalized because of spinal tuberculosis. With homages to 'Alice in Wonderland' and Mary Poppins, the second film from Studio Ghibli delighted audiences and put the young animation studio on firm financial footing.

more photos?

» Dakota on the Movie
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» Dakota's Reviews
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» Links
. IMDB My Neighbor Totoro Page
. My Neighbor Totoro Nausicaa

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