Welcome to the world of Miyazaki. This review is part of my tributes to the Miyazaki films - Nausicaä of the Valley of the Winds(1984), Castle in the Sky(1986), My Neighbor Totoro(1988), Kiki’s Delivery Service(1989), Princess Mononoke(1997), Spirited Away(2002), and Howl’s Moving Castle(2004)
Great Japanese animation director Hayao Miyazaki and his studio Ghibli might be unknown to many people all over the world. Thanks to Disney, after receiving academy award for Spirited Away in 2002, Disney released all the wonderful tales of Miyazaki in USA and I am glad that I was one of them who embraced all his films.
There is no doubt that children are innocent and naive. It’s their innocence makes them unafraid of anything. It’s their naïveness makes them adorable and lovable. They says children can see some stuff which grown up can’t see and the real reason behind it is, its child who believes in everything and accepts things doesn’t exist in world. Hayao Miyazaki’s animation film, My Neighbor Totoro(1988) is the story of the two young sisters spending a summer in the Japanese countryside with their father, their adventures in nearby forest inhabited by magical creatures called Totoros, and along with learning important lesions of their life.
Story
In 1950s, When their mother is hospitalized, two young sisters, Satsuki(10 years old) and Mei(4 years old) comes to the Tokyo countryside with their father to stay near to their mother. They moved in the old house adjacent to the forest and their backyard is surrounded by giant camphor tree. Seeing wonderful sights of endless rice fields, countryside roads, serene water streams away from crowded Tokyo, Satsuki and Mei are happier than ever. On the very first day, they encounter acorns in the house and unusual spider-like creatures in their house. Old Lady from the next door explains them that they are harmless and only occupy vacant houses.
Once family settles down and visited their mother in hospital, Satsuki started school in the village. On one day, while playing in the backyard, Mei found acorns and tiny rabbit ghost like blue and white color creatures on her backyard. After realizing Mei already saw them, creature runs and rushes into jungle and scurry off into a tunnel under the camphor tree. Mei follows them into the jungle and ends up meeting massive creature(A giant owl-faced, rabbit-like furry forest spirit) called Totoro living in the caverns of camphor tree.
On the same afternoon, once Satsuki returns home after school, starts searching for Mei with her father, and later found her lying on the ground in the tunnel under the large tree. Mei explains Satsuki and her father how she met Totoro but unable to show them same path to the caverns of the tree. Her father remarks that she must have met the Guardian of the Forest and they will visit the temple of forest Guardian again. Satsuki wanted to see Totoro but her father explains her that only kids can see spirits and if she is still young enough, she will see Totoro.
One night while waiting for their father at bus stop, Totoro visits Satsuki and Mei while waiting for his own transportation, Cat bus. Cat bus is a bus which looks like a cat and works as a transportation for spirits. After the sudden rain while waiting at bus stop, Satsuki offers her father’s umbrella to Totoro and Mei receives in return bundle of acorn nuts and seeds they can grow in their garden.
As their adventure with Totoro continues, while their father away at work at one day, Satsuki and Mei got telegram stating that her mother is not feeling well making Mei sad. Mei decides to see her mother and heads out alone on the road to the hospital. Later Satsuki realizes that Mei is missing and with the help of Totoro and Cat bus finds Mei and reaches at the hospital to see their mother.
Analysis
My Neighbor Totoro is a charmingly magical film for the children and nostalgic visual treat for the adults. It’s a portrayal of young kids having delightful life-changing adventures in nature’s wonderland along with beautiful creatures called Totoros. Movies like My Neighbor Totoro are rare – small little simple and delightful film, unlike Disney princess movies(Don’t get me wrong, I adore them too); there are no scary witches, no villains, no fights, and no curses.
Most of animation fans all over the world are amazed that in the modern world of computer animation, Miyazaki is still using hand-drawn animation techniques and still able to produce one of the most jaw-dropping imaginary world of humans and nature. As with most of all his films, Miyazaki is known for his stunningly brilliant portrayal of nature using ordinary watercolor animations. Just watch out for scenes when kids and their father first time visits countryside and brilliant colors of endless sight of green rice fields, when kids and their father visits great tree for tribute and dark and dense green colors of tree, when Satsuki is returning from school after rain and brilliant blue color animations of misty rain, when kids are waiting for their parents at the bus stop and brilliant mixture of dark night and yellow light of lamp post, or watch out for aerial animations when cat bus is flying around the countryside.
Although whole film is memorable because of some never-seen-before moments, I have two favorite scenes for two different reasons - one is when Satsuki and Mei waiting for their father at the bus stop at the night time. Rain just stopped and suddenly Satsuki sees Totoro. She is happily surprised and gives her father’s umbrella to Totoro. Just watch out for the scene when Totoro is enchanted by the sound of the rain drops from above tree striking his umbrella. Later when it stops, Totoro jumps up and down shaking trees around him creating thunderous rain.
Another classic scene is more applicable to movie’s main theme - Just like Indian tradition, Indians have gods as stones, snakes, monkeys etc., Japanese tradition believes in spirits. They believe in forest, river, mountain spirits are watching over them. When Satsuki and Mei planted acorns hoping them grow into forest, they wake up in the middle of the night to see Totoros sprouting out seeds from the earth and growing them into plants to massive tree. Its young age makes them to believe that these creatures can grow trees in hours. Next day when they wake up, there is no tree but seeing little plants grown from seeds makes them unsure of they dreamed or encountered Totoro. It’s a masterful scene demonstrating daydreaming life of kids. According to Miyazaki, Satsuki and Mei would never see Totoro again. He intentionally put no picture of them and Totoro together in the ending title. Instead, he put pictures of Satsuki and Mei playing with other children. Once their mother came home, they became ordinary children. Miyazaki made sure that girls would never see Totoro again but spirits would always be watching over them.
Conclusion
If you have ever spent your time in country side in childhood, this film has a power to transport you in those wonderful days of childhood. If you have kids, this movie has a magic to transport them into wonderland of nature and exotic creatures. Miyazaki’s animations are for adults and Totoro is the only one targeted to children. It’s a gentle, touching, and heart-warming film.