Ujjwol Lamichhane

My Neighbor Totoro Movie Poster (Source: Wikipedia)

Directed by: Hayao Miyazaki
Produced by: Toru Hara
Written by: Hayao Miyazaki
Music by: Joe Hisaishi
Cinematography: Hisao Shirai
Editing by: Takeshi Seyama
Release date(s): Japan:November 4, 1988
Running time: 86 minutes
Language: Japanese

Sypnosis:Two young girls, Mei and Satsuki, move into a new home that is close to the hospital that their mother is in. In their yard is an extremely large tree which is home to three Totoros, gods of the forest. Soon after, news from the hospital comes up that their mother can’t come home as promised, so Mei (the younger daughter) runs away from home to visit her mom. Satsuki then needs to turn to Totoro for help in finding her sister.

Review:
I watched the movie My Neighbor Totoro (My Friend Totoro) exactly after 21 years of it’s first release. Still every frame of this hand-crafted work is wroth watching. The journey takes you away from roads, noises, busy life, commitments, urban-ism to nature, love and care.

Newly moved House

The story revolves around a family moving to a new home. The home which is a also a home of spirits, namely a big Totoro as dugged out by the youngest family member Mei. The plot is about children’s curiousness and cuteness. The simple story of Miyazaki, manages to show us the children’s way of interaction to new things and environment. Curiosity is greatly captured in this movie. The plot manages to shown the emotions and way of love between the members of family. Sister’s love, Mother’s love, father’s love are all depicted in a such way that you feel the love in air. And nobody also can forget the nanny’s affection towards the young girls. The young strange children to each other and their getting used to with each entertains your soul. The twist in tale with an telegram, search for Mei, Tororo’s playing with rain, sprouting seeds, growing trees and Catbus’s intelligence makes the plot simple though nice. Satsuki cute way of communicating with her mother, rural life and his father’s succeeding attempt of care makes it an nicely crafted story of love between family, society and nature. And the plot manages to draw a nice parallel between realism and fantasy of nature.

Mei Sleeping with Totoro

Talking about the visual design of the movie, the rural environments and expression of the plot is fitted well into the frames of the movies. Green, lust forest, clear streams, cool breeze, houses and emotions are beautifully drawn taking you to a 86 min magical adventure. Sprouting seeds and growing trees is one of my best scenes from the movie. From Totoro’s shelter to village, the beauty of mother nature is a building pillar for movie’s naturism. And the starting and ending images with credits are also awesome, setting way to and from the green magical world.

Satsuki and Mei watching the stream

Sound is one of the all best things in the movie. The opening and ending song are absolutely amazing. Amazing in a sense that it fits well to the story and environment. The sounds of forest, totoro’s curiosity with rain and umbrella is great part of the well captured sound in the film. I had watched this movie as English Dubbing and it still manages to provide us the real natural sounds of love, care and curiosity from the characters.

Totoro and Mei

CatBus, Mei and Satsuki

Totoro as Studio Ghibli

This anime film is a cute, feel-good, lovable and great to watch family movie which indeed gave Studio Ghilbli it’s mascot. BTW: It is children movie for everyone.

Consensus:
The movie as a whole is an amazing seed of love, affection and care for family, nature and society.

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Tagged: Anime, movie, nature, Review, totoro