Rating: 
Summary: DVD great, but NOT WIDESCREEN!!
Review: This movie is wonderful! Why, oh why, in this age of technical enlightenment did they not release the DVD in widesceen?
Rating: 
Summary: Who tarnished this wonderful movie?!
Review: Ok, I am a snob, I know that, you know that, etc. But I think that it is MY choice whether to watch a movie in chop+hack (ie pan and scan), not the choice of the DVD publisher. I think very poorly of FOX for putting this hack-job of a version on DVD.Translation: be forwarned, though a wonderful film, the original technical specs for this film include an aspect ration of 1.85:1, however, this is the pan-and-scan 1.33:1 version. Ok, end of snobbery, end of rant...
Rating: 
Summary: A movie for the entire family
Review: My Neighbor Totoro is an imaginative cartoon that is aimed at all age ranges. The animation and story are both engaging, and the characters are lovable. My Neighbor Totoro isn't like other movies in that there is no villain or bad guy. The story centers on two girls whose family has just moved out into the country. While they're exploring places around their house, they meet an interesting neighbor. A totoro! Interesting things start to happen but you'll have to see the movie yourself to find out.
Rating: 
Summary: good movie, bad DVD
Review: When I saw the US premiere of Spirited Away I was thrilled to hear the Gibli studio representative tell us that all of Miyazaki's movies would be released in the US within the next two years. Disney studios (since they apparently feel the need to control all feature length animation in the US) was to handle the distribution. Apparently, like the fable goes, once they had it they didn't want it anymore and sold it to Fox to do with what they would. What they have done, and this won't be news if you've read some of the other reviews here, is to release a very inexpensive product, but you get what you pay for. Specifically, pan and scan instead of widescreen and English dub only. If you are looking for a nice movie for children, and you are not familiar with Miyazaki's work, this version should be OK. To most adults my advice is to get yourself to your nearest search engine and find yourself a widescreen version with a Japanese soundtrack and English subtitles.
Rating: 
Summary: Great film - horrible DVD
Review: The DVD is going back unopened - I'm not paying for this poorly executed product (but, it's Fox, so I'm not surprised that it is an inferior product). I was so ecstatic to see that Totoro was finally on DVD that I didn't look at the details. I am not slamming the movie - I adore it. But my reasons for the one star, expecially notable for film lovers: 1) It isn't widescreen. How can any studio in this day and age offer only fullscreen? It wouldn't have been that hard to offer a two-sided disc, folks. 2) An English dub is must for kids (and it should always be an option) - but adults, and young adults, should be able to expect, and should demand, the movie in its native language with proper, readable subtitles. I mean, honestly, the movie is already Close-Captioned, which means the text already exists. So does the Japanese language track. How hard would another five minutes of work have been, Fox? Or was paying that minimum wage worker for the extra time going to cut into the profit margin (of course, my returning this piece of junk will cut further into profit margin than that could ever do). 3) No extras! There are absolutely no extras! Not even a trailer! Come on, Fox! This isn't brain surgery. This isn't even making cake from a boxed mix! I'll be more than happy to write a new review when a proper DVD release comes out. Until then, I'm going to have to look for a better version from Japan...
Rating:
Summary: Five-star film; shoddy DVD
Review: It's obvious that Fox rushed this DVD out to capitalize on the acclaim for "Spirited Away" (and to cash in before their video rights lapse), as this is the shoddiest treatment imaginable, a disgrace considering that "Totoro" is one of the greatest animated films ever made. The pan-and-scan transfer is the exact same one as on the VHS edition (released nine years ago!), and there are no improvements in image quality-- this is one of the fuzziest-looking DVD's I've seen, and it doesn't begin to do justice to the detail of Miyazaki's art. The lack of a widescreen transfer hurts the film greatly-- notice how, in the scene where Mei first meets Totoro, most of his head disappears off the left side of the screen when he yawns, or how the scene where Mei runs around picking flowers loses almost half the original image. The dubbing is perfectly adequate (though nowhere near as good as the job John Lasseter did on "Spirited Away"), but really, all anime DVD's ought to be dual-language-- those of us who prefer the original Japanese audio track should have the choice available. The only reason I'm giving this disc more than one star is because any edition of "Totoro" is better than not having "Totoro" available at all. But if you have a player capable of playing Region 2 discs, get the Studio Ghibli import instead; it includes both the English and Japanese audio tracks (the subtitles are really dubtitles, but that's a minor inconvenience), a beautiful widescreen transfer, and a second disc filled with extras. Until Disney gets the rights and issues a comparable Region 1 edition, the Japanese release is the only way to truly experience this wonderful film.
Rating:
Summary: Also Very Disappointed
Review: I agree with the reviewer below. I was holding out on purchasing this film on VHS, wanting it on DVD instead. I was excited when Amazon.com alerted me to this release. I expected it to be the same as the marvelous 2DVD, Region 2 release with full-screen presentation, bi-lingual audio and subtitles and an extra DVD full of special features. I was extremely disappointed in receiving this full-screen, pan-and-scan version with only an English audio voice track! No special features! The folks who released this should be ashamed. Miyazaki deserves better...
Rating:
Summary: I returned it unopened
Review: Where is the Japanese? I have not been so dissapointed in a long time. It is absolutely disgusting that with all of the versatility of the DVD format Fox films would not include a Japanese track on this film. The movie was already in Japanese! There is no good reason whatsoever that they would remove the Japanese track. I am amazed and shocked. I advance ordered it because the whole point of DVD's is that the problem of not being able to find a copy of a foreign movie in the original language was supposed to have been solved years ago. I never would have possibly guessed that they would go to all of the trouble to remaster the movie for DVD and then step back into the stone age like this. This movie absolutely should have included both an English and a Japanese track. This is one of my favorite movies. I have been looking forward to this release for a long time. I am astonished. I am near to tears. Do not order this edition of this movie, please. Send Fox Films a message. Just order something else please.
Rating:
Summary: A beautiful slice of life
Review: I _love _ this movie. There is no evil monster trying to ruin the children's lives, the father is not abusive, the mother doesn't die....so _what_ is it about, you ask? It's about 2 little girls, sisters, making a new friend and living their lives - going to school, playing, visiting their mom in the hospital. It's about their wild and wonderful friend Totoro and the games they play. This is a wonderful movie for the whole family, from the tiniest tykes to the old grumpy folks - it will bring a smile to your face. It is beautifully animated, warm and thoughtful and would make a great addition to your animation collection or as a gift for some one who likes animation.
Rating:
Summary: our family's favorite
Review: I've seen this "childrens video" countless times. It is always fresh. I always see something new in its gorgeous animation. The story is of two sisters experiencing a magical connection with the king of the forest (Totoro) who teaches them and helps them in a time of need. The girl characters are strong, curious, brave and know what they want. Their loving father, a bit distracted by work and a wife in the hospital, is willing to beleive that the girls have indeed had a brush with the fantastic. Hitoshi Takagi, who recently released the amazing animated film Spirited Away, is considered, in Japan, to be a national treasure. If I could only have one childrens video( for kids aged 2to 8), this classic would be my choice.
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