My Neighbor Totoro

Rating:
Summary: One of the first, and best, anime I've ever seen!
Review: I remember seeing this back in '95, and after picking up the video just recently, this small wave of nostalgia ran over me.
My Neighbor Totoro, directed by one of THE greatest animators of all time, has touched the hearts of millions. Hayao Miyazaki did a superb job when he adapted this movie from the children's book of the same name. Though the book only had one girl, Hayao decided to metaphorically 'split her in two' and created an older sister, Setsuki, and a younger sister, Mei, for the anime.

And it worked pretty well. Totoro is quite the strange looking creature; he's large, has a big goofy grin on his face(which can only be matched by Gengar's) throughout most of the movie, he can fly, AND he's friends with a freakish looking bus called the Cat Bus. While it all sounds very childish, anyone who ever was a child can enjoy this movie. My Neighbor Totoro NEVER makes the adults look like the 'bad parents' that we see far too often in most american children's films. In fact, the father even tells his two daughters that he believes that what they say about Totoro is true. Even the slightly-scary looking Nanny turned out to be the one of the friendliest persons in the movie. Plus, the animation is AWESOME, especially for a film that came out in the late 80's. Even today Totoro's animation rivals the best animes'.
Highly recommended for those with an open mind.

Rating:
Summary: Great movie; but don't buy it (yet)!
Review: This is one of the most heartwarming films of director Hayao Miyazaki's collection. I have seen practically all of Miyazaki's movies, and I love every one of them. I'd highly recommend this movie to anyone. However, if you want to experience this movie as it was intended to be seen, please wait for a better DVD release. This DVD, by Fox, is missing the Japanese language track (in order to watch it subtitled), and it is full-screen only, meaning the image has been cropped. Disney is set to re-release this movie, perhaps in 2005, so do yourself a favor and wait until then. In the meantime, there's nothing wrong with renting this version of Totoro!

Rating:
Summary: Wait for the new release
Review: The DVD version available right now is from Fox. It's a pan & scan version and contains no extras. While the movie itself is wonderful, hold off buying this edition. On August 31, 2004 it will be re-released as a 2-disc set like the other Miyazaki movies (Spirited Away, Kiki, Castle In The Sky). It will have an all-new English language cast, widescreen presentation and a second disc of bonus features. Two other films will be released the same day - Porco Rosso and Nausicaa of the Valley of the Wind. I know I'll be replacing my Fox p& s version of Totoro then.

Rating:
Summary: A Kid Classic
Review: Get ready to fall in love with a big furry, well, Totoro. This movie takes place in Japan pre-WWII and revolves around 2 young girls moving into a mysterious new house on the edge of a forest. Together they become friends with the King of the Forest: Totoro. Kids and adults of all ages fell in love with Totoro when the movie was 1st released in Japan and he continues to be a merchandising powerhouse (and logo) for Studio Ghibli--the Japanese Disney--even today.

Totoro, however, is better than your average Disney flick. No singing candlesticks, no violence, no death. The drama comes from family situations from a childs point of view. And not everything in this film is pre-packaged and shrink-wrapped. The story allows a childs imagination to work into the story, too.

If you're just a parent looking for a great DVD for your kids, then get this DVD now! It's a bargain at $13. However, if you're a fan of anime and the DVD format in general, I suggest you wait until Aug. 2004 when a special 2disc DVD set is released in the USA by Disney of all people.

Rating:
Summary: A kid's film?! No way! It's for EVERYONE!
Review: Even the cuddliest of animal characters in most animated films do not often get any cuter than they do in Hayao Miyazaki's fourth film, MY NEIGHBOR TOTORO. To quickly describe this movie, it is totally AWWWWWWWWWWWW-SOME.

Enthusiastically dubbed into English by Streamline Pictures' Carl Macek (a company who often gets a bad rap on their dubs for Japanese films), this film is based on an original story conceived by Miyazaki himself. It's about two young girls -- bossy, yet confident and sympathetic Satsuki and her younger, mischievous sister Mei -- moving with their somewhat scatterbrained but loving father to a new home in the Japanese countryside. But the place isn't just deserted; wonders galore lie within their household. Tiny, fuzzy black balls of soot (appropriately called Soot Sprites) scatter every nook and cranny of the walls, scared away only by the power of laughter. A tall, luscious camphor tree towers above the other trees in the back yard. And, lastly, the Totoros themselves, absolutely adorable little creatures who look like a cross between a raccoon, rabbit, owl, and guinea pig (a personal bias here, since I owned such a pet who reminds me so much of the Totoros here), live in this very forest, carrying acorns, making huge trees grow at night, and playing ocarinas on the branches of the trees. There is even one really BIG Totoro who sleeps under the tree, who is SOOOO cute, gentle, and soft that you'll swear that he's the equivalent of your pet. (My guinea pig was every bit as sweet as Totoro is; sadly, he died this very year. *sniff!*) Of course, he doesn't just allow Mei to snuggle on his chest. He lets out loud, powerful roars, shake the ground by jumping with full force, grins as wide as a Cheshire cat (but more with warmth and generosity), helps children when they're in trouble, and gives acorns wrapped in bamboo leaves in return for gifts.

The story isn't all hearts and flowers, however. The children have moved primarily to be closer to Shichi Kokuyama Hospital, where their mother resides (a similar thing happened to Miyazaki's mother in real-life). Toward the end of the movie, the girls receive a distressing telegram that their mother could potentially die. Both Satsuki and Mei are extremely traumatized by this as any real child would be if such a situation occurred in their lifetime. What follows is a tearjerking sequence that builds to a truly happy ending which should touch your heart as much as it did mine. This mixture of real-life situations, emotions, and magical discoveries found in your nearest back yard make TOTORO feel authentic (even with its fantasy elements). One cannot help but find this quality in any of Miyazaki's films, this one included.

MY NEIGHBOR TOTORO was not a box office success in either Japan or America, but the film has won over millions of children around the world as well as animation buffs for its gorgeous animation style; the backgrounds are lavishly detailed and imagination is galore in much of the sequences. (It was KIKI'S DELIVERY SERVICE that would catapult Miyazaki's animation company, Studio Ghibli, into box office success status.)

Disney has acquired the global distribution rights for all of Miyazaki's movies, but those for TOTORO belong (currently) to Fox Video, which will expire in 2004. This may lead to a better DVD release; if you already own the video, then the current DVD release isn't anything to get excited about. It is only pan-and-scan and lacking with extras (Hello! This is the kind of movie that deserves an even better treatment!) and the Japanese language track is NOT on the DVD. Boo! I can imagine a lot of sub-purists passing this one up, which is a shame, because MY NEIGHBOR TOTORO is considered a masterpiece with many Anime buffs. (Incidentally, I do not own the DVD; only the video.)

Even with this release's shortcomings, the dubbing is well done, and the overall film still comes across as a highly recommended title to watch. Don't think for a moment that MY NEIGHBOR TOTORO is solely for children. With a little bit of luck, grown-ups (and those who consider themselves TOO old to be a child anymore) will enjoy it, too.

Rating:
Summary: "He plays a magic flute in the sky"
Review: It is depressing to have thoroughly enjoyed a film or book, and find that it is has become fashionable to pan the work because of the packaging and skip over its contents. That Fox chose to treat 'My Neighbor Totoro' as a children's film, fitting it into the television aspect ratio and providing dubbing that was aimed at that audience, will displease some purists. However, it isn't going to displease many children who suddenly have access to a beautiful work with strong positive values and a marvelous insight into Japanese culture. Speaking as overweight, over aged child, it didn't displease me either. If you are a purist, however, be warned. This is a production intended to be viable at the price of a children's video. If you are expecting the benefits of a general audience DVD, you will be disappointed.

Satsuki (10), Mei (5), and their father have moved into a rural setting so that they can be close to their mother, who is ill (tuberculosis?), and is resting at a nearby hospital. The film talks about the girls experiences, mundane and magical as they wait for the time when their mother can return. Part of writer/director Hayao Miyazaki's brilliance is in not turning this into a tragic story or morbid story. Instead, we see the children's excitement in their new home, and the close affection that interpenetrates their family life. Only then does Miyazaki introduce the theme of the mother's illness. This helps us to keep focused on the children's strength, rather than any sense of impending doom.

When Mei chases a strange animal that looks like a cross between a rabbit and a teddy bear into the woods, she falls down a hole (just like Alice) and find a giant fluffy creature called a Totoro, who may or may not be 'the lord or the forest,' but in short order is the lord of our hearts. The Totoro is magic at its best, soft enough to sleep on, able to fly about the forest, grow giant trees and summon a cat bus that will always take you where you need to go. As a child's imaginary playmate should be, the Totoro is playmate, friend, and protection. For the two children, the Totoro and its other spirit friends are the creatures that shout love, the powers that keep things from falling apart.

The film is quite honest about the feelings of these children as they cope with their own fears for their mother. It is rare that a film speaks genuinely for children in this predicament, and attempts to set an effective coping model. This is special. It lifts the story to the level where it has something important to say to such children without making it the least bit preachy. In thinking over the film, I find that what is really magic isn't the Totoro's amazing powers, but the relations between the human characters. They are many and all think nothing of helping each other and sharing. Perhaps the real message isn't about Totoro's that live in trees, but the Totoro's that live in our hearts and the hearts of our friends. Highly recommended.

Rating:
Summary: the finest family movie to ever come out of Japan
Review: Master filmmaker Hayao Miyazaki has created a delightful work of sheer beauty in My Neighbor Totoro. The story centers around two girls who move into the countryside with their father. Their mother is in the hospital, and when she seems to be getting better, she has a relapse. An urgent telegram is sent to the house, where it is read by Satsuki (the older sister). Neither child knows how to react to this; Mei runs away, and it is up to Satsuki and the Totoro of the forest to find her.

I first saw this movie when the original Fox VHS came out (I was about 5 at that point, and got it as a Christmas present), and continue to be enchanted by it today. As soon as I heard that it was being released on DVD, I ordered a copy, but alas, I should have waited.

To those of you who have the VHS and are considering the DVD, and even to those who have the Fox DVD, I strongly reccomend ordering a copy of the Disney/Studio Ghibly version. It is true that dubbing a movie can do tremendious injustice to a foreign film, and the Japanese language track is a feature that should have been included on the Fox release. Also note that the second disk will be packed with features, including storyboard drawings, cast interviews, and a myriad of other interesting morsels.

Rating:
Summary: A film sure to delight, entertain, and mystify
Review: "My Neighbor Totoro" is one of the brainchildren of Japanese animation guru writer/director Hayao Miyazaki (Perhaps most notable in the states for his animated action epic "Princess Mononoke, released in art-house theatres in late 1999 by Miramax). It centers around two young children who live with their father in the more outward areas of Japan. The time is the nostalgic 1950s, and their mother is hospitalized due to an unknown disease. One, Mei, is six, the other, Satsuki, 11. As they move into their new house they discover mystical creatures and eventually become better people thanks to the help of the giant, adorable, furry forest spirit "Totoro". This movie will entertain children just as much as it will adults, and it does not look down on them or treat them like inferiors. It displays its wit, its charm and its wonderment to all ages. I reccomend it highly.

Rating:
Summary: Delightful, Cute, and Heartwarming.
Review: My Neighbor Totoro has become one of my animated favorites. It is a simple and delightful tale of all ages. I believe it to be a masterpiece. The characters are believable...the story is simplistic, yet heartwarming. I found myself in both laughter and tears with this film.
The story takes place in Japan. Two young girls and their father find a new home. Their mother is in the hospital for an unknown illness. As they spend more time in the home, the youngest girl Mei, finds a forest den in which little totoros and the King Totoro lives.
My first impression of the film was that it seemed outdated. The animations were well done and charming, but didn't seem as crisp and colorful as today's films. Still I understand that it is an older movie.
The movie ended way too quickly because I wanted to keep watching more, but it took a sudden end. It was a complete and fullfilling ending nevertheless, it just felt like there should've been more in the middle. I thought I would be seeing more of the Catbus and Totoro, (since the movie is named, "My Neighbor Totoro"). The presence of the cute furry animals seemed short lived. Still, the adventures two sisters go on is unforgettable.
I do not thing very young kids or anyone with a short attention span would enjoy this film, because the film focuses a lot on a simple adventures and many times slow story progression. The scenes are memorable, artistic, and imaginative, but it still takes a tentive viewer to enjoy it without getting anxious for some action.

Overall, I give the feature of this film 5 Stars. Everything about it from beginning to end had great qualities to it. The DVD version of this isn't very impressive because it lacks features. So if you buy DVDs for their features, this one lacks them.

Delightful, cute, and heartwarming...it's a film that everyone needs to watch now and then, to relax and enjoy the pleasurable things in life.

Rating:
Summary: wow!!!!!!!!
Review: finally miyazaki's my neighbour totoro is getting its due with this 2 disc dvd release by disney. presently available fox edition is disappointing with poor sound and picture quality and the lack of bonus features add to your woes. i'm sure this edition will live up to everyone's expectations!!