My Neighbor Totoro

Rating:
Summary: Cat Bus! Cat Bus!!
Review: The story is set in post-WWII in Japan. Totoro is a forest god that can only be seen by children. Mei and Satsuki, two young kids discovers the existence of Totoro and his(?) friends.

This movie can be enjoyed by anyone from 2year-olds to 100+year-olds. It is very heart-warming and makes you grin in many parts.

Another great film by Miyazaki.

Rating:
Summary: A Film of Pure Magic and Wonder
Review: This is an incredible piece of art that should be seen by people of all ages. While this movie is aimed towards children, anyone can enjoy it; I am an 18 year old male and watched it with a few of my friends, who all loved it as much as I did. Hayao Miyazaki has a gift for making films seem real, for making the impossible a reality, and for making imaginative pieces that more than top the garbage that comes out of Disney these days. This movie is guarenteed to bring a smile to the most depressed person's face, and it will delight all audiences. And the catbus is awesome! (Watch to see what I am talking about). If anyone sees this movie and wants to talk about it, e-mail me at [e-mail].

Rating:
Summary: Big Fat floating guy, his little friends, and CatBus
Review: Whoa. I am amazed that I gave this movie five stars, but I have to. It has a Cat Bus in it. For those of you who don't know him, CatBus is a Bus that's a Cat...or a Cat that's a Bus...phew...that alone is worth five stars.

Ok, now that you know about the CatBus let me say a thing or two about the rest of the movie. This is great animation with an excellent story for kids, immature adults, or anyone who is in a really bad mood. If you are over the age of 30 and you want to regress quickly into childhood just watch this. Or, better yet, if you have children and want to give them something good to watch instead of "All Dogs Go to Heaven 4: Rex and the Right Hand of God" then I would say buy this movie. I wish I had watched it when I was younger...but I guess Lethal Weapon was a suitable replacement...

Rating:
Summary: "Daddy, can we watch the Totoro video again?"
Review: I've got a dozen or so movie and educational videos for children in my collection. My twin three year olds ask for this video most often. They quote the characters and pretend to fly around the room clutching onto the Totoro's chest as Tsatsuki and Mei do.

The plot does develop slowly, and they can get a little restless a half hour into it, but it is made up for by the charming, furry Totoro creature. They are engrossed in the story once the Totoro enters the plot.

I had read the plot review, which described two young girls moving to the country with their father, and thought thematically it would apply to me, a single father sharing equally and separately in raising my children. The mother, however, is not absent but sick in the hospital waiting to return home. I'm afraid I may have prolonged the hope of my children that their mother will return to my home. This is probably not a concern for most people however.

The animation is simply beautiful. I don't mind watching this video with the kids because of the gorgeous scenery. This is not another kids movie cranked out bya money-making studio. You can tell that the work behind the movie was a labor of love and skill - all the more reason to buy the video.

Rating:
Summary: All animation should be this rich!
Review: This is my first review. I was first introduced to My Neighbor Totoro about 4 years ago by a friend. It was instantly a favorite of mine and my kids. Mayazakis' attention to detail (Notice the bottle under the house with the marble stopper in it for instance) as well as the way he conveys the feeling of a hot, summer day, a late afternoon thunderstorm or a sultry full moon night, is artfully and effectively accomplished. And there's no extraneous fillers or wasted moments. This movie remains not only of my daughters favorites but their dads' as well. I'm guessing that it's resurgence in popularity indicates a re-release perhaps? or perhaps a marketing ploy...(I'd heard somewhere that Disney bought the rights. Don't know if that's true or not)... I've seen both the Japanese voiced version and the English version and I feel the English voices were well cast. Perhaps, when I finally do get a DVD player, there'll be a letterbox version of this movie available and will be able to see the whole darned thing

Rating:
Summary: Cute story ---children and anime fans will love it
Review: This is not your standard Japanese anime. Clearly aimed at a younger audience, the video also provides an interesting insight into some of the customs and family life of rural Japan. Children will enjoy and sympathize with the antics of the main character as she attempts to take the place of her ailing mother when they set up the household. Older folk and Japanese anime fans will appreciate the beautifully rendered artistry and blending of scenes and character.

Rating:
Summary: The kids keep putting it in the VCR
Review: The kids keep putting it in the VCR, and I'm pleased every time they do. I think it takes time to fully appreciate this movie -- when you go back to certain other Disney movies, with the villains and scary scenes, you appreciate the peaceful movie this is. I find myself continually recommending it. For smaller children, I like it even better than Kiki.

Rating:
Summary: The Masters Masterpiece
Review: Even in this badly presented tape (mono,fullsreen and new recorded opnening and ending song), the true quality of Tonari no Totoro shines bright, surpasing easily everything made by Disney.

Totoro needs no big epic story, it has characters you will care for, with well developed backgrounds and the best dubbing i've ever heared. He needs no violence, there is none in it. Totoro tells you funny, charming and a few sad situations in the japanese countryside of the 50's. There so many loving details of the life and living in that period. So many scenes of the children simply experiencing natur and the wonders of Totoro. The music (including the original songs) is a masterpiece. Jo Hisaishi composed for most of Miyazaki works and as usual did a magnificent work of art. For Hayao Miyazaki himself, its my favorit Film of the best Director in the Animation business. This is a major treat for children and grownups of all ages.

Buy this one. See it. Experience it.

Rating:
Summary: The Enchanting and Magical Puffy Rabbit Bear
Review: Earlier feature by Hiyao Miyazaki worth seeing for those captured by his recent movie "Princess Mononoke." The subject is oriented for children, but adults with a taste for animated movies will also enjoy this. "Totoro" is an icon in Japan and the trademark symbol for Ghibli Studios, as well as one of the favorite dolls in many of Japan's toy departments. Most viewers agree on why this lovable creature is popular after seeing the movie.

It's a simple story about two young girls who move to the rural countryside with their father and meet the magical "Totoro" residing in a large tree near their home. Although Totoro keeps a low profile, seen only by children, the younger girl Mei discovers the giant spirit after his two younger siblings accidentally make their presence known. After the discovery, Mei is unsuccessful in convincing her older sister Satsuki and their father of what she has seen. A few days later however, while both girls await their father's return from work at a lonely bus stop during an evening rainstorm, Totoro appears again and convinces Satsuki of his existence. The bus stop sequence with Totoro is probably the most enchanting scene in the movie, and introduces the giant Catbus that runs off into the night with Totoro before the girls' father arrive.

The climax of the movie is when both girls are frightened by a telegram from the hospital where their mother, confined by an illness not identified in the movie, is unable to make a scheduled visit to their home. Fearing the worst, Mei runs off in anguish in an attempt to see their mother while Satsuki is phoning their father. Mei becomes hopelessly lost and Satsuki, with concerned local neighbors, is unsuccessful in finding the young girl. They begin to fear the worst for Mei and Satsuki resorts to finding Totoro for help.

The movie is enchanting and although it was produced on a much smaller budget than "Princess Mononoke," it still exhibits Miyazaki's talent for quality animation. The American-released version has a good English-dubbed voice track, but is in full-screen format with the rich instrumental music soundtrack toned down; relegating the movie to a Saturday morning cartoon quality. Hopefully a DVD release with letterbox format and a restored soundtrack will be available for American fans to fully appreciate the quality that Miyazaki dedicated to this feature.

Other movies to watch for release are "Castle in the Sky;" a high-adventure feature about a young girl and boy who are in search of a mysterious floating castle while pursued by an evil government faction and sky pirates, and "Porcco Rosso;" an amusing tale about an Italian mercenary pilot who turned into a pig after rejecting Mankind's love for war - battling sky pirates in his red fighter-seaplane for fortune over the Adriatic Sea.

All these features are imaginative and offer a fresh and unique departure from most American animated movies.

Rating:
Summary: Juvenile anime
Review: Watch this movie. It is Good! No homosexuality, No profanity, No sexual content. This move is Good. Don't judge this film by its packaging. It's worth seeing. Give it a chance and other anime titles Like Sailor Moon R,S,SS Dubbed and Edited,Catnapped,Rainbow Bright, Felix the Cat the Movie and Kiki's Delivery Service, and Don't forget Castlel in the Sky(Laputa)!