My Neighbor Totoro should come with the following warning: "This movie is fantastic. Your child will love it. So will you. You will spend approximately one million hours watching this movie. ps. You will cry at the end every time."
This movie is my favorite for little girls. Although his movies are all rated G or PG, of the three Miyazaki movies I have seen, this one is the only one appropriate for little kids. My daughter is almost 3 and she can't get enough of this film. I even loved watching it up to the 40th viewing.
Many Americans are being exposed to the work of Japanese director Hayao Miyazaki through the release of his movies by Disney. Princess Mononoke was successful in the west in the late 90s with those who like Japanese anime, but his collaboration with Disney is making many of his films easily accessible to families and everyday movie watchers. Many of his movies can be found on Target shelves. My Neighbor Totoro was came out in Japan in 1988. It was dubbed into English and released by Disney in 2006. Dakota Fanning and her younger sister do the voices of the sisters in the movie, Satsuki and Mei.
Plot Summary: Two girls, ages 7 and 4, move to the post-war Japanese countryside with their father. Their mother is recovering in the hospital from an unnamed illness. While Satsuki (7) is at school, Mei (4) follows two little forest creatures into the forest and falls down a tree hole. In this peaceful tree hollow she meets Totoro, a huge cat-like forest spirit. Mei quickly befriends the spirit, who can only be seen by children, and only when it wants to be seen. The movie chronicles the girls and their interactions with Totoro while they are waiting for their mother to get well. The movie combines the reality of living in rural Japan (think cooking with firewood) with the surrealism present in many Miyazaki movies.
Why this movie is great for girls: Miyazaki has a talent for animating children. He captures their mannerisms and quirks so well it is uncanny. Girls will instantly identify with both Satsuki and Mei. The two sisters have a wonderful relationship. Satsuki is kind, helpful, and mature. Mei is adventurous and brave. The forest spirits and the girls form a special bond. Totoro is a huge forest spirit who roars with a force that could blow you away, but at the same time is gentle and easily amused.
Children imitate the media they see in their own pretend play. I love watching my daughter run down the hallway yelling, "I'm running really fast just like Satski!" This movie also exposes kids to another culture; rural Japan. It shows rice fields and chopsticks and washing clothes by stomping out dirt! Abbey now has a pin stuck in Japan on our 'travel-wishes' world map.
My daughter and I both cry at the end of this movie. Even when Mei is lost it is not especially tense. I think it has to do with how happy the girls are when they find that their mom is not as sick as they thought. The girls are so happy but you know that underneath their playfulness there is a void. As a mom, I can't imagine not being with my daughter and vice versa. Abbey had a hard time coming to grips with the mama not being at home. When they are returning home from the hospital and the 'Totoro' song starts, it's just a tear jerker. Plus, the first picture in the movie credits shows the mom coming home. These girls deserve their mama (as do all little girls) and it's a tear-jerker to see their family complete.
Possible Challenges: At the end of this movie you may want to have a discussion with your daughter about not running away from your house, even if one has a good reason. Mei tries to take an ear of corn to her mother in the hospital, which is a good three hour walk away. The only way Satsuki finds Mei is because the cat-bus (yes, that's right, a cat who is also a bus) knows where Mei is and takes Satsuki to her. The only scene that took me aback was when the family took a bath. The father and girls are in one big tub, and the girls' dad is sitting comfortably with his legs splayed open, his fatherly parts hidden by Mei in the tub. I chuck this strangeness up to cultural and historical differences, but it may bring out some questions in your child.
Age recommendation: Any age!
Children imitate the media they see in their own pretend play. I love watching my daughter run down the hallway yelling, "I'm running really fast just like Satski!" This movie also exposes kids to another culture; rural Japan. It shows rice fields and chopsticks and washing clothes by stomping out dirt! Abbey now has a pin stuck in Japan on our 'travel-wishes' world map.
My daughter and I both cry at the end of this movie. Even when Mei is lost it is not especially tense. I think it has to do with how happy the girls are when they find that their mom is not as sick as they thought. The girls are so happy but you know that underneath their playfulness there is a void. As a mom, I can't imagine not being with my daughter and vice versa. Abbey had a hard time coming to grips with the mama not being at home. When they are returning home from the hospital and the 'Totoro' song starts, it's just a tear jerker. Plus, the first picture in the movie credits shows the mom coming home. These girls deserve their mama (as do all little girls) and it's a tear-jerker to see their family complete.
Possible Challenges: At the end of this movie you may want to have a discussion with your daughter about not running away from your house, even if one has a good reason. Mei tries to take an ear of corn to her mother in the hospital, which is a good three hour walk away. The only way Satsuki finds Mei is because the cat-bus (yes, that's right, a cat who is also a bus) knows where Mei is and takes Satsuki to her. The only scene that took me aback was when the family took a bath. The father and girls are in one big tub, and the girls' dad is sitting comfortably with his legs splayed open, his fatherly parts hidden by Mei in the tub. I chuck this strangeness up to cultural and historical differences, but it may bring out some questions in your child.
Age recommendation: Any age!
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